Ryan Bader To Defend At Bellator: Paris Vs. Cheick Kongo

Fresh off unifying the title, Ryan Bader found out his next defense.

The reigning Bellator heavyweight champion will meet Cheick Kongo at Bellator: Paris on May 6. 

Set from the Accor Arena, the card will take place in France live on Showtime. 

“Bringing Bellator to France in 2020 was one of the highlights of my career, and I knew that it was the start of a long run of big events in Paris,” Bellator President Scott Coker said. “Here we are ready for our second trip to France and this time we are bringing a heavyweight world title rematch featuring arguably the most recognizable French mixed martial artist in our sports history.

“It’s personally important to me to help grow the sport in France and give these athletes a chance to perform on a large stage.”

Bader-Kongo set for rematch

Successfully returning to the heavyweight division following an impressive run in the Bellator Light Heavyweight World Grand Prix, Bader (29-7) is fresh off a dominant title defense over interim champion Valentin Moldavsky in front of a partisan Phoenix crowd on Jan. 29.

A former two-division champion, Bader has defeated nine of his last 12 opponents at both heavyweight and light heavyweight. Fighting out of Chandler, Ariz., the former two-time NCAA Division I All-American wrestler from Arizona State University opened his professional career by winning season eight of “The Ultimate Fighter.”

Snatching victory from the jaws of defeat at Bellator 265, longtime veteran Kongo (31-11-2, 1 NC) was on the verge of being stopped by Sergei Kharitonov in the initial stanza during his last outing on Aug. 20, 2021.

After hitting the canvas and becoming badly hurt, the exhausted Parisian rallied to secure a tap out via rear-naked choke with one second remaining in round two. Ten months prior to the dramatic triumph, the former UFC standout headlined the first major MMA event in his native France as he took on Tim Johnson in a rematch on Oct. 10, 2020.

The main event is a rematch from Bellator 226 in 2019 that ended in a controversial no-contest following a disputed eye poke, creating heightened tension between the two fight camps that will surely boil over on May 6.