Recently, it was confirmed that Cheick Kongo re-signed a multi-fight deal with Bellator MMA and it’s clear what the first fight Kongo wants on his newly signed deal.
Last September, the MMA veteran challenged two-division champion Ryan Bader for the heavyweight title and the bout ended in a no contest due to an accidental eye poke from Bader. The heavyweight champ claims that he never poked Kongo in the eye; however, the 44-year-old insists that Bader did strike him in the eye and is wondering why he hasn’t received an immediate rematch:
“I didn’t get the chance to talk about it, to explain myself, and I got discredit for that,” Kongo told MMA Junkie. “Just two weeks before that in the UFC, a fight (Yair Rodriguez vs. Jeremy Stephens) ended with poked eyes, and those guys did the rematch. But for my case, it was just like, ‘No, we don’t want to do this,’ but that’s just politics. I fought as a man. I don’t fight and make excuses or anything like that.”
Kongo believes that Bader wanted a reason to get out of the fight because he was frustrated with his performance during the match-up:
“He was just exhausted, exhausted because he couldn’t land the right shot and hit me properly,” Kongo explained. “That’s the reason he poked me. No matter what, he wants someone else, whatever. But that’s pretty sad because he’s someone who claims, ‘I’m the best in the category,’ and for the sport we need somebody that can hold those titles, but he’s fake. He’s fake.
We’re here to fight, so we’re going to fight. If you want to use some sh*t on me, OK, but make sure you’re able to respond to my actions, because I’m not fake. If you want to fight, I’m here, but he’s a big coward.”
It didn’t take long for Bader to respond to Kongo’s comments, with the Bellator MMA Heavyweight Champion implying the Kongo was the one looking for a way out and that he doesn’t have a problem facing the veteran again:
“I think there’s some unfinished business there with Kongo,” Bader said to Sherdog. “I just looked up this story he did today calling me a coward, and wanting a way out. I just don’t get it. I don’t get his thought process and how he doesn’t realize how stupid he looks. There’s clear-cut video evidence. It was on national TV. There’re cameras everywhere. Every single camera angle [showing] poking the nose, [and then he] grabs his eye. Then he calls me a coward and wanted a way out, after getting his ass beat for a round. It just blows my mind.
“Maybe this is his way of riling me up, and for sure getting the rematch. But I told his guys, we can rematch whenever. Don’t act like I’m ducking him or anything like that.”