Bellator 280: Bader vs Kongo 2 Results
Bellator MMA continues its globe-trot from Hawaii to Paris with Bellator 280
Bellator MMA continues its globe-trot from Hawaii to Paris with Bellator 280.
The card was an early Friday afternoon one for fans in the United States with the first fight airing at 1 p.m. ET on their Youtube channel and the main card at 4 p.m. ET on SHOWTIME. A heavyweight title fight leads the card with Champion Ryan Bader facing the number two ranked Bellator MMA Heavyweight, Cheick Kongo. The rematch let these two pick up where they left off, minus any eye pokes.
The co-main event had Yoel Romero facing late replacement and number seven ranked light-heavyweight Alex Polizzi in a fight that set a tone for Romero in the division with his win, and he sent a message to those that doubted his resolve.
Those fights along with Bellator’s selection of fighters from the region made for a good bit of fun and My MMA News was right there with the results. See them all here:
BELLATOR 280: BADER VS. KONGO 2 MAIN CARD Results
Ryan Bader (29-7, 1 NC) vs. #2-Cheick Kongo (31-11-2, 1 NC)
It was five rounds of Ryan Bader enforcing his wrestling on Cheick Kongo. Every round had Bader start with taking the center of the cage and Kongo seemingly backing up to the fence to prepare for takedowns. There was a moment in round two where Kongo was able to land some strikes from the pocket but Bader quickly went to his bread-and-butter, wrestling. Every round started with them standing allowing Kongo to land some leg kicks but it would not be enough to stop the pressure of Bader. It might not be pretty, but Bader’s wrestling gets the job done to win by unanimous decision.
The champ @ryanbader grinding against @kongo4real.#Bellator280 LIVE on @SHOsports pic.twitter.com/CwzpwNR2Db
— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) May 6, 2022
Yoel Romero (13-6) vs. #7-Alex Polizzi (10-1)
Round one seemed to be a cautious one for both fighters but Polizzi did try to get the fight to the ground and Romero’s showed his Olympic-level takedown defense in this round and pretty much any time a takedown came his way. A feeling out process, but that would end in round two.
Round two, Romero seemed to let his hands and elbows go a little bit more to start putting some damage on Polizzi who wore it well. Romero dropped Polizzi at the end of the round but for some reason, did not go in for the kill and would explain why at the end of round three.
Round three had Polizzi fighting defensively, taking more damage from Romero but still tried to fight on. Romero seemed to not want to pull the trigger on finishing Polizzi but at the close of the round, referee Mike Beltran saw enough as Polizzi was out on his feet a few times and wearing a lot of damage. Romero won by TKO.
Davy Gallon (20-7-2) vs. Benjamin Brander (13-8)
Gallon put Brander on the ground early in round one. He tried to play guard but Gallon passed his legs pretty easy to get to side-mount, while transitioning he dropped strikes on Brander scoring points with the judges. Attempts to get back to the feet almost put Brander in guillotines but eventually, he got back up. But it wasn’t for long as Gallon grounded him again at the close of round one.
Round two seemed to start the same as round one with Gallon’s pressure able to put Brander on the ground again early. This time, Gallon seemed to fish for various chokes as Brander defended. Then Gallon put Brander in a crucifix where he rained elbows on Brander that would eventually end the fight.
#6-Lorenz Larkin (23-7) vs. Kyle Stewart (15-5)
Larkin did not go easy on Stewart and let him know, to enter the rankings you have to deal with an onslaught like Larking displayed in round one where he finished Stewart at 4:44 of the first round. It should be noted that Stewart took the fight on 11 days notice but Larkin has never looked better.
.@da_MONSOON with the quick first round stoppage #Bellator280 pic.twitter.com/zHomd2G5Mu
— Scott Coker (@ScottCoker) May 6, 2022
Mike Shipman (14-3) vs. Gregory Babene (21-11)
At the start of the fight, Babene seemed to come out with a lot of aggression. He got Shipman to the ground and attempted a submission, but once they scrambled to the feet Babene showed what power he had in his hands. In a wild combination of punches, Babene caught Shipman with a clean knockout in round 1.
𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒕'𝒔 𝑨 𝑲𝑶!@gregorybabene stops @MikeShipmanMMA in the first round 🔥#Bellator280 LIVE on @SHOsports pic.twitter.com/bu3USKuA0Z
— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) May 6, 2022
Quick results:
Ryan Bader defeats Cheick Kongo via unanimous decision 50-45, 50-45, 50-45
Yoel Romero defeats Alex Polizzi via TKO at 4:59 of round 3
Davy Gallon defeats Benjamin Brander via TKO (elbow strikes) at 3:18 of round 2
Lorenz Larkin defeats Kyle Steward via TKO at 4:44 of round 1
Gregory Babene defeats Mike Shipman via knockout at 2:11 of round 1
BELLATOR 280: BADER VS. KONGO 2 PRELIMINARY CARD Quick Results
Piotr Niedzielski defeats Pedro Carvalho via split decision (29-28, 28-29 Niedzielski , 29-28 Cravalho)
Thibault Gouti Louis Long via unanimous decision 30-27, 30-27, 30-27
Jordan Barton defeats Fabacary Diatta via split decision (29-28,29-28 Barton. 29-28 Diata)
Søren Bak defeats Charlie Leary via unanimous decision 30-27, 29-28, 29-28
Yves Landu defeats Gavin Hughes via strikes (knees and liver kick) at 3:01 in round 1
Lucie Bertaud defeats Katarzyna Sadura by unanimous decision 29-28, 30-27, 30-27
Youcef Ouabbas defeats Matthieu Duclos via TKO at 4:17 of round 1
Bourama Camara defeats Victor Verchere via knockout at 3:06 in round 1
