Bellator 167: “Pitbull vs. Campos 2” comes to WinStar World Casino and Resort in Thackerville, Okla., on Dec. 3, 2016, serving as the second straight night of fights for the mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion that weekend. The Spike TV-televised event was originally supposed to feature a key Featherweight match up between former champion, Pat Curran, and rising contender John Teixeira; however, Curran withdrew from the match with an undisclosed injury.
As a result, the card has been reshuffled and will feature a new main event between familiar foes. Derek Campos and Patricky Freire previously met at Bellator 117, with “Pitbull” stopping Campos via technical knockout in the second round. Campos (17-6) now has a chance to avenge that loss and notch his third straight win, while Freire (16-8) is looking to reset his Bellator career after a destructive knockout loss to Michael Chandler.
Teixeira is not completely out of luck even though he is no longer in the main event slot. The streaking Featherweight (nine straight fights without a loss) will put his 19-1-2 record on the line against “The American Kidd” Justin Lawrence (9-3). In addition, Bellator 167 will now feature a key rematch between “The Wolf” Darrion Caldwell (9-1) and Joe Taimanglo (23-6-1). Caldwell seemed to have their first meeting well in hand until he was caught in a guillotine choke in the third round. The undefeated Caldwell seemed ready for a Bantamweight title shot before the loss, while Taimanglo could solidify his claim as a contender if he were able to beat Caldwell a second straight time.
Check out the new Bellator 167 fight card, with an updated “Prelims” undercard, below:
Bellator 167: “Pitbull vs. Campos 2” Card (Spike TV):
Lightweight: Patricky Freire (16-8) vs. Derek Campos (17-6)
Flyweight: Ilima MacFarlane (4-0) vs. Emily Ducote (4-1)
Welterweight: Chidi Njokuani (15-4, 1 NC) vs. Andre Fialho (7-0)
Featherweight: John Teixeira (19-1-2) vs. Justin Lawrence (9-3)
Bantamweight: Darrion Caldwell (9-1) vs. Joe Taimanglo (23-6-1)Bellator 167: “Prelims” Card (Spike.com):
Light Heavyweight: Jarod Trice (Debut) vs. Brandon Lee (4-1)
Welterweight: Abdul Razak Al Hassan (5-0) vs. Dakota Cochrane (26-10)
Lightweight Preliiminary Bout: Jonathan Gary (11-6) vs. Aaron Roberson (5-4)
Featherweight: Brandon Philips (6-2) Stephen Banaszak (5-5)
Welterweight: Justin Patterson (7-1) vs. Codale Ford (11-8)
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