We have the main event of Bellator 280 coming up as Ryan Bader will put the Bellator MMA Heavyweight Championship on the line against the challenger Cheick Kongo. This fight is scheduled for Friday inside the Accor Arena in Paris. Bader is entering this fight with a 29-7-0 record with the one no contest while Kongo is 31-11-2 with a no-contest as well before they head into the cage.
Last Fight Records
This actually is not the first time that these two have faced off against each other as they fought at Bellator 226. However, the fight was ruled as a no-contest after an accidental eye poke from Bader at 3:51 of the first round of the fight.
Bader vs Kongo Betting Analysis
Ryan Bader content
Despite being the reigning heavyweight champion, Ryan “Darth” Bader has not been doing so hot as in his previous five fights, he has a 2-2-0 record with the no-contest added. The biggest issue is the fact that Bader has won 12 of his 29 career victories with a knockout or a 41 knockout percentage. Bader needs to figure out how to provide a little bit more power into his strikes and land combinations to win fights easier.
His last fight went the distance as he fought back on January 29th as he picked up the unanimous decision win over Valentin Midavsky. He needs to pick up a solid victory here, especially after the eye poke, it will be a very good sign of things to come.
Cheick Kongo content
“The Darkness” Cheick Kongo has been trying to prove his dominance throughout his career and is trying to win the heavyweight championship in this fight. He is in his home country as he is from France, so that will add an extra level of intrigue. His last fight was back in August as he defeated Sergei Kharitonov in Bellator 265.
This will be a very interesting fight so far as he has a 1-1-0 with a no-contest since the first Bader fight. His power also has been there when he is in the cage as he has won via knockout in 15 of his 31 career victories. He is going to need to take the crowd that should be behind their countryman here and use that in the cage if he wants to pull the upset on Friday.
Updates
There have been no updates heading into this fight in terms of injuries or anything that would potentially put this fight in danger. This should be an intriguing matchup that has no love lost between the two fighters.
Ryan Bader vs Cheick Kongo Betting Preview
The MMA betting trends and odds are telling us that this is going to be a one-sided fight. Looking at BetOnline, champion Ryan Bader is currently -300 to win while the challenger Kongo is listed as a larger underdog at +250 as of this writing.
Ryan Bader vs Cheick Kongo Betting Prediction
Ryan Bader is entering this fight as the more-skilled fighter and has a distinct age advantage. Bader is currently 38 years old before entering the cage while Kongo is going to be a few weeks out from his 47th birthday when the bell sounds to begin the fight. Another huge thing is Kongo is fighting in front of his countrymen inside of France.
Kongo is also coming in red-hot if you look at the pre-fight interviews, he is struggling to keep his emotions in check when talking about this fight. His stamina is also going to be a cause of concern as he has not fought inside of the cage in over six months. All in all, go with Ryan Bader to enter and exit the cage with a win and his Bellator MMA Heavyweight Championship in his possessions.
How to bet on Ryan Bader vs Cheick Kongo
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