It wasn’t the ending the Parisian 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.