Fight Facts: Bellator 280 ‘Bader vs. Kongo 2’

Fight Facts is a breakdown of all of the interesting information and cage curiosities on every card, with some puns, references and portmanteaus to keep things fun. These deep stat dives delve into the numbers, providing historical context and telling the stories behind those numbers.

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TOTAL NUMBER OF BELLATOR FIGHTS: 3,119
TOTAL NUMBER OF BELLATOR EVENTS: 282

Bellator MMA cruised back to Paris with a full card that brought plenty of momentum until the main event dashed it all and broke the hearts of French fans. It was a knockout or bust evening, with fights either ending on the scorecards or due to strikes, and this led to many feast or famine matchups all day. Bellator 280 featured the longest reigning active champ doing what he does best, a stoppage that definitely occurred after the final bell and a Strikeforce vet finding his power again after years of uncertainty.

Vive La France: Bellator stacked the deck with French fighters in its return to Paris, with seven competitors representing L’Hexagone against foreign combatants. Only Cheick Kongo and Fabacary Diatta failed to pick up wins for their home country, with five others beating their non-local adversaries. The first two fights pitted Frenchman against Frenchman, resulting in two knockouts.

C’est Comme Ca: Ryan Bader successfully defended his heavyweight strap for the second time – if counting the unification match with Valentin Moldavsky, while excluding the title retention vs. Kongo when the match ended by no contest due to an eye poke – keeping him with the longest active championship reign (1200 days on Monday) in Bellator.

Oui Peut la Defense: By claiming a decision over Kongo, Bader became the first heavyweight champ in Bellator history to defend his belt two times. Neither Cole Konrad nor Vitaly Minakov ever made it to their second defense, with Konrad retiring from the sport and Minakov pursuing other options in Russia.

Monsieur le Juge: Bader notched his third win on the scorecards as a heavyweight, putting him in the record books as tied for the fourth-most in company history. Konrad and Moldavsky (five each) are joined for second, while Kongo’s seven are the most decision wins of any Bellator heavyweight.

Kongo a Plus de 50 Ans: Kongo tried and failed for the third time to claim a heavyweight belt, with all three such attempts coming in the Bellator cage. He does, however, make history as the oldest competitor to vie for a Bellator throne, as the Frenchman will turn 47 on May 17.

Apres la Cloche: With the stoppage coming seconds after the bell at the end of Round 3, Yoel Romero was awarded the stoppage at 4:59 over Alex Polizzi. In doing so, he tied the record for the latest finish in a non-title, non-tourney Bellator bout with Jason Fischer and Keoni Diggs in 2012 and 2020, respectively.

15 Minutes de Liberte: Once again, Romero notched a knockout in the third round of a bout, repeating a feat he has achieved many times. The last seven stoppages for “Soldier of God” have all come in Round 3.

Lentement Mais Suremant, on Reussit: Win or lose, Romero has yet to have a fight end any sooner than 10:58 of a fight dating back to 2013. This oddity stretches across 14 fights, and he did not suffer a stoppage loss in any of his defeats on that run.

Sang Par Gallon: In the second round, Davy Gallon put Benjamin Brander away with punches. Throughout the French fighter’s career, he has recorded eight wins by decision, seven by tapout and six by knockout. On the other side, he has dropped five bouts by stoppage, and four of his career fights have gone a decision that he has not won. All three of his Bellator appearances have ended in victory, with his last two by knockout. Of his stoppages due to strikes, one has come from a rolling thunder kick.

Reecouter Larkin: For the first time since 2016, Lorenz Larkin recorded a knockout. This lifted his career knockout rate back to exactly 50%, and he snaps a five-fight decision win streak in the process.

Depuis Qu Tu Es Bebe: When Larkin last scored a knockout in August 2016, five of the other competitors on this card had yet to make their professional debuts.

Botter Son Cul, Seabass: To open the main card, Gregory Babene blew through “Seabass” Mike Shipman in just over two minutes to register the knockout. “Blade” celebrates a finish rate of 86% as a pro, with each of his last nine victories coming within two rounds.

C’est Ma Maison: Taking home a unanimous decision over Lewis Long, Thibault Gouti lodged his first win under the Bellator banner. The 35-year-old out of France remains defeated in his homeland, with eight finishes across 12 wins. His five defeats came as a Ultimate Fighting Championship fighter in England, Canada and the U.S.

Le Vol: Soren Bak swiped a contentious decision over Charlie Leary to improve his win streak to eight straight, a run that includes a victory over Paddy Pimblett. Each of the last five bouts for “The True Viking” has ended in the hands in the judges.

Boule de Feu a Combustion Lente: Needing three rounds to overcome Katarzyna Sadura, Lucie Bertaud registered the first win for France against the World by decision. “Fireball” holds all of her career wins on the scorecards, while her defeats all came by stoppage.

Ne Jamais Dire Jamais Encore: Coming into Bellator 280, Polizzi (11 fights) and Victor de Lima Verchere (six fights) had never been finished, Long (25 fights) and Sadura (nine fights) had never lost on the scorecards and Diatta had never been defeated (eight fights).