Ryan Bader-Cheick Kongo Heavyweight Title Rematch Headlines Bellator Paris on May 6

Mere moments after a grueling win over Valentin Moldavsky in the Bellator 273 headliner, Ryan Bader already had his next assigment.

The California-based promotion announced on Saturday that Bader’s next heavyweight title defense will come in a rematch against Cheick Kongo at Bellator Paris on May 6. The event will take place at Accor Arena in Paris, France, and the main card will air on Showtime. It is the second Bellator event held in France since MMA was legalized in the country.

"Bringing Bellator to France in 2020 was one of the highlights of my career, and I knew that it was the start of a long run of big events in Paris," Bellator president Scott Coker said. "Here we are ready for our second trip to France and this time we are bringing a heavyweight world title rematch featuring arguably the most recognizable French mixed martial artist in our sports history. It's personally important to me to help grow the sport in France and give these athletes a chance to perform on a large stage.”

Bader and Kongo initially squared off at Bellator 226 in September 2019, when their championship clash ended in a no contest after Kongo was rendered unable to continue due to an accidental eye poke. Since then, Bader lost his light heavyweight crown to Vadim Nemkov at Bellator 244 before entering the 205-pound grand prix, where he fell to Corey Anderson via first-round TKO in the semifinals last October. The Power MMA team product defended the heavyweight belt for the first time since that bout against Kongo when he outpointed Moldavsky.

Kongo, meanwhile, has fought twice since the controversial matchup against Bader. The 46-year-old Frenchman dropped a split verdict against Timothy Johnson at Bellator 248 in Paris before rebounding to submit Sergei Kharitonov in his most recent outing at Bellator 265. Kongo is 13-3 with one no contest during his Bellator tenure.