In something of a throwback to his younger self, Cheick Kongo uncorked a crushing counter right hand to drop Javy Ayala at Bellator 199.
At Bellator 199 on Saturday in San Jose, CA, Cheick Kongo made his return to the cage. Opposite him was Javy Ayala, the man who shocked with a knockout of Sergei Kharitonov last year, then went three rounds in a losing effort against Roy Nelson. Surprisingly, the bout wasn’t part of the heavyweight grand prix, despite the pair being two of the top heavyweights in Bellator MMA.
In this heavyweight affair, Ayala came out swinging hard, forcing Kongo to neutralize him with a clinch. Breaking out of the clinch, Ayala chose to close the distance and look for a takedown of his own, eventually pushing Kongo into the fence. The grappling went on for a short while, then Kongo landed a leg kick back in the middle. Then, Cheick Kongo decided to give us all a glimpse of the old Kongo: Javy Ayala charged in with an overhand right, and Cheick Kongo answered with a crushing right to the side of the head. Ayala dropped like a stone, and Kongo followed him down for follow-up strikes as the ref dove in to make the save.
A stellar knockout my Cheick Kongo, who makes a statement in his return to action!
Cheick Kongo def. Javy Ayala by knockout, Round 1, 2:29
