Though Scott Coker has said the winner of Mirko Cro Cop vs. Roy Nelson will be the first option for an alternate in the Bellator Heavyweight Grand Prix, Cheick Kongo just threw his hat in the ring with a spectacular first-round knockout of Javy Ayala at Bellator 199 in San Jose, California.
Ayala pressed the action early but Kongo caught the younger fight with a short right hand that turned the lights out violently. The KO was Kongo’s first stoppage since 2014 and officially made Kongo the winningest heavyweight in Bellator history.