Tag: Cheick Kongo

Bellator 265 results: Cheick Kongo rallies, submits Sergei Kharitonov at buzzer in wild Round 2

What started as a slow heavyweight fight quickly spun off the rails and ended with Cheick Kongo getting the tap with one second left in Round 2.

[autotag]Cheick Kongo[/autotag] has a knack for comebacks, and he showed that Friday.

In the Bellator 265 main event, Kongo submitted veteran Russian heavyweight [autotag]Sergei Kharitonov[/autotag] at 4:59 of  what turned into a wild second round.

The event took place at Sanford Pentagon. The main card aired on Showtime after prelims on MMA Junkie.

Entering Round 2, things didn’t look great for Kongo. Throughout the first round, he was stalked, jabbed, and even poked in the eye with an errant toe on a kick. However, midway through Round 2, Kongo (31-11-2 MMA, 13-3 BMMA) flipped the script and hurt Kharitonov (32-9 MMA, 3-3 BMMA) with a series of punches.

With his opponent against the cage and seemingly still stunned, Kongo elected to shoot for a takedown, which he successfully secured. The fighters crashed to the canvas with a heavy thud.

Once on the mat, Kongo worked to mount and Kharitonov rolled, which exposed his neck. As the clock winded down, Kongo snuck in a rear-naked choke attempt. The tap came with one second left in Round 2.

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Kongo, 46, returns to the win column after a split decision loss to Tim Johnson in October 2020. The victory is his first since February 2019, but his ninth in his most recent 11 attempts.

As for Kharitonov, the 41-year-old had a two-fight winning streak snapped. It’s only the second loss he’s suffered since November 2016 and the first by submission since September 2011.

Complete Bellator 265 results include:
MAIN CARD

  • Cheick Kongo def. Sergei Kharitonov via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 4:59
  • Logan Storley def. Dante Schiro via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
  • Marcelo Golm def. Billy Swanson via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, 4:57
  • Jornel Lugo def. Keith Lee via technical submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 5:00

PRELIMINARY CARD

  • Fabio Aguiar def. Taylor Johnson via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
  • Mike Hamel def. Bryce Logan via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
  • Archie Colgan def. Ben Simons via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, 4:04
  • Duane Johnson def. Deven Fisher via submission (D’Arce choke) – Round 1, 1:04
  • Bailey Schoenfelder def. Kory Moegenburg via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 4:11

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Bellator Paris live stream and official results (11:30 a.m. ET)

Bellator 248 and Bellator Europe 10 take place Saturday. Join us for a live video stream and official results.

Bellator 248 and Bellator Europe 10 takes place Saturday, and you can join us for a live video stream and official results beginning at 11:30 a.m. ET (8:30 a.m. PT).

The event takes place at Accor Arena in Paris. Bellator 248 airs on CBS Sports Network and DAZN, while Bellator Europe 10 streams live on MMA Junkie.

In the Bellator 248 main event, [autotag]Michael Page[/autotag] (17-1 MMA, 13-1 BMMA) takes on [autotag]Ross Houston[/autotag] (8-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) at welterweight. In the Bellator Europe 10 headliner, [autotag]Cheick Kongo[/autotag] (30-10-2 MMA, 12-2 BMMA) meets [autotag]Timothy Johnson[/autotag] (14-6 MMA, 2-2 BMMA) at heavyweight.

Official Bellator 248 and Bellator Europe 10 results include:

BELLATOR EUROPE 9 MAIN CARD (MMA Junkie, 5 p.m. ET)

  • Cheick Kongo vs. Timothy Johnson
  • Arbi Mezdihov vs. Saul Rogers

BELLATOR EUROPE 9 PRELIMINARY CARD (MMA Junkie, 1:45 p.m. ET)

  • Terry Brazier vs. Yves Landu
  • Fabacary Diatta vs. Dominique Wooding
  • Maguy Berchel vs. Lucie Bertaud
  • Ciaran Clarke vs. Jean N’Doye

BELLATOR 248 (CBS Sports Network, DAZN, 11:30 a.m. ET)

  • Michael Page vs. Ross Houston
  • Emmanuel Dawa vs. Oliver Enkamp
  • Alan Omer vs. Ryan Scope
  • Darko Banovic vs. Mads Burnell

Note: Bellator officials confirmed the William Gomis vs. Dylan Logan and Ilias Bulaid vs. Ivan Naccari bouts originally scheduled for the Bellator Europe 10 prelims have been removed from the card due to a fighter from each matchup not being licensed to compete by the overseeing athletic commission.

Bellator 248 and Bellator Europe 10 weigh-in results (5 a.m. ET)

Check out the results from the official Bellator 248 / Europe 10 fighter weigh-ins in Paris, France.

MMA Junkie is reporting live on Friday’s official Bellator 248 and Bellator Europe 10 fighter weigh-ins, which kick off at 5 a.m. ET (2 a.m. PT).

Bellator 248 takes place Saturday night at Accor Arena in Paris, France. The four-fight card streams on CBS Sports Network and DAZN.

Bellator Europe 10 takes place the same night, from the same venue. The main card streams live on MMA Junkie channel following the preliminary card, which streams on MMA Junkie and DAZN.

Among those weighing in are [autotag]Michael Page[/autotag] (17-1 MMA, 13-1 BMMA) and [autotag]Ross Houston[/autotag] (8-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA), who face off in the main event of Bellator 248, and [autotag]Cheick Kongo[/autotag] (30-10-2 MMA, 12-2 BMMA) and [autotag]Timothy Johnson[/autotag] (14-6 MMA, 2-2 BMMA), who meet in the heavyweight main event of Bellator Europe 10.

The full Bellator 248 / Bellator Europe 10 weigh-in results include:

BELLATOR EUROPE 10 MAIN CARD (5:00 p.m. ET, MMA Junkie/Bellator YouTube channel)

  • Cheick Kongo () vs. Timothy Johnson ()
  • Arbi Mezhidov () vs. Saul Rogers ()

BELLATOR EUROPE 10 PRELIMINARY CARD (1:45 p.m. ET, MMA Junkie/Bellator YouTube channel/DAZN)

  • Davy Gallon () vs. Brian Hooi ()
  • Terry Brazier () vs. Yves Landu ()
  • Ilias Bulaid () vs. Ivan Naccari ()
  • Fabacary Diatta () vs. Dominique Wooding ()
  • Ciaran Clarke () vs. Jean N’Doye ()
  • William Gomis () vs. Dylan Logan ()

BELLATOR 248 FIGHT CARD (11:30 a.m. ET, CBS Sports Network/DAZN)

  • Michael Page () vs. Ross Houston ()
  • Emmanuel Dawa () vs. Oliver Enkamp ()
  • Alan Omer () vs. Ryan Scope ()
  • Darko Banovic () vs. Mads Burnell ()

Cheick Kongo thought he’d retire before France legalized MMA, grateful to fight on home soil

At 45, Cheick Kongo wasn’t sure he’d ever get to compete in his native France and is grateful to headline Bellator Europe 10.

[autotag]Cheick Kongo[/autotag] wasn’t sure if he’d ever get to compete on home soil.

Born in France, Kongo (30-12-2 MMA, 12-2 BMMA) has competed in more than 40 professional fights and will finally make the walk to the cage in his home country this Saturday when he rematches Timothy Johnson in the main event of Bellator Europe 10 at Accor Arena in Paris.

Earlier this year in January, France legalized mixed martial arts, making it a target for Bellator. As soon as France passed legislation, Coker issued a statement expressing his enthusiasm.

Speaking at Bellator 248 virtual media day, Kongo, 45, said he expected to be retired by the time MMA was legalized in France, but the heavyweight powerhouse is still trucking. He hasn’t lost since 2015 and most recently contended for the heavyweight championship last September against Ryan Bader, but the fight was ruled a no contest after Bader accidentally poked Kongo in the eye.

“It’s great,” Kongo said Wednesday on getting to compete in France. “It’s one of the final steps around the world for MMA, regulation and legalization of the sport, so now French citizens can enjoy the fights to assist on live to the sports events, and now they can train and be prepared for the event with all the support, sponsors and federation in France.”

He continued, “Sure, the plan was to be retired way before. After that, I got some wins and more gas in the tank to keep performing, so it was great. And now on Saturday we have the first event in France legalized, and it’s amazing. I was expecting that moment sooner, but today at 45 years old, it’s kind of a blessing – a bit of frustration because of the pandemic. All the crowd won’t be able to fill up the facility, but it’s a good start. Step by step.”

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Kongo knocked out Johnson (14-6 MMA, 2-2 BMMA) in their first fight in just 68 seconds in 2018 at Bellator 208. Despite the quick finish, he’s not taking Johnson lightly.

“Everybody changes,” Kongo said. “Everybody changes with a bit more confidence. … For that bout, I just have to stay aware, try to be aggressive, let him come in the game, and just reply as I have to do. Nothing else.”

Bellator Europe 10: Cheick Kongo grateful to finally fight in native France

French heavyweight Cheick Kongo tells reporters of his pride to compete on home soil at Bellator Europe 10 following the lifting of the ban on MMA in France.

French heavyweight Cheick Kongo tells reporters of his pride to compete on home soil at Bellator Europe 10 following the lifting of the ban on MMA in France.

Full fight card and broadcast details confirmed for Bellator 248 and Bellator Europe 10

The full 12-bout lineup for the dual-card Bellator 248/Bellator Europe 10 event in Paris, France has been confirmed.

The bout lineup and broadcast details for Bellator’s historic dual-card event in Paris, France has been confirmed, with the event split into two cards, Bellator 248 and Bellator Europe 10, to accommodate the promotion’s various broadcast partners.

The event at the Accor Arena will begin at 11:30 a.m. ET on CBS Sports Network and DAZN with Bellator 248, which features a four-fight card, headlined by the 175-pound contract weight bout between England’s [autotag]Michael Page[/autotag] (17-1 MMA, 13-1 BMMA) and Scotland’s debuting former Cage Warriors welterweight champion [autotag]Ross Houston[/autotag] (8-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA).

The action then moves on to the Bellator Europe 10 portion of the event, with the six-bout preliminary card set to be aired on MMA Junkie via the Bellator YouTube channel and DAZN from 1:45 p.m. ET.

The two-fight Bellator Europe 10 main card, featuring [autotag]Arbi Mezhidov[/autotag] (13-3 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) vs. [autotag]Saul Rogers[/autotag] (13-3 MMA, 1-1 BMMA), then the heavyweight headliner between France’s [autotag]Cheick Kongo[/autotag] (30-10-2 MMA, 12-2 BMMA) and American [autotag]Timothy Johnson[/autotag] (14-6 MMA, 2-2 BMMA), will go live from 5 p.m. ET, on MMA Junkie via the Bellator YouTube channel.

The event also marks a notable moment for the promotion in the U.K., with Bellator officials confirming that the Bellator 248 card and the Bellator Europe 10 prelims will be shown live on BBC iPlayer, marking the first time a major MMA organization has been broadcast live by the British public service broadcaster.

Full Bellator 248/Bellator Europe 10 fight card includes:

BELLATOR EUROPE 10 MAIN CARD (5:00 p.m. ET, MMA Junkie/Bellator YouTube channel)

  • Cheick Kongo vs. Timothy Johnson
  • Arbi Mezhidov vs. Saul Rogers

BELLATOR EUROPE 10 PRELIMINARY CARD (1:45 p.m. ET, MMA Junkie/Bellator YouTube channel/DAZN)

  • Davy Gallon vs. Brian Hooi
  • Terry Brazier vs. Yves Landu
  • Ilias Bulaid vs. Ivan Naccari
  • Fabacary Diatta vs. Dominique Wooding
  • Ciaran Clarke vs. Jean N’Doye
  • William Gomis vs. Dylan Logan

BELLATOR 248 FIGHT CARD (11:30 a.m. ET, CBS Sports Network/DAZN)

  • Michael Page vs. Ross Houston
  • Emmanuel Dawa vs. Oliver Enkamp
  • Alan Omer vs. Ryan Scope
  • Darko Banovic vs. Mads Burnell

Cheick Kongo to fight on Bellator’s first event in France, rematch Timothy Johnson

Bellator 248 will take place in Paris, and France’s Cheick Kongo will be headlining in a rematch against Timothy Johnson.

[autotag]Cheick Kongo[/autotag] has been a professional mixed martial artist for more than 19 years.

But when he steps into the cage Oct. 10, he’ll do something he’s never done before. He’ll fight in his home country, France, when he takes on [autotag]Timothy Johnson[/autotag] at Bellator 248 in a rematch of their September 2018 fight.

The event will take place at Accor Arena in Paris. The promotion announced the news Friday, alongside a pairing between welterweights Michael Page and Ross Houston.

Although the promo poster released by the promotion does not indicate Kongo vs. Johnson will serve as the main event, it is likely to be announced as the headliner during an announcement scheduled by Bellator president Scott Coker later Friday.

In January 2020, France legalized mixed martial arts for the first time, making it a target for Bellator. As soon as France passed legislation to allow for MMA, Coker issued a statement expressing his enthusiasm.

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Kongo (30-12-2 MMA, 12-2 BMMA) and Johnson (14-6 MMA, 2-2 BMMA) have their rematch 26 months after their first fight. In their initial meeting, Kongo knocked out Johnson in 68 seconds.

Since then, Kongo has fought twice, picking up a win against Vitaly Minakov before a no contest due to an eye poke against Ryan Bader. He has not competed since September 2019.

Ten months after the Kongo fight, Johnson was knocked out by Vitaly Minakov. However, he turned his losing skid around in his next fight, flattening then-undefeated prospect Tyrell Fortune in one of the promotion’s biggest betting upsets. In his most recent fight in August, Johnson defeated Matt Mitrione by first-round TKO.

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Ryan Bader focused on 205 title but keen to settle ‘unfinished business’ with Cheick Kongo

Ryan Bader knows exactly the fight he wants when he returns to defend his heavyweight title.

Two-weight Bellator champion [autotag]Ryan Bader[/autotag]’s attention is firmly fixed on defending his light heavyweight strap Friday at Bellator 244, and he hopes to stick around for another title defense at 205 pounds before moving back up to heavyweight and settling some unfinished business with [autotag]Cheick Kongo[/autotag].

Speaking with MMA Junkie in the lead-up to his light heavyweight title defense against Vadim Nemkov at Mohegan Sun Arena, Bader (27-5 MMA, 5-0 BMMA) laid out his ideal scenario for the months ahead, starting with a successful title defense in Uncasville, Conn.

“A perfect world for me right now would be to go out there, beat Nemkov, defend that light heavyweight belt, then turn around and fight again at light heavyweight,” Bader explained. “I would like to get two in at light heavyweight while I cut down, while my body’s down there, and then revisit heavyweight.”

Bader said there’s an obvious matchup waiting for him when he does return to heavyweight, as a rematch with French contender Kongo (30-10-2 MMA, 12-2 BMMA) offers a compelling opportunity to settle the score with a man “Darth” has little love for.

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“I do feel like Kongo and I have some unfinished business, and we were kind of gearing up to fight him in August anyway, so that’s definitely a fight that I would revisit, absolutely,” Bader said. “I’m one of those guys where I know it’s competition, and blood flows and emotions are high. But everything, just the way he carried himself, pushing me at the weigh-ins and saying it was my fault somehow, to the eye-poke thing, when there’s clearly video evidence to the contrary where I poked him in his nostril. Then him coming out and talking smack the whole time afterwards.

“Luckily we get to do something that a lot of people who don’t like each other wish they could do – fight. We get to do that for cash, and I definitely want to revisit that with Kongo, for sure, and ultimately beat him to decide that in the cage in a fist fight.”

The first meeting between the pair was prematurely halted and rendered a no contest as a result of Kongo being unable to continue due to the alleged eye poke. But Bader said he had the clear upper hand when the fight was stopped and doesn’t expect things to be any different when the pair eventually meet again.

“I feel like in that first fight he was minutes away from getting stopped by ground and pound anyway, so I see that going exactly the same.”

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Ryan Bader plans Cheick Kongo rematch, but only after he defends light heavyweight title

Dual champ Ryan Bader is planning on giving Cheick Kongo a rematch, but only after he defends his light heavyweight title first.

[autotag]Ryan Bader[/autotag] is planning on running things back with [autotag]Cheick Kongo[/autotag], but not before defending his light heavyweight title first.

In his most recent outing, Bellator dual champ Bader (27-5 MMA, 5-0 BMMA) put his heavyweight title on the line against Kongo (30-10-2 MMA, 12-2 BMMA) in a fight that was ruled a no contest due to an accidental eye poke by Bader.

In a recent interview with MMA Junkie, Kongo went off on the champion, claiming Bader intentionally poked him in the eye because he was starting to tire out, staking his claim for a rematch.

Bader was scheduled to defend his light heavyweight title for the first time since 2017 against Vadim Nemkov at Bellator 242 before COVID-19 forced the cancellation of the event.

And while he still has intentions of defending his 205-pound title next, he’s keen to rematch Kongo to prove that he is the better fighter.

“For me, my plan is to, next fight, go out and defend the light heavyweight title. And then I’ll give Kongo a rematch right away at heavyweight,” Bader told MMA Junkie. “That goes back to Bellator – maybe they don’t want him back in there, but I want him. I want to go out there and prove that it was only a matter of time. It was very one-sided, anyways, and so I want to go in there and prove to everybody that that’s how it was gonna go.”

Bellator are targeting a return in summer, and Bader is ready to go. But Bader is unsure if Nemkov will still be his opponent, considering the travel ban restrictions in most countries across the globe.

So he has no issues moving onto another opponent if necessary.

“Obviously you want to know what opponent because I was fighting the Russian. Is that happening? We don’t know,” Bader said. “Can he get in the States, international travel, does he have to be quarantined, all that kind of stuff – so I don’t want to deal with that, having another thing on my plate, worrying if an opponent can get in. And so if we have to fight somebody else or whatever it is, I want to fight.

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Cheick Kongo wants rematch with ‘big coward’ Ryan Bader, sounds off on controversial no contest

Cheick Kongo hasn’t gotten over the way his title fight with Ryan Bader ended.

[autotag]Cheick Kongo[/autotag] wants to run it back.

The seasoned heavyweight wants a rematch with two-division Bellator champion [autotag]Ryan Bader[/autotag]. The two fought last September in the main event of Bellator 226. It was a Bader’s first heavyweight title defense.

Despite retaining his belt, Bader didn’t walk away with a win that night in San Jose, Calif. The bout with Kongo (30-10-2 MMA, 12-2 BMMA) ended in a no contest due to an accidental eye poke from Bader (27-5 MMA, 5-0 BMMA). It was a controversial moment as Bader claimed he didn’t actually poke Kongo in the eye.

Speaking for the first time about the incident, Kongo said he did get eye poked and is surprised Bellator didn’t give him an immediate rematch, with Bader later being booked to defend his light heavyweight title, which was then cancelled due to COVID-19 concerns.

“I didn’t get the chance to talk about it, to explain myself, and I got discredit for that,” Kongo told MMA Junkie. “Just two weeks before that in the UFC, a fight (Yair Rodriguez vs. Jeremy Stephens) ended with poked eyes, and those guys did the rematch. But for my case, it was just like, ‘No, we don’t want to do this,’ but that’s just politics. I fought as a man. I don’t fight and make excuses or anything like that.”

Kongo said the eye poke was bad, that it was like looking through broken glass, having multiple visions on one target. The French fighter also said it was very painful, and he’s surprised the bout ended in a no contest rather than a disqualification for Bader.

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Kongo thinks the eye poke came out of frustration from the champion.

“He was just exhausted, exhausted because he couldn’t land the right shot and hit me properly,” Kongo explained. “That’s the reason he poked me. No matter what, he wants someone else, whatever. But that’s pretty sad because he’s someone who claims, ‘I’m the best in the category,’ and for the sport we need somebody that can hold those titles, but he’s fake. He’s fake.

“I could say something bad, bad and talk sh*t like everyone, but it’s not my thing. For what it is, it’s a business. It’s not personal, because if it’s personal, I can get really bad. And just the way I used to push him at the weigh-in because he touch me with his hat, like, ‘What are you trying to do?’ And of course, people don’t see that on camera because it’s quick, but that’s what he did.

“At the end of the day, I’m not here to get bullied by anyone. We’re here to fight, so we’re going to fight. If you want to use some sh*t on me, OK, but make sure you’re able to respond to my actions, because I’m not fake. If you want to fight, I’m here, but he’s a big coward.”

Entering Bellator 226, Kongo was on an eight-fight winning streak with his last defeat coming in 2015. He turns 45 later this month and said he feels strong and still has plenty of fuel left.

Not thinking about retirement and having recently signed a new multi-fight deal with Bellator, Kongo wants the rematch with Bader, but he’s willing to fight another opponent if he’s not given the bout with the champion.

“The rematch is good,” Kongo said. “I don’t fight like some guys just to get the cash, and that’s it. I improve myself all the time to make sure I’m the right contender, the right figure to perform, and no matter what I want it (the rematch).

“I waited five years. I didn’t think it would take five years to be able to fight (for the title). Even in the UFC, you never saw anyone waiting five years and being the best. Some guys fight like six months and fight at least for an interim belt, and even that, I didn’t get the chance to do it. But I’m here for that, and I can’t wait to get back.”

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