Cheick Kongo extended his win streak to seven at Bellator 208, making short work of former UFC big man Tim Johnson.
When Cheick Kongo took on Tim Johnson at Bellator 208, there was more than just a win on the line. Though it had not been explicitly stated, the going theory was that Kongo and perhaps Roy Nelson would be paired up as heavyweight grand prix alternates. With Nelson being knocked out by Sergei Kharitonov a night earlier at Bellator 207, that opened the door for ‘The Darkness’ to stake his claim. Kongo just had to get past Tim Johnson first.
He did just that, and didn’t take long doing it. The fight went down in Long Island on Saturday night, part of the Bellator 208 main card.
Kongo worked his jab early, looking to find his range. Johnson looked to let his hands fly, trying to back Kongo up against the fence. Kongo, however, escaped, and threw a couple of shots to the body, followed by a leg kick. Johnson then shot found himself stuffed by a blow that seemed to just graze the top of the head. He went down, trying perhaps to grab a leg. Kongo to get on top and unleashed a flurry of hammer fists while pinning Johnson with a leg.
Johnson was pretty much done from the first blow, and the ref quickly waved it off.
After the fight, Kongo said that he could not wait to bring Bellator to France. Having extended his win streak to seven, he also established himself as the best heavyweight not in the Bellator World Heavyweight Grand Prix.
Cheick Kongo def. Tim Johnson by knockout, Round 1, 1:08
