Bellator heavyweight champion Ryan Bader defends his belt this Friday evening in Paris (live from 8:30 p.m. on RMC Sport 2) against Frenchman Cheick Kongo, pioneer and local legend. Faced with a room won over to his opponent, the American intends to prevent the dreamed coronation and will be able to rely on his enormous experience with a career which has seen him compete with many big names in the discipline.
Cheick Kongo in the middle of the Bercy cage late this Friday evening, Bellator heavyweight champion belt on his shoulders in front of an ecstatic crowd. The image makes all lovers of French MMA dream. But to see the tricolor pioneer mark a little more the history of his discipline in our country offering himself a sublime icing on the cake of an already legendary career, it will be necessary to overcome an obstacle determined not to let go of his throne: Ryan Bader. The American fighter, thirty-eight, knows that he will not be favored by the Parisian public (to put it mildly). Nevermind.
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Hostile atmospheres, he knows it. They even seem to motivate him. « I fought in Brazil where the fans chant ‘You’re going to die!’ when you return to face one of theirs, he smiles at the microphone of RMC Sport. I feed on this energy, whether good or bad. It’s a great moment for MMA in France and I’m abroad who’s coming to disrupt all of this. I hope to earn the respect of the fans when the fight is over, that they’ll be fans of me and cheering for me after that. I can’t wait to see their energy and be a part of that moment. ‘story. »
There is a side of quiet strength in Ryan Bader before this meeting in the cage in apotheosis of Bellator Paris. Logic. The boy has seen others. Former high-level university wrestler, a discipline he started at age seven, the Nevada native began his pro career in MMA in 2007 before quickly joining the UFC via his victory in the eighth opus of The Ultimate Fighter, the reality show of the American organization. If he will never win a title in the UFC, « Darth » (his nickname) will face a string of MMA legends: Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, Jon Jones, Tito Ortiz, Quinton Jackson, Lyoto Machida, Glover Teixeira or even Rashad Evans.
When asked, he says he would have loved to go up against Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua as well. This has never been done but this armored list of great champions is already written as a dive into the history of his discipline. « I don’t look back on my career a lot but when I go to check the exact date of one of my fights, I see this list and I’m like, ‘Damn, I’ve really faced a lot of the biggest names in the game. history of this sport!’ When I retire, it will be great to look back on all of that. But for now, I’m still focused on what’s in front of me, on my next fight. »
Victory isn’t always there against the big guys, but Ryan Bader proves he deserves his place at their table. In 2017, he joined the other big world organization, Bellator, and marked the start of his new challenge with a coronation by beating Phil Davis for the light-heavyweight belt. Finally champion, he was not content with this first gold and won the World Grand Prix heavyweight tournament in 2018, the million dollars that went with it and above all the vacant belt in the category, beating another MMA legend in the final. the person of Fedor Emelianenko.
He then becomes the first double champion in two categories at the same time in the history of Bellator. His first defense of the heavyweight title, in September 2019, ends in the controversy of a finger in the eye which he continues to deny today inflicted on the challenger… Cheick Kongo, whom he dominated until then. Nearly three years later, the two meet at Bercy to settle their accounts, belt in play. Meanwhile, Bader has dropped that of light-heavyweight to Vadim Nemkov. But he does not regret it, stating that he could no longer bear « (s)e kill health » to make weight in this category.
In recent days, at a press conference or at the weigh-in, where Bader has each time logically tumbled with his band, a serenity emanated from the American, very respectful of his opponent. As if he was coming to do a job whose outcome is no doubt in his mind despite two defeats in his last four fights. The consequence of this beginning of the first shock against Kongo where he clearly had the advantage with the idea of a similar scenario? « Every fight is different and you never know how it will go, in what position you will find yourself, he answers. I think I can do the same thing but you never know. I don’t want to get into my head that It’s going to turn out exactly like that because if it doesn’t, it’ll take me out of my game plan. I’m ready for anything. »
At thirty-eight, Bader looks almost like a youngster compared to the forty-six springs of Kongo. The passion for his sport remains strong, solid, intact. But after so many battles (29-7 in career), the American already sees the end of the road on the horizon. « What keeps me going? My competitive side. I’ve always loved competition. If I don’t have that, I feel like there’s something missing in my life. I don’t I don’t have a ton of years ahead of me in this sport because I don’t want to keep fighting when I’m 43 or 45. Right now I feel in amazing shape, too though when I was twenty-two, and I can train the way I need to win. The day that’s not the case will be the day that I say I’m done with this sport. »
Bader has just signed a new four-fight contract with Bellator, which begins with this second clash against Kongo. But after that… « I’m going to finish it and we’ll see what happens behind it. This contract should be completed in the next two years and I want to do other things, enjoy my family to the fullest because even if I’m training close from my home and MMA gives me the freedom to be with them more often than in a ‘normal’ job, you have to be selfish when you fight between training camps and everything else. » That’s good: Ryan Bader will be alone against a whole room this Friday evening when he enters the cage with local legend Cheick Kongo.
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