Cheick Kongo’s Final Push

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Cheick Kongo will rematch Vitaly Minakov in the Bellator 216 co-main event on Feb. 16 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. It will be the closest Kongo has come to title contention since April 2014, when he lost a decision to Minakov in a five-round battle for the Bellator MMA heavyweight championship. The stakes are undeniably high entering their second encounter.

“Our fight is going to be interesting,” Kongo told Sherdog.com. “The winner should [face] the champion.”

Kongo’s current seven-fight winning streak stretches back nearly four years. However, he was not awarded a spot in the promotion’s recently completed heavyweight grand prix -- a decision that left him dumbfounded. “Honestly, I have no idea [why]. For sure, I deserve [to be in the tournament], but what can I say? I’m not the president [or] CEO,” Kongo said in October. The Frenchman’s recent resentment towards the promotion runs deeper than consideration for the eight-man tournament. It dates back several years to when the championship fell into limbo following his fight with Minakov, as the Russian and the organization battled over the fighter’s contract for the next five years.

Kongo, 43, knows his time in the sport grows shorter each day, a fact that compounded his frustrations as the Bellator-Minakov dispute lingered on and the promotion elected not to crown a new champion until this year. However, he sees no value in playing the part of a disgruntled employee, his irritation notwithstanding.

“What should I say or do? I’m not the boss,” Kongo said. “The thing is, I’m not the kind of guy to get crazy and play politics [with a] company.”

Despite his issues, Kongo admits that the open-door policy Bellator has with its fighters has made his time in the Scott Coker-led promotion more enjoyable than his run in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Because of these lines of communication, the heavyweight and the organization are on good terms once again.

“Everything is good,” Kongo said. “I have a really good relationship with them. I like that the communication is great, but at one point I was like, ‘What the [expletive]?’ with the belt.”

Kongo now must defeat the undefeated Minakov to earn a shot at the heavyweight championship that rests upon Ryan Bader’s shoulder. When asked to pinpoint the reasons for his failure to topple Minakov five years ago, the Frenchman was direct and to the point. He believes his training regimen was too rigorous at the time and wiped out the energy he needed to capitalize on Minakov’s miscues.

“I was overtraining, and it limited me. I gassed right away,” Kongo said. “He made mistakes, but I wasn’t able to put him in deep water because [I was tired]. I didn’t have the resources to make him drown.”

Although Kongo feels he let a golden opportunity slip through his fingers, he respects the abilities Minakov brings to the table.

“He’s got skills,” Kongo said. “If he was the champion, is wasn’t for no reason.”

Kongo has prepared for the reality that the four-time sambo world champion has improved since their initial meeting. However, the 39-fight veteran thinks he will have a better response for Minakov’s attacks in the rematch.

“[He’s] probably angrier, coming in without the belt he deserved to keep and better skills than the first time I faced him,” Kongo said. “No matter what [improvements he has made], I have the answer for everything he’s going to show.”

Perhaps drawing upon his wealth of experience, Kongo has not yet allowed himself to think about the possibility of challenging Bader for the heavyweight championship.

“I don’t care about that, honestly,” he said. “My concern is Feb. 16, and when I pass that, I will start to think about something else.”

However, the UFC veteran was forthcoming about his thoughts on Bader and the responsibilities associated with shouldering titles in two weight classes. Kongo believes he should defend the heavyweight championship no later than July, even if he has to put his light heavyweight belt on the line beforehand.

“That’s it, end of story,” he said. “[Even if Bader] has to [defend] the light heavyweight title and is fighting three months later, I don’t give a s---. That’s his duty. He wants to own belts, that’s what he has to do. Every three months you’re going to fight, not [every] six [months].”