Bellator shifts to Paris this weekend, as the AccorHotels Arena will host Bellator 280 on Friday, May 6, headlined by Ryan Bader’s second defense of his Bellator Heavyweight championship. He beat Valentin Moldavsky in his first defense, and now he takes on Cheick Kongo in a rematch of their 2019 fight for the title. In their first tangle, Kongo was accidentally poked in the left eye, which led to a no contest. Yoel Romero meets Alex Polizzi in a light heavyweight fight for the co-headliner. Online fans should peruse the full fight card and our Bellator betting predictions.
Bellator 280: Bader vs Kongo 2 Preview
Main Card (Showtime)
- Ryan Bader vs Cheick Kongo (Bellator Heavyweight Championship)
- Yoel Romero vs Alex Polizzi (Light Heavyweight)
- Davy Gallon vs Benjamin Brander (Lightweight)
- Lorenz Larkin vs Kyle Stewart (Middleweight)
- Mike Shipman vs Gregory Babene (Middleweight)
Preliminary Card (YouTube / Pluto TV)
- Pedro Carvalho vs Piotr Niedzielski (Featherweight)
- Lewis Long vs Thibault Gouti (Welterweight)
- Fabacary Diatta vs Jordan Barton (Featherweight)
- Soren Bak vs Charlie Leary (Catchweight – 160 lbs)
- Yves Landu vs Gavin Hughes (Lightweight)
- Lucie Bertaud vs Katarzyna Sadura (Women’s Flyweight)
- Youcef Ouabbas vs Matthieu Duclos (Middleweight)
- Victor Verchere vs Bourama Camara (Welterweight)
Ryan Bader vs Cheick Kongo is Kongo’s latest adventure at the age of 46. He will have a hometown crowd behind him as he tries to swipe the belt. In the first matchup between these two, Bader had gotten Kongo to the ground and was starting to dominate the action. Bader lost his light heavyweight title, so he has even more motivation to keep this belt. Kongo beat Sergei Kharitonov in his last fight, but Kharitonov, 41 years old, is on the downward side of his career. Bader has edges in speed and wrestling that should help him in this fight. Kongo will be looking to land the big bomb that will end the fight, but Bader should manage to defend well enough to get Kongo to the ground and finish things.
Final Prediction:
Bader wins via submission
Yoel Romero vs Alex Polizzi is Romero’s bid to end a four-fight losing streak. The first three fights in that run came in UFC, where he was fighting elite MMA competition. His Bellator debut came against Phil Davis and ended up in a close loss on the cards. Polizzi is not a top-tier Bellator fighter yet, but he could move up the rankings. He has the durability to bring pressure for an extended amount of time. Romero brings plenty of his own power, and his style is difficult to predict, but he has not won a fight in four years. Romero will likely bring the pressure early, but if Polizzi can avoid major damage, he should be able to wear Romero down over time.
Final Prediction:
Polizzi wins via decision
Lorenz Larkin vs Kyle Stewart will turn on which fighter can drive the rhythm. Both Larkin and Stewart like to bring pressure to get their opponent against the cage and then bring bombs. Larkin has a slightly higher fight IQ, while Stewart is easier to lure into the striking chaos. Larkin comes in with a five-fight winning streak dating back to 2018. Stewart has fought for six different MMA promotions in his last seven bouts. He has only won five of his last ten fights, but there is never any question about effort or durability.
Final Prediction:
Larkin wins via knockout
Mike Shipman vs Gregory Babene is Babene’s shot at a seven-fight winning streak. Five of his six previous wins have ended in the first round, while the other made it to the second, with all six ending in submissions. Shipman was demolishing the lower tiers of the promotion before dropping two fights against opponents higher in the Bellator hierarchy in 2019. After coming back in 2020, he won big on the cards. Both fighters like to finish quickly, but I’m going with the streak.
Final Prediction:
Babene wins via submission
