It wasn’t the ending the Paris crowd was expecting for Bellator MMA’s return to France.
In the Bellator 280 main event, Ryan Bader and Cheick Kongo battled for the heavyweight championship for the second time following their no-contest in September 2019. A few moments into the fight, it seemed that history was about to repeat itself as Bader (30-7, 1 NC; 8-2, 1 NC Bellator) landed a knee to the groin while clinching with Kongo, who needed a few minutes to recover. Once the action resumed, it was pretty clear that former divisional champion Kongo (31-12-2, 13-4 Bellator) couldn’t match his opponent’s wrestling pedigree.
Thanks to relentless double-leg takedowns and suffocating ground control, Bader kept his prey on the canvas for five rounds, landing a few strikes from time to time to prevent any kind of resistance. The Frenchman struggled to resurge on the feet, but managed to contain damage. Ultimately, the cageside judges delivered 50-45, 50-45 and 50-45 scorecards for Bader, who took home a unanimous decision victory.
In the co-headliner, two-time Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight title challenger Yoel Romero scored his first promotional victory by stopping Alex Polizzi. The 45-year-old Romero (14-6, 1-1 Bellator) landed significant shots on the feet out of the gate, completing a successful opening frame with a takedown attempt. Former Legacy Fighting Alliance titleholder Polizzi (10-2, 4-2 Bellator) kept the center of the cage most of the contest, but couldn’t match his adversary’s power.
Midway through the second frame, Romero’s educated left hand knocked down Polizzi, who resisted to see the end of the frame on wobbling legs. The Cuban landed with his leather missiles on several occasions in the third frame, ending the fight on a high tone. Referee Joey Beltran called the stoppage following a vicious uppercut as the official time indicated one second before the end.
Elsewhere, 155-pounder Davy Gallon (21-7-2, 3-0 Bellator) crushed Benjamin Brander (13-9, 0-2 Bellator) with punches from the crucifix position at the 3:18 mark of Round 2; Lorenz Larkin (24-7, 1NC; 6-2 Bellator) outclassed short-notice replacement Kyle Stewart (15-6, 0-1 Bellator) with knees and punches, ending the contest with only 16 seconds left in the opening stanza of their 185-pound clash; Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki middleweight alum Gregory Babene (22-11, 1NC; 4-0 Bellator) smashed Mike Shipman (14-4, 5-3 Bellator) with hefty punches at 2:11 into Round 1.
In the featured fight on the preliminary card, Piotr Niedzielski (17-4, 1-0 Bellator) outpointed former 145-pound championship contender Pedro Carvalho (12-6, 5-3 Bellator) via split decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29); UFC alum Thibault Gouti (16-5, 1-0 Bellator) scored a successful promotional debut by upending Lewis Long (19-7, 3-2 Bellator) on all scorecards (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) at welterweight; Jordan Barton (7-2-1, 1-1 Bellator) edged Fabacary Diatta (8-1, 2-1 Bellator) thanks to a narrow split decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29) in a 145-pound clash; former Cage Warriors Fighting Championship titleholder Soren Bak (15-1, 3-0 Bellator) took home a unanimous decision over Charlie Leary (17-13-1, 3-4 Bellator) in their 160-pound catchweight affair, earning a surprising 30-27 scorecard, plus 29-28, 29-28 nods from the judges; Yves Landu (17-9, 2-1 Bellator) smashed fellow 155-pounder Gavin Hughes (10-3, 1-2 Bellator) with a series of knees followed by a knee to the liver 3:01 into the opening stanza; Lucie Bertaud (4-3, 2-0 Bellator) outpointed Katarzyna Sadura (5-5, 1-1 Bellator) on all three scorecards (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) in their women’s flyweight tilt; 185-pounder Youcef Ouabbas (3-0, 1-0 Bellator) stopped Matthieu Letho Duclos (2-2, 0-1 Bellator) with punches at the 4:17 mark in the first period; in the 170-pound opener, Bourama Camara (5-1, 1-0 Bellator) knocked out Victor de Lima Verchere (5-2, 0-1 Bellator) at 3:06 of Round 1.
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