Bellator MMA is in France for the first time in its history, and one of their own will be fighting in the main event.
At 45 years old, France’s Cheick Kongo is still very much a relevant heavyweight. Back in 2019, Kongo challenged Ryan Bader for the Bellator title but the fight ended in the opening round due to an eye poke from Bader. With Bader still the heavyweight champ, Kongo gets another crack at the belt after a comeback win over Sergei Kharitonov last year.
Co-main event action sees former UFC contender Yoel Romero take on short notice replacement Alex Polizzi. Needless to say, this is far more palatable than Romero against what’s left of Melvin Manhoef in 2022.
Bellator 280 kicks off with a free live stream of the prelims, which can be watched at the top of the page starting at 1 PM ET/10 AM PT. Showtime has the main card at 4 PM ET/1 PM PT. You can watch the main card on Bellator’s YouTube channel if you live in other select international jurisdictions. BBC Three has this card for the United Kingdom viewers.
Main Card (Showtime, 4 PM ET)
Ryan Bader vs. Cheick Kongo
Yoel Romero vs. Alex Polizzi
Davy Gallon def. Benjamin Brander via TKO (elbows) at 3:18 of Round 2
Lorenz Larkin def. Kyle Stewart via TKO (strikes) at 4:44 of Round 1
Gregory Babene def. Mike Shipman via KO (punches) at 2:11 of Round 1
Preliminary Card (Online, 1 PM ET)
Piotr Niedzielski def. Pedro Carvalho via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Thibault Gouti def. Lewis Long via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Jordan Barton def. Fabacary Diatta via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Soren Bak def. Charlie Leary via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 29-28)
Yves Landu def. Gavin Hughes via TKO (body kick) at 3:01 of Round 1
Lucie Bertaud def. Katarzyna Sadura via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
Youcef Ouabbas def. Matthieu Duclos via TKO (punches) at 4:17 of Round 1
Bourama Camara def. Victor Verchere via TKO (punches) at 3:06 of Round 1