The torch has been passed. For years, Cheick Kongo has represented French mixed martial arts (MMA). Kongo was born in Paris, France. He has had 37 professional MMA bouts and is currently signed to Bellator. Kongo is riding a three-fight winning streak. Now, a new heavyweight fighting out of France has emerged. Francis Ngannou is […]
The torch has been passed. For years, Cheick Kongo has represented French mixed martial arts (MMA). Kongo was born in Paris, France. He has had 37 professional MMA bouts and is currently signed to Bellator. Kongo is riding a three-fight winning streak. Now, a new heavyweight fighting out of France has emerged. Francis Ngannou is […]
On Wednesday, Bellator MMA officials announced a heavyweight tilt between Cheick Kongo and Oli Thompson and a battle of undefeated prospects in Adam Piccolotti vs. Brent Primus for their upcoming fight card in February.
Scheduled to go down live from the SAP Center in San Jose, California, headlined by Fedor Emelianenko vs. Matt Mitrione, Bellator 172: Fedor vs. Mitrione takes place on February 18, 2017.
Below is the official press release issued by Bellator MMA today with all of the details regarding the additions to the Bellator 172 fight card.
HEAVYWEIGHT BRAWL PITTING CHEICK KONGO AGAINST OLI THOMPSON ADDED TO ‘BELLATOR 172’ ON FEB. 18
BATTLE OF UNDEFEATED ADAM PICCOLOTTI AND BRENT PRIMUS ALSO ADDED TO MAIN CARD
SANTA MONICA, CALIF — (January 4, 2017) – Cheick Kongo (25-10-2) will challenge Oli Thompson (17-9) during the main card of “Bellator 172: Fedor vs. Mitrione” on February 18, 2017 at SAP Center in San Jose, Calif. In addition, undefeated lightweights Adam Piccolotti (9-0) and Brent Primus (7-0) are also set to face off during the Spike-televised card.
In the main event of “Bellator 172: Fedor vs. Mitrione,” Fedor Emelianenko (36-4, 1 NC) will compete on American Soil for the first since 2011, when he meets Matt Mitrione (11-5). The event will air LIVE and FREE on SPIKE at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT. Tickets for the event start at only $30 and are available at SAP Center Box Office, Bellator.com and Ticketmaster.com. Additional fights will be announced in coming weeks.
Since joining the Bellator MMA fray in 2013, Kongo has strung together an impressive run that has seen him emerge victorious in seven of nine contests, including three consecutive victories. With 37 career fights under his belt, the Frenchman has tallied 25 professional wins, including 12 by way of knockout. The knockout artist hopes to build off his victory over Tony Johnson at “Bellator 161: Kongo vs. Johnson,” when he welcomes British sensation Oli Thompson back into the Bellator cage.
Hailing from East Sussex, England, Thompson enters the matchup in search of his first career win under the direction of the Scott Coker-led promotion. Dating back to 2015, “The Spartan” collected wins in five of his last six bouts, including a pair of brutal first round knockouts. Of his 17 career wins, the 36-year-old powerhouse has finished 13 of them, including seven knockouts. A former title-holder of Britain’s Strongest Man competition, Thompson will now look to add to that total when he and Kongo faceoff at SAP Center in San Jose.
Fighting out of Half Moon Bay, Calif., the undefeated Piccolotti is set to return to San Jose, where he has dominated competition over the past few years. Since signing with Bellator MMA, the 28-year-old lightweight has won all five of his bouts, including four consecutive victories in the “Capital of Silicon Valley.” Piccolotti dazzled in his most recent win over Brandon Girtz, ending the veteran’s three-fight winning streak while once again displaying his lethal combination of flawless jiu-jitsu and striking. Piccolotti has finished his opponent in six of nine career wins and three of his past four, making him one of the most dangerous weapons in the 155-pound division.
Primus also carries with him an undefeated target on his chest, as the battle to remain an unbeaten lightweights goes through SAP Center in 2017. Similar to Piccolotti, Primus saw immediate success in the world of mixed martial arts, recording first round finishes in each of his first five fights to begin his professional career. The five-time Bellator MMA veteran hopes to keep the ball rolling, as a win over the fan-favorite Piccolotti would certainly open a lot of doors. Hailing from Portland, Oregon, the 31-years-old Primus hopes to build off of a 2016 campaign that was highlighted by a key win over Brazilian veteran “Toninho Furia.”
Updated “Bellator 172: Fedor vs. Mitrione” Main Card:
Heavyweight Main Event: Fedor Emelianenko (36-4, 1 NC) vs. Matt Mitrione (11-5)
Heavyweight Feature Bout: Cheick Kongo (25-10-2) vs. Oli Thompson (17-9)
Lightweight Feature Bout: Adam Piccolotti (9-0) vs. Brent Primus (7-0)
Preliminary Bouts:
Welterweight Prelim Bout: James Terry (18-9) vs. David Douglas (9-6)
Lightweight Prelim Bout: Nikko Jackson (1-1) vs. Cesar Gonzalez (0-1)
Featherweight Prelim Bout: Juan Cardenas (1-0) vs. Luis Vargas (0-1)
Welterweight Prelim Bout: Danasabe Mohammed (5-1) vs. Carlos Rocha (9-4)
Flyweight Prelim Bout: Anthony Do (4-1) vs. Bobby Escalante (4-5)
Flyweight Prelim Bout: Matt Ramirez (1-2) vs. Jeremy Murphy (3-3)
Lightweight Prelim Bout: J.J. Okanovich (3-1) vs. Paradise Vaovasa (5-1)
Featherweight Prelim Bout: Justin Tenedora (Debut) vs. Roque Reyes (0-3)
On Wednesday, Bellator MMA officials announced a heavyweight tilt between Cheick Kongo and Oli Thompson and a battle of undefeated prospects in Adam Piccolotti vs. Brent Primus for their upcoming fight card in February.
Scheduled to go down live from the SAP Center in San Jose, California, headlined by Fedor Emelianenko vs. Matt Mitrione, Bellator 172: Fedor vs. Mitrione takes place on February 18, 2017.
Below is the official press release issued by Bellator MMA today with all of the details regarding the additions to the Bellator 172 fight card.
HEAVYWEIGHT BRAWL PITTING CHEICK KONGO AGAINST OLI THOMPSON ADDED TO ‘BELLATOR 172’ ON FEB. 18
BATTLE OF UNDEFEATED ADAM PICCOLOTTI AND BRENT PRIMUS ALSO ADDED TO MAIN CARD
SANTA MONICA, CALIF — (January 4, 2017) – Cheick Kongo (25-10-2) will challenge Oli Thompson (17-9) during the main card of “Bellator 172: Fedor vs. Mitrione” on February 18, 2017 at SAP Center in San Jose, Calif. In addition, undefeated lightweights Adam Piccolotti (9-0) and Brent Primus (7-0) are also set to face off during the Spike-televised card.
In the main event of “Bellator 172: Fedor vs. Mitrione,” Fedor Emelianenko (36-4, 1 NC) will compete on American Soil for the first since 2011, when he meets Matt Mitrione (11-5). The event will air LIVE and FREE on SPIKE at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT. Tickets for the event start at only $30 and are available at SAP Center Box Office, Bellator.com and Ticketmaster.com. Additional fights will be announced in coming weeks.
Since joining the Bellator MMA fray in 2013, Kongo has strung together an impressive run that has seen him emerge victorious in seven of nine contests, including three consecutive victories. With 37 career fights under his belt, the Frenchman has tallied 25 professional wins, including 12 by way of knockout. The knockout artist hopes to build off his victory over Tony Johnson at “Bellator 161: Kongo vs. Johnson,” when he welcomes British sensation Oli Thompson back into the Bellator cage.
Hailing from East Sussex, England, Thompson enters the matchup in search of his first career win under the direction of the Scott Coker-led promotion. Dating back to 2015, “The Spartan” collected wins in five of his last six bouts, including a pair of brutal first round knockouts. Of his 17 career wins, the 36-year-old powerhouse has finished 13 of them, including seven knockouts. A former title-holder of Britain’s Strongest Man competition, Thompson will now look to add to that total when he and Kongo faceoff at SAP Center in San Jose.
Fighting out of Half Moon Bay, Calif., the undefeated Piccolotti is set to return to San Jose, where he has dominated competition over the past few years. Since signing with Bellator MMA, the 28-year-old lightweight has won all five of his bouts, including four consecutive victories in the “Capital of Silicon Valley.” Piccolotti dazzled in his most recent win over Brandon Girtz, ending the veteran’s three-fight winning streak while once again displaying his lethal combination of flawless jiu-jitsu and striking. Piccolotti has finished his opponent in six of nine career wins and three of his past four, making him one of the most dangerous weapons in the 155-pound division.
Primus also carries with him an undefeated target on his chest, as the battle to remain an unbeaten lightweights goes through SAP Center in 2017. Similar to Piccolotti, Primus saw immediate success in the world of mixed martial arts, recording first round finishes in each of his first five fights to begin his professional career. The five-time Bellator MMA veteran hopes to keep the ball rolling, as a win over the fan-favorite Piccolotti would certainly open a lot of doors. Hailing from Portland, Oregon, the 31-years-old Primus hopes to build off of a 2016 campaign that was highlighted by a key win over Brazilian veteran “Toninho Furia.”
Updated “Bellator 172: Fedor vs. Mitrione” Main Card:
Heavyweight Main Event: Fedor Emelianenko (36-4, 1 NC) vs. Matt Mitrione (11-5)
Heavyweight Feature Bout: Cheick Kongo (25-10-2) vs. Oli Thompson (17-9)
Lightweight Feature Bout: Adam Piccolotti (9-0) vs. Brent Primus (7-0)
Preliminary Bouts:
Welterweight Prelim Bout: James Terry (18-9) vs. David Douglas (9-6)
Lightweight Prelim Bout: Nikko Jackson (1-1) vs. Cesar Gonzalez (0-1)
Featherweight Prelim Bout: Juan Cardenas (1-0) vs. Luis Vargas (0-1)
Welterweight Prelim Bout: Danasabe Mohammed (5-1) vs. Carlos Rocha (9-4)
Flyweight Prelim Bout: Anthony Do (4-1) vs. Bobby Escalante (4-5)
Flyweight Prelim Bout: Matt Ramirez (1-2) vs. Jeremy Murphy (3-3)
Lightweight Prelim Bout: J.J. Okanovich (3-1) vs. Paradise Vaovasa (5-1)
Featherweight Prelim Bout: Justin Tenedora (Debut) vs. Roque Reyes (0-3)
On Saturday, Bellator MMA officials announced an exciting main event for their upcoming Bellator 161 fight card.
Scheduled to headline Bellator 161 are the big boys, as heavyweight knockout artists Cheick Kongo and Tony Johnson will serve as the main event.
Below is the official press release for Bellator 161:
EVERYTHING’S BIGGER IN TEXAS: HEAVYWEIGHTS CHEICK KONGO AND TONY JOHNSON HEADLINE ‘BELLATOR 161’
NEWLY ANNOUNCED EVENT TAKES PLACE SEPTEMBER 16 AT H-E-B CENTER AT CEDAR PARK, TEXAS
SANTA MONICA, CALIF (July, 22) – Bellator MMA is heading back to the “Lone Star State,” where a heavyweight bout pitting Cheick Kongo (24-10-2) against Tony Johnson (10-2) will serve as the main event of “Bellator 161: Kongo vs. Johnson,” which takes place on September 16 at the H-E-B Center at Cedar Park, Texas, and will air LIVE and FREE on SPIKE.
The Scott Coker-led promotion will be holding its first-ever event at the H-E-B Center at Cedar Park, which is just a short drive from Austin. Tickets for “Bellator 161: Kongo vs. Johnson” starting at $25 can be purchased at Bellator.com, Ticketmaster, or the H-E-B Center at Cedar Park Box Office starting next Friday, July 29 with an exclusive Bellator Nation pre-sale running the Wednesday and Thursday prior. Additional contests will be announced in the coming weeks.
Hailing from Paris, Kongo will enter the cage for the ninth time under the direction of Bellator MMA and make his third consecutive appearance in a card’s main event. An 18-fight veteran of the UFC, Kongo hopes to add to his current two-fight winning streak and 6-2 mark since joining the Viacom-owned promotion back in 2013. Standing 6 foot 4, Kongo will have a noticeable height advantage over his shorter opponent. With half of his 24 career wins coming by way of knockout, Kongo will also attempt to finish Johnson for the first time of his professional career.
A native of North Platte, Nebraska, Johnson has strung together an impressive streak of three straight victories, including two in a row since re-joining the Bellator MMA fray. After making his professional debut in 2008, the 30-year-old made his Bellator MMA debut with a unanimous decision win over Derrick “The Black Beast” Lewis at “Bellator 46.” Since challenging current UFC Champion Daniel Cormier in 2010, Johnson has gone 6-1 with three knockout finishes, including noteworthy victories over Alexander Volkov and most recently Raphael Butler, during “Bellator 148: Daley vs. Uhrich” earlier this year.
Updated “Bellator 161: Kongo vs. Johnson” Main Card
Bellator MMA Heavyweight Main Event: Cheick Kongo (24-10-2) vs. Tony Johnson (10-2)
On Saturday, Bellator MMA officials announced an exciting main event for their upcoming Bellator 161 fight card.
Scheduled to headline Bellator 161 are the big boys, as heavyweight knockout artists Cheick Kongo and Tony Johnson will serve as the main event.
Below is the official press release for Bellator 161:
EVERYTHING’S BIGGER IN TEXAS: HEAVYWEIGHTS CHEICK KONGO AND TONY JOHNSON HEADLINE ‘BELLATOR 161’
NEWLY ANNOUNCED EVENT TAKES PLACE SEPTEMBER 16 AT H-E-B CENTER AT CEDAR PARK, TEXAS
SANTA MONICA, CALIF (July, 22) – Bellator MMA is heading back to the “Lone Star State,” where a heavyweight bout pitting Cheick Kongo (24-10-2) against Tony Johnson (10-2) will serve as the main event of “Bellator 161: Kongo vs. Johnson,” which takes place on September 16 at the H-E-B Center at Cedar Park, Texas, and will air LIVE and FREE on SPIKE.
The Scott Coker-led promotion will be holding its first-ever event at the H-E-B Center at Cedar Park, which is just a short drive from Austin. Tickets for “Bellator 161: Kongo vs. Johnson” starting at $25 can be purchased at Bellator.com, Ticketmaster, or the H-E-B Center at Cedar Park Box Office starting next Friday, July 29 with an exclusive Bellator Nation pre-sale running the Wednesday and Thursday prior. Additional contests will be announced in the coming weeks.
Hailing from Paris, Kongo will enter the cage for the ninth time under the direction of Bellator MMA and make his third consecutive appearance in a card’s main event. An 18-fight veteran of the UFC, Kongo hopes to add to his current two-fight winning streak and 6-2 mark since joining the Viacom-owned promotion back in 2013. Standing 6 foot 4, Kongo will have a noticeable height advantage over his shorter opponent. With half of his 24 career wins coming by way of knockout, Kongo will also attempt to finish Johnson for the first time of his professional career.
A native of North Platte, Nebraska, Johnson has strung together an impressive streak of three straight victories, including two in a row since re-joining the Bellator MMA fray. After making his professional debut in 2008, the 30-year-old made his Bellator MMA debut with a unanimous decision win over Derrick “The Black Beast” Lewis at “Bellator 46.” Since challenging current UFC Champion Daniel Cormier in 2010, Johnson has gone 6-1 with three knockout finishes, including noteworthy victories over Alexander Volkov and most recently Raphael Butler, during “Bellator 148: Daley vs. Uhrich” earlier this year.
Updated “Bellator 161: Kongo vs. Johnson” Main Card
Bellator MMA Heavyweight Main Event: Cheick Kongo (24-10-2) vs. Tony Johnson (10-2)
Anything can, and often does, happen in the sport of mixed martial arts. One of the traits that makes MMA the most exciting sport in the world is the utter unpredictability of the action. With almost anything allowed – punches, kicks, elbows, knees, takedowns, slams, ground and pound, and submissions all in play – trying to
Anything can, and often does, happen in the sport of mixed martial arts.
One of the traits that makes MMA the most exciting sport in the world is the utter unpredictability of the action. With almost anything allowed – punches, kicks, elbows, knees, takedowns, slams, ground and pound, and submissions all in play – trying to foresee exactly how a fight will go is often a fool’s errand.
As such, miraculous comebacks are always a possibility, and happen with much more regularity than in other major sports. Victory is often just one well-placed punch, kick, or takedown away. Because a finish negates any scoring that happened prior, athletes in the Octagon are able to mount sudden and stunning turnarounds, even if they had been on the wrong side of a beating.
Still, there are those that stand above the rest. The latest list from LowKick MMA seeks to pick out the best of the best comebacks in UFC history. And by comeback, we mean within the context of a single fight. A comeback like Dominick Cruz returning from years on the shelf to smoke Takeya Mizugaki will not be considered here. Cruz was never losing that bout. What will be taken into account is how badly the fighter was hurt before snatching the victory and the stakes involved in the contest.
Whether eating a devastating strike and overcoming it, or getting consistently outfought and snatching victory from the jaws of defeat, comebacks come in many forms. Continue reading to see our picks for the greatest ones in UFC history. If there are any that we’ve missed, be sure sure to let us know in the comments below!
Possibly the most important statistic when it comes to the “tale of the tape” statistics trifecta is a fighter’s reach. For those who don’t know, a fighter’s reach is measured by having the fighter spread their arms out to the side, making an “airplane” gesture, and the length from one fingertip to the other calculates their reach.
Possibly the most important statistic when it comes to the “tale of the tape” statistics trifecta is a fighter’s reach. For those who don’t know, a fighter’s reach is measured by having the fighter spread their arms out to the side, making an “airplane” gesture, and the length from one fingertip to the other calculates their reach. This is also known as their “wingspan”.
Reach is such an important attribute because it allows a skilled striker to control the distance between himself and his opponent, keeping them at bay and within a comfortable striking distance. This provides the fighter with the luxury of being able to strike his opponent while his opponent can’t return fire successfully.
There have been many a rangy fighter in the UFC’s long and storied history, and here we’ll be taking a look at the longest of the long. They may not all be skilled stand-up artists who know how to use their reach to their advantage, but their’s obviously no denying that these men have some impressively long limbs.
