Of course Ryan Bader would’ve liked to make quick work of Cheick Kongo in their rematch, but that’s not how it always works. Sometimes you’re left with no choice but to grind out a victory.
That’s what Bader did Friday at Bellator 280 as he resorted to his top-notch wrestling over and over and over again to earn a clean-sweep unanimous decision over Kongo.
Was Bader thrilled about the performance? Not particularly. But he’s still the Bellator heavyweight champion, which is what truly matters to him.
“I didn’t love that fight, but it is what it is,” Bader told reporters. “Sometimes you just have to go in there and get the job done, and that’s what I did. It can’t always be perfect. I’ve had my highlight-reel knockouts and fun fights before, but sometimes you’ve got to go to your bread and butter and drown a guy. That’s what I had to do tonight.
“There’s always next fight, but I went in there, beat a tough guy, still have the heavyweight championship belt around my waist, and I’m the best one out there. It is what it is.”
According to Bader (30-7 MMA, 8-2 BMMA), the wrestling-heavy approach against the much taller and lengthy Kongo was partly out of necessity after he experienced an upset stomach before the fight.
“I knew in the first round, ‘Yeah, I’m gonna have to gut this one out.’ I just didn’t feel like I should,” Bader said. “Ate something, whatever it was, my stomach was on fire all crazy. … It wasn’t the prettiest win, but Kongo is a great striker. He impressed me on the cage, his wrist control, his body awareness, everything like that. All in all, wasn’t the prettiest fight but got it done, got the win.”
At 38, Bader, a former Bellator dual champion, appears back on track with two consecutive victories at heavyweight after a previously dropping two of three light heavyweight bouts, including the loss of his title.
Following his victory over Kongo, Bader called for a rematch with Linton Vassell, who himself is experiencing a revival at heavyweight. Bader first beat Vassell by second-round TKO in 2017 to defend his light heavyweight title.
“He was a tough guy at 205,” Bader said. “I know he was a little big for 205 and cut a lot of weight. He was scrappy. He’s one of those heavyweights that’s kind of like me. He isn’t really a smaller heavyweight, but he moves like a smaller heavyweight. He’s very dangerous. I was very impressed by his last four wins and the guys he’s beat, and he’s been on my radar for a while at heavyweight.”
