{"id":111913,"date":"2022-05-04T13:36:11","date_gmt":"2022-05-04T19:36:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/?p=111913"},"modified":"2022-05-04T13:36:35","modified_gmt":"2022-05-04T19:36:35","slug":"bellator-mma-280-bader-vs-kongo-2-breaking-ufc-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/?p=111913","title":{"rendered":"Bellator MMA 280: Bader Vs Kongo 2 &#8211; Breaking UFC News"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-1545664804358300\" crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><br \/>\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display: block; text-align: center;\" data-ad-layout=\"in-article\" data-ad-format=\"fluid\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-1545664804358300\" data-ad-slot=\"8616314829\"><\/ins><br \/>\n<script>\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\n<\/script><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/?p=111913\" rel=\"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/?p=111913\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-111914 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/thumbnail-5-300x199.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"199\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/thumbnail-5-300x199.jpg 300w, https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/thumbnail-5.jpg 730w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>\u202fWith another historic event in Paris, France just days away, fighters from BELLATOR MMA 280: Bader vs. Kongo 2 spoke to the media today before their slated fights on Friday, May 6 at the Accor Arena. The main card will air live in the US on SHOWTIME from 4 p.m. ET. The preliminary card will stream live at 1 p.m. ET on the BELLATOR MMA YouTube channel, SHOWTIME Sports YouTube channel and Pluto TV.<\/p>\n<p>A heavyweight world title bout will headline Friday\u2019s card, with Ryan Bader (29-7, 1 NC) and hometown hero Cheick Kongo (31-11-2, 1 NC) set for a rematch following a controversial fight in 2019 which ended in an unfortunate no contest. In the co-main event, MMA legend Yoel Romero (13-6) faces No. 7-ranked Alex Polizzi (10-1) in a short-notice light heavyweight contest.<!--more--><\/p>\n<p>Tickets for BELLATOR 280 are on sale and can be purchased through Bellator.com.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s what the BELLATOR 280 fighters had to say:<\/p>\n<p>RYAN BADER: BELLATOR HEAVYWEIGHT WORLD CHAMPION (VIDEO)<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re both veterans and had a tonne of fights. For me, I\u2019ve been jumping around at light heavyweight, but I\u2019m back at home at heavyweight. I had a tough fight last fight, but it felt amazing. I fought in October, January and now May, so for me when the fights are like that, it\u2019s a lot easier to get into a routine and keep the momentum going. I feel ready.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m excited. I haven\u2019t fought oversees for a while, so to fight in France\u2026 I was all over it. I have fought the last two fights in my hometown, which I don\u2019t think is always the best thing. There\u2019s a lot of pressure that comes with that. I\u2019d rather be the guy coming into another guy\u2019s hometown and bringing an upset.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ve had three rematches in my career and won all three. I was all for fighting Kongo. I like rematches because you never know how strong and fast a guy is until you get in there with him and you can gameplan from there. I\u2019ve been undefeated in rematches and hope to keep that streak going.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe animosity came from him [Kongo] and his team calling me a dirty fighter. He said he had me where he wanted me, so for me there\u2019s definitely more animosity now. But at the same time, I\u2019m going to go in and do my job like I always do and that\u2019s it. I just want to get in there and have a clean, decisive win and be done with that whole chapter.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>CHEICK KONGO: NO.2-RANKED BELLATOR HEAVYWEIGHT (VIDEO)<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt will be great for the French people to have the belt at home and claim France is a really good country for MMA. The supporters and fighters in France used to live for those moments, so for me it\u2019s a normality and a great opportunity to show the world we\u2019re still in the game. We are here now \u2013 let\u2019s do this.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was expecting the fight [against Bader] to happen really quickly, but it has taken almost three years. I had to keep going no matter what. We have the crowd and we have no excuses \u2013 showing how great BELLATOR Paris is, that\u2019s one of the big motivations for Friday.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t have anything against him. Now I can be here and express myself. I have nothing to prove, I just try to do the work that I\u2019m used to. I leave the trash talking and bad blood to one side.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI used to get some frustrations and disappointments, but as a human being, I have to keep my head up and keep going no matter what. Every time I look at myself in the mirror and think about who I am, I\u2019m really proud.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>YOEL ROMERO: BELLATOR LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT (VIDEO)<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAlex has decent, basic wrestling. He\u2019s had good results with it but luckily our gameplan this whole camp was to wrestle, so I\u2019m ready for whatever he tries to throw at me. What I do know is that on Friday night my hand will be raised. I thank him for getting this fight last-minute, but if he is not ready for this fight it is possible, in the first round, I\u2019ll get him out of there.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAfter the Phil Davis fight, me and my team have been getting ready with fire, dedication and everything we have for anyone that steps in front of us. For me, every fight is equally important. It\u2019s just adding one more victory to my career.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m happy to call BELLATOR my home. Seeing how intense my training sessions are motivates me to continue competing. Even at my age I\u2019m not slowing down.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>ALEX POLIZZI: NO. 7-RANKED BELLATOR LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT (VIDEO)<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ve said before that I don\u2019t like to do a lot of research on my opponents, but to not know Yoel Romero is sticking your head under a rock. I was really excited. My manager initially came to me and said they\u2019re looking for a fill-in for Paris. We\u2019re not sure of the opponent yet, but after a few more texts they revealed that it was Yoel. It\u2019s a short chance opportunity that I know some people have been saying \u2018why is he taking that?\u2019 Yoel Romero. In Paris. How do you pass that up?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m really excited to be facing an opponent like Yoel Romero, who has a great pedigree. If my opponent is a wrestler, it makes me excited because he is not going to move away and we can get to the fun part right away.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m not real big on watching my opponents, I\u2019m here to fight my fight. I do know of his pedigree because everyone knows Yoel, but that is not something that\u2019s going to go away. Yoel has been in the game for a while and people know his style: a big heavy hitter and a great wrestler.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhilst he\u2019s been keeping an inhuman amount of athleticism to stay in the game as long as he has, I\u2019m going to be trying to work on him and wear down that gas tank, make him really feel my pressure on him and I\u2019m just going to wear and tear on him until an opportunity presents itself to maybe look for a submission or an opening to finish the fight.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMixed martial arts isn\u2019t a sport where we have a set schedule. We fight based on when we\u2019re getting a fight and when the promotion calls. Ultimately, it\u2019s up to fans liking and enjoying the matches that we put on. I think after my last fight I got a lot of positive feedback on my performance and I think BELLATOR saw that. I\u2019m excited to be in Paris and put on a fight for the fans.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>BELLATOR 280: BADER VS. KONGO 2 MAIN CARD:<\/p>\n<p>SHOWTIME (U.S.) | RMC SPORT (FRANCE) | BBC Three &amp; BBC iPlayer (U.K.) | Virgin Media Two &amp; Virgin Media Sport (IRELAND)<\/p>\n<p>Friday, May 6, 10 p.m. CEST\/9 p.m. GMT\/4 p.m. ET\/1 p.m. PT<\/p>\n<p>Heavyweight World Title Main Event: C-Ryan Bader (29-7, 1 NC) vs. #2-Cheick Kongo (31-11-2, 1 NC)<\/p>\n<p>Light Heavyweight Co-Main Event: Yoel Romero (13-6) vs. #7-Alex Polizzi (10-1)<\/p>\n<p>Lightweight Bout: Davy Gallon (20-7-2) vs. Benjamin Brander (13-8)<\/p>\n<p>Middleweight Bout: #6-Lorenz Larkin (23-7) vs. Kyle Stewart (15-5)<\/p>\n<p>Middleweight Bout: Mike Shipman (14-3) vs. Gregory Babene (21-11)<\/p>\n<p>BELLATOR 280: BADER VS. KONGO 2 PRELIMINARY CARD:<\/p>\n<p>BELLATOR MMA YouTube channel | SHOWTIME Sports YouTube channel | BBC iPlayer (U.K.) | Pluto TV<\/p>\n<p>7 p.m. CEST\/6 p.m. BST\/1 p.m. ET\/10 a.m. PT<\/p>\n<p>Featherweight Bout: Pedro Carvalho (12-5) vs. Piotr Niedzielski (16-4)<\/p>\n<p>Welterweight Bout: Lewis Long (19-6) vs. Thibault Gouti (15-5)<\/p>\n<p>Featherweight Bout: Fabacary Diatta (8-0) vs. Jordan Barton (6-2-1)<\/p>\n<p>160-lb Contract Weight Bout S\u00f8ren Bak (15-1) vs. Charlie Leary (17-12-1)<\/p>\n<p>Lightweight Bout: Yves Landu (16-9) vs. Gavin Hughes (10-2)<\/p>\n<p>Flyweight Bout: Lucie Bertaud (3-3) vs. Katarzyna Sadura (5-4)<\/p>\n<p>Middleweight Bout: Youcef Ouabbas (2-0) vs. Matthieu Duclos (2-1)<\/p>\n<p>Welterweight Bout: Victor Verchere (5-1) vs. Bourama Camara (4-1)<\/p>\n<p>*Card subject to change.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u202fWith another historic event in Paris, France just days away, fighters from BELLATOR MMA 280: Bader vs. Kongo 2 spoke to the media today before their slated fights on Friday, May 6 at the Accor Arena. The main card will air live in the US on SHOWTIME from 4 p.m. ET. The preliminary card will [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":111914,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10374],"tags":[28744],"class_list":["post-111913","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mma-2","tag-bellator-mma-280-bader-vs-kongo-2-breaking-ufc-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/111913","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=111913"}],"version-history":[{"count":-3,"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/111913\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/111914"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=111913"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=111913"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=111913"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}