RYAN BADER DEFENDS HEAVYWEIGHT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP AGAINST NO. 2 RANKED CHEICK KONGO IN MAIN EVENT REMATCH IN PARIS
MELVIN MANHOEF’S FAREWELL BOUT DELAYED AFTER THE DUTCHMAN WITHDRAWS DUE TO INJURY, YOEL ROMERO NOW MEETS NO. 7 RANKED LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT ALEX POLIZZI IN CO-MAIN EVENT
PARIS – A massive night of championship-level MMA guaranteed to bring fireworks is set for this Friday, May 6 from the Accor Arena in Paris and airs live at a special time of 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT on SHOWTIME.
Anchoring the card will be a heated rematch between BELLATOR Heavyweight World Champion Ryan Bader (29-7, 1 NC) against French combat sports legend and No. 2-ranked heavyweight Cheick Kongo (31-11-2, 1 NC). Both Bader and Kongo will be looking for closure when they run it back inside the BELLATOR cage, following a controversial no-contest stemming from a disputed eye-poke during their first meeting in 2019.
In an equally action-packed co-feature event, Yoel Romero (13-6) who was originally slated to take on Melvin Manhoef at 205-pounds, has agreed to meet No. 7 ranked-Alex Polizzi (10-1) on less than a week’s notice. Polizzi has won three consecutive contests en route to his opportunity in Paris against one of the sport’s most popular athletes.
Newly announced, No.6-ranked middleweight Lorenz Larkin (23-7, 1 NC) will now face Kyle Stewart (15-5) during the Bellator 280 main card. France’s Davy Gallon (20-7-2) will go to battle in front of his fellow countrymen and women when he faces Switzerland’s Benjamin Brander (13-8) at lightweight. Opening the Bellator 280 televised card, English middleweight Mike Shipman (14-3) will clash with proud Parisian Gregory Babene (21-11, 1 NC).
Nine titillating preliminary matchups have been announced, including a smash between former featherweight title challenger Pedro Carvalho (12-5) and newly signed Polish standout Piotr Niedzielski (16-4), plus a 160-pound contract weight clash between “The True Viking” Søren Bak (15-1) and England’s Charlie Leary (17-12-1).
The preliminary bouts will stream live three and a half hours earlier at 12:30 p.m. ET/9:30 a.m. PT on the BELLATOR MMA YouTube channel, SHOWTIME Sports YouTube channel and Pluto TV.
Limited tickets for the fight remain on sale at accorarena.com and bellator.fr. Follow Bellator France on Instagram @BellatorFrance and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/BellatorFrance/
BELLATOR 280: BADER VS. KONGO 2 MAIN CARD:
SHOWTIME (U.S.) / RMC SPORT (FRANCE) / BBC Three & BBC iPlayer (U.K.) / Virgin Media Two & Virgin Media Sport (IRELAND)
Friday, May 6, 10 p.m. CEST/9 p.m. GMT/4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT
Heavyweight World Title Main Event: C-Ryan Bader (29-7, 1 NC) vs. #2-Cheick Kongo (31-11-2, 1 NC)
Light Heavyweight Co-Main Event: Yoel Romero (13-6) vs. #7-Alex Polizzi (10-1)
Lightweight Bout: Davy Gallon (20-7-2) vs. Benjamin Brander (13-8)
Middleweight Bout: #6-Lorenz Larkin (23-7, 1 NC) vs. Kyle Stewart (15-5)
Middleweight Bout: Mike Shipman (14-3) vs. Gregory Babene (21-11, 1 NC)
BELLATOR 280: BADER VS. KONGO 2 PRELIMINARY CARD:
BELLATOR MMA YouTube channel | SHOWTIME Sports YouTube channel | Pluto TV
6:30 p.m. CEST/12:30 p.m. ET/9:30 a.m. PT
Featherweight Bout: Pedro Carvalho (12-5) vs. Piotr Niedzielski (16-4)
Welterweight Bout: Lewis Long (19-6) vs. Thibault Gouti (14-5)
Featherweight Bout: Fabacary Diatta (8-0) vs. Jordan Barton (6-2-1)
160-lb Contract Weight Bout Søren Bak (15-1) vs. Charlie Leary (17-12-1)
Lightweight Bout: Yves Landu (16-9) vs. Gavin Hughes (10-2)
Welterweight Bout: Nicolò Solli (3-1, 1 NC) vs. Levy Carriel (3-0)
Flyweight Bout: Lucie Bertaud (3-3) vs. Katarzyna Sadura (5-4)
Middleweight Bout: Youcef Ouabbas (2-0) vs. Matthieu Duclos (2-1)
Welterweight Bout: Victor Verchere (5-1) vs. Bourama Camara (4-1)
*Card subject to change.
Please visit Bellator.com for additional information.
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Updated schedule of BELLATOR events
Fri. May 6 // BELLATOR 280: Bader vs. Kongo 2 // Accor Arena // Paris, FRA
Fri. May 13 // BELLATOR 281: MVP vs. Storley // The OVO Arena Wembley // London
Fri. June 24 // BELLATOR 282: Mousasi vs. Eblen // Mohegan Sun Arena // Uncasville, CT
Fri. Sep. 23 // BELLATOR DUBLIN // 3Arena // Dublin
About BELLATOR
BELLATOR MMA is a leading global mixed martial arts organization featuring many of the best fighters in the world. Under the direction of veteran fight promoter Scott Coker, BELLATOR events take place in major cities worldwide and can be seen on television in over 160 countries by an available audience of over one billion people. In the United States, BELLATOR can be seen on SHOWTIME. BELLATOR is comprised of an executive team that includes top industry professionals in television production, live event orchestration, fighter development/relations, venue procurement, sponsorship creation/development, international licensing, marketing, advertising, publicity and commission relations. BELLATOR is based in Hollywood, Calif. and owned by entertainment giant Paramount, home to the world’s premier entertainment brands that connect with audiences through compelling content across television, motion picture, online and mobile platforms.
About SHOWTIME
Showtime Networks Inc. (SNI), a wholly owned subsidiary of Paramount, owns and operates the premium service SHOWTIME®, which features critically acclaimed original series, provocative documentaries, box-office hit films, comedy and music specials and hard-hitting sports. SHOWTIME is available as a stand-alone streaming service across all major streaming devices and Showtime.com, as well as via cable, DBS, telco and streaming video providers. SNI also operates the premium services THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ and FLIX®, as well as on demand versions of all three brands. SNI markets and distributes sports and entertainment events for exhibition to subscribers on a pay-per-view basis through SHOWTIME PPV®. For more information, go to www.SHO.com.