LIVE AND FREE ON SPIKE – JUNE 17
SANTA MONICA, Calif. (June 10, 2016) – An undisclosed injury to “Bellator 158” competitor Josh Koscheck has paved the way for a new co-main feature bout at “Bellator 156: Galvao vs. Dantas 2,” pitting Chidi “Chidi Bang Bang” Njokuani (14-4) against Thiago Jambo (18-4) on June 17 at the Save Mart Center in Fresno, CA. Jambo will be making his promotional debut in place of Douglas Lima.
The fight completes a card that features a Bellator MMA Bantamweight Title rematch pitting Marcos Galvao (17-6-1) against Eduardo Dantas (17-4), while Fresno native, Chris Honeycutt (7-1) returns home to take on Mikkel Parlo (13-2) in a middleweight slugfest. Rounding out the main card, John Salter (11-3) and Brandon Halsey (9-1) duke it out in a 185-pound feature bout.
“Bellator 156: Galvao vs. Dantas 2” airs LIVE and FREE on SPIKE at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT, while preliminary bouts will stream live on Bellator.com andThe Bellator Mobile App. Tickets for the event start at only $25 and are currently on sale at the Save Mart Center Box Office, as well as Ticketmaster.com and Bellator.com.
Having not lost a fight in his last six appearances dating back to 2013, “Chidi Bang Bang” will try to keep the train rolling as he prepares for Jambo. The 27-year-old Las Vegas native finished his 2015 campaign on a high note, recording a unanimous decision victory over Ricky “The Sniper” Rainey in his promotional debut at “Bellator 146: Kato vs. Manhoef.” Njokuani will face one of the stiffest tests of his career when he meets Jambo in the co-headliner of “Bellator 156: Galvao vs. Dantas 2.”
The 35-year-old Goncalves has landed himself a golden opportunity when he steps into the cage with Njokuani in the co-feature on June 17. The 12-year professional most recently earned his 18th career win by defeating Matt Baker via technical knockout in the second round of their contest and now the Brazilian welterweight will be making his Bellator MMA debut after impressively recording six wins over his last seven fights dating back to 2010.
Complete “Bellator 156: Galvao vs. Dantas 2” Card:
Bellator MMA Bantamweight Title Bout: Marcos Galvao (17-6-1) vs. Eduardo Dantas (17-4)
Bellator MMA Welterweight Co-Main Event: Chidi Njokuani (14-4) vs. Thiago Jambo Goncalves (18-4)
Bellator MMA Middleweight Feature Bout: Brandon Halsey (9-1) vs. John Salter (11-3)
Bellator MMA Middleweight Feature Bout: Chris Honeycutt (7-1) vs. Mikkel Parlo (13-2)
Preliminary Card:
Bellator MMA Middleweight Preliminary Bout: A.J. Matthews (8-4) vs. Ben Reiter (16-1)
Bellator MMA Light Heavyweight Preliminary Bout: Jermaine McDermott (2-0) vs. Blake Watkins (5-0)
Bellator MMA 140lb. Preliminary Bout: Paul Ruiz (6-4) vs. Christian Navarro (5-0)
Bellator MMA Heavyweight Preliminary Bout: Javy Ayala (8-5) vs. Roy Boughton (14-7)
Bellator MMA Lightweight Preliminary Bout: Nick Bustamante (5-1) vs. Antoine Smith (3-5)
Bellator MMA Lightweight Preliminary Bout: C.J. Keith (8-3) vs. Carrington Banks (4-0)
Bellator MMA Featherweight Preliminary Bout: Justin Smitley (10-7) vs. TBD
Bellator MMA Light Heavyweight Preliminary Bout: John Paul Elias (3-0) vs. Jose Cabesas (5-8)
Bellator MMA Heavyweight Preliminary Bout: Chris Lewis (0-0) vs. Gil Medina (1-0)
Bellator MMA Lightweight Preliminary Bout: Luis Jauregui (3-2) vs. Ryan Tobar (3-2)