Darrion Caldwell, Joe Taimanglo to face off at Bellator 159

          • Brett OkamotoJun 1, 2016, 05:20 PM ET
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              Brett Okamoto has reported on mixed martial arts and boxing at ESPN since 2010. He has covered all of the biggest events in combat sports during that time, including in-depth interviews and features with names such as Dana White, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Conor McGregor, Nate Diaz, Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao and Georges St-Pierre. He was also a producer on the 30 for 30 film: "Chuck and Tito," which looked back at the careers and rivalry of Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz. He lives in Las Vegas, and is an avid, below-average golfer in his spare time.
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          Bellator MMA bantamweight prospect Darrion Caldwell will headline his second consecutive event at Bellator 159 on July 22 in Mulvane, Kansas.

          Caldwell, 28, will face Joe Taimanglo at Kansas Star Arena. According to officials, the bout will determine the next No. 1 contender at 135 pounds.

          A former Division I national wrestling champion out of NC State, Caldwell (9-0) has been considered a top prospect in recent years.

          He is coming off the biggest win of his career, a first-round submission victory over former two-division champion Joe Warren in March. Caldwell has been fighting professionally less than four years.

          Taimanglo (22-6-1) is riding a three-fight winning streak and is 5-2 overall under the Bellator banner. Fighting out of Guam, Taimanglo has 16 finishes on his record.

          Current bantamweight champion Marcos Galvao (17-6-1) is scheduled to defend the belt against Eduardo Dantas (17-4) at Bellator 156 on June 17.

          In addition to the main event, Bellator officials announced a lightweight pairing of Melvin Guillard (32-16-2) and Dave Rickels (17-4) for the July 22 card.