Bellator to hold first legal MMA event in France, Cheick Kongo vs. Tim Johnson 2 expected to headline
MMA is legal in France and Bellator will be the first major promotion to hold a show there and fans will be in attendance.
The promotion announced via a press release that Bellator will hold the first major MMA event in Paris on October 10. Bellator did announce two fights in Cheick Kongo vs. Tim Johnson 2 and Michael Page vs. Ross Houston. Neither of the fights were confirmed as the main event. It is expected that Kongo-Johnson 2 will be the main event given Kongo is from France.
“This is a monumental moment in the history of the sport, as well as our organization, and I am honored that Bellator will promote the very first MMA event in France by a major promotion,” said Bellator President Scott Coker. “Many people have worked tirelessly to bring this to fruition, and it would not have been possible without the support of the Minister of Sports, Roxana Maracineanu, as well as the French Kickboxing Federation sanctioning body. I would also like to thank Accor Arena, who have been an incredible venue partner, and I cannot wait for the French fans to be in attendance and join us live for what will be an unforgettable night of action in Paris on Oct 10.”
Cheick Kongo is coming off the no-contest to Ryan Bader last year for the heavyweight title. Before that, he got a decision win over Vitaly Minakov and a knockout win over Tim Johnson.
Tim Johnson, meanwhile, started his Bellator tenure 0-2 with knockout losses to Kongo and Minakov. Since then, he scored back-to-back upset KO wins over Tyrell Fortune and Matt Mitrione. The winner of Kongo-Johnson could very well be next in line for the belt.
For the other fight, it should be a really entertaining striking battle between the always exciting Michael Page battling Ross Houston. Page is on a three-fight knockout streak while Houston is set to make his Bellator debut after his bloody war against Nicolas Dalby in Cage Warriors.
Currently, no other fights have been announced for the card.
