At 45, Cheick Kongo is finally getting the opportunity to fight at home. Bellator Paris this Saturday — part of a double bill with Bellator 248 — will mark the first official MMA event in France. Which means longtime heavyweight veteran Kongo (30-10-2, 1NC) is coming home after nearly two decades in the sport.
“It’s great. It’s one of the final steps around the world for MMA regulation and legalization of the sport,” Kongo told Cageside Press at Wednesday’s Bellator Paris media day, when asked what finally fighting at home meant to him.
Of course, fans can now enjoy MMA events live, noted Kongo. But it’s not just fans. It’s a big moment for fighters as well. “Now they can train, and prepare for the event, with all the support, the sponsors, the federation in France.”
At times, it seemed like this moment would never come. At least not while Kongo was an active fighter. France was one of the last holdouts against the legalization of mixed martial arts.
“Sure, the plan was to be retired way before,” Kongo admitted. “After that, I got some wins and more gas in the tank to keep performing. So it was great. Now on Saturday we have the first event in France, legalized. It’s amazing.”
That’s a bit of an understatement. Kongo didn’t just get “some wins” — he won eight straight leading up to a title challenge against Ryan Bader in his last fight. That ended in a no contest after an accidental eye poke.
“I was expecting that moment sooner,” Kongo went on to add on the subject of France legalizing the sport. And there’s a bit of frustration “because of the pandemic. All the crowd won’t be able to fill up the facility, but it’s a good start. Step by step.”
As for Kongo’s opponent on Saturday at Bellator Paris, it’s a familiar face: Tim Johnson. The pair first met two years ago. It was Johnson’s promotional debut.
“Everybody changes. More confidence,” Kongo suggested when asked about whether he felt Johnson had grown since then. For the fight this weekend, meanwhile, “The Darkness” believes that “I just have to stay aware. Try to be aggressive. Let him come, in the [fight], and just reply. That’s all I have to do. Nothing else.”
Of course, he wants to knockout at home. But Kongo wasn’t about to dwell on that idea. “You never know and never expect when the knockout’s coming, so that’s why I’m not the kind of guy who loves to talk about it,” he stated. “Because I’m not a magician or someone predicting the future.”
Watch the full Bellator Paris media day scrum with Cheick Kongo above. The event goes down live this Saturday, October 10.
