Darrion Caldwell to Face Joe Taimanglo for Title Shot in Bellator 159 Headliner

Darrion Caldwell and Joe Taimanglo will square off for a future bantamweight title shot in the Bellator 159 headliner on June 22.

Promotion officials announced the pairing on Wednesday. Bellator 159 takes place at Kansas Star Arena in Mulvane, Kan., and will also see David Rickels square off against Melvin Guillard at lightweight in the evening’s co-main event. The main card will air on Spike TV beginning at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT, with preliminary bouts streaming on Bellator.com and the Bellator mobile app at 7 p.m. ET.

A former national champion wrestler at North Carolina State University, Caldwell is unbeaten in nine professional outings, including six in Bellator MMA. “The Wolf” earn his most significant win to date at Bellator 151, where he overwhelmed former two-division titlist Joe Warren en route to a first-round submission victory.

Taimanglo, meanwhile, enters the bout riding the momentum of a three-fight winning streak and is 5-2 under the Bellator banner overall. Most recently, the 30-bout veteran outpointed former UFC talent Sirwan Kakai at Bellator 151.

Rickels, a native of Derby, Kan., has competed 16 times for the California-based promotion and is coming off a first-round technical knockout win over Bobby Cooper at Bellator 150 on Feb. 26. Guillard is still seeking his first Bellator MMA triumph after falling to Brandon Girz and Derek Campos in his first two appearances.