Ryan Bader will be defending his Bellator heavyweight title this May in Paris, France, against an old foe.
The American, who beat Valentin Moldavsky this past Saturday night at Bellator 273 will be facing Cheick Kongo on May 6 in a rematch of their initial bout that took place in 2019.
Bader and Kongo fist bout ended in a “No Contest” due to an accidental eye poke. The fight was once again for the heavyweight championship, as Badr retained it then.
After Bader defeated Moldavsky, the No. 2 ranked Kongo then entered the cage for a face-off with the reigning champion, and the rematch was confirmed.
.@RyanBader will face @Kongo4Real on May 6th for a heavyweight championship bout rematch! pic.twitter.com/Dzy6bPA1HH
— BellatorMMA (@BellatorMMA) January 30, 2022
Bellator broke ground here as the first major mixed martial arts promotion to hold an event in the country following the legalization of the sport in Jan. 2020.
This past August, Kongo earned another shot at Bader with a second-round submission over Sergei Kharitonov at Bellator 265.