It has this evening been announced that Bellator 16 will feature a lightweight bout pitting Saad Awad (19-7) against Derek Anderson (13-2) has been added to the event which features Benson Henderson and Patricio “Pitbull” Freire.
In addition, the highly-anticipated professional debuts of wrestling sensation Joey Davis and “Baby Slice” Kevin Ferguson Jr. are set for must-see preliminary action against opponents to be named later.
The lightweight encounter joins a card that already features another stellar 155-pound affair in the main event, when Benson Henderson(23-6) goes up against Patricio “Pitbull” (25-3). Additionally, two standout featherweight fights have also been announced, seeing the young and undefeated A.J. McKee (4-0) meet former KOTC titlist Henry Corrales (12-3) and NCAA National Champion WrestlerBubba Jenkins (11-2) take on Georgi “Insane” Karakhanyan (24-6-1).
An 11-fight veteran of Bellator MMA, Awad is currently in the midst of his second stint with the Scott Coker-led promotion, posting a 7-4 mark since making his promotional debut in 2009. Awad hopes to build off his impressive win over Brazilian standout Evangelista “Cyborg” at “Bellator 154: Davis vs. King Mo,” where “Assassin” was able to escape Santos’ ferocious ankle lock submission attempt and emerge victorious with a series of pummeling blows. Now the 33-year-old San Bernardino, Calif. native will look to put his unique skillset on full display in front of his friends and family when he enters the cage in Anaheim, Calif.
Similar to his opponent, Anderson was able to make a name for himself early in his professional career, exploding out of the gate with victories in 11 of his first 12 bouts. During his Bellator MMA debut in 2013, “Barbaric” earned a win over the savvy veteran Patricky “Pitbull.” Since then, the 26-year-old Anderson has made five more appearances under the promotion’s direction, including a second victory over the elder “Pitbull” brother. Also hailing from the Southern California area, Anderson expects to have a large hometown following of his own in attendance on August 26.
Joey Davis is a 21-year-old standout wrestler, who competed at Notre Dame College where he accumulated an incredible undefeated 131-0 record and four consecutive NCAA Division II Championships, becoming the only Division II wrestler to ever win four national titles and go unbeaten in a career. The most recent signing of Bellator’s “New Breed,” a group of top wrestling products that the promotion has signed including Aaron Pico, Ed Ruth, Jarod Trice and Terrell Fortune, will be the first to make his promotional debut. Davis trains at Antonio McKee’s “Body Shop Gym” alongside other “Bellator 160” competitors A.J. McKee, Bubba Jenkins and “Baby Slice.”
Signed to a developmental deal in April, Ferguson Jr., also known as “Baby Slice” will anchor the Bellator.com-streamed preliminary card along with Davis, his aforementioned “Body Shop Gym” teammate. In an eerily similar storyline to the hit-movie “Creed,” the son of the late, great “Kimbo Slice,” quietly broke onto the scene earlier this year in an amateur bout that played out in Western Massachusetts, where he scored a knockout victory just 83 seconds into the first round.
“Bellator 160: Henderson vs. Pitbull” Main Card
Bellator MMA Lightweight No. 1 Contender Main Event: Benson Henderson (23-6) vs. Patricio “Pitbull” Freire (25-3)
Bellator MMA Lightweight Feature Bout: Saad Awad (19-7) vs. Derek Anderson (13-2)
Bellator MMA Featherweight Feature Bout: A.J. McKee (4-0) vs. Henry Corrales (12-3)
Bellator.com-Streamed Preliminary Card
Bellator MMA Welterweight Preliminary Bout: Joey Davis (Pro Debut) vs. TBD
Bellator MMA Welterweight Preliminary Bout: Kevin Ferguson Jr. (Pro Debut) vs. TBD
