SAN JOSE, Calif. – Bellator president Scott Coker didn’t commit to an immediate rematch between Ryan Bader and Cheick Kongo despite a no-contest at Bellator 226.
Coker called the fight “a bit uneventful” and left the decision up to his team and two-division champ Bader, who retained his heavyweight belt after his accidental eye poke forced a stop to Saturday’s headliner at SAP Center in the opening round.
“These things happen sometimes in this sport with the open-fingered gloves,” Coker told reporters, including MMA Junkie, at a post-event media scrum. “Whether we would run it back, that depends on Ryan and his next step, as far as fighting at 205 (pounds) or fighting as a heavyweight.”
Kongo, 44, was on an eight-fight win streak and had campaigned for a title bout. But he struggled early with Bader’s wrestling and was trapped against the fence when an errant thumb went into his eye. The cageside doctor called off the fight when Kongo reported he couldn’t see.
Bader, 36, has indicated a desire to defend his light heavyweight belt in his next two bouts, though he’s left open the option of staying in a particular division if he’s successful. Coker seemed to encourage the idea of a move.
“We have some good fights for him at light heavyweight as well,” the Bellator executive said. “There’s some unfinished business. I’m sure he’d like to fight (Lyoto) Machida again, and we’ve got Gegard (Mousasi).”
Not currently on that list is Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, who nearly got into a brawl with Bader after the DAZN-streamed title bout.
Coker downplayed the severity of the incident and said Jackson’s behavior was understandable.
“It’s an emotional time,” he said. “That’s his training mate, and people get very close when you start training together at the same gym, and I think that’s what you saw, a guy who had a lot of passion defending his teammate. But it died down pretty quickly.
“We’ll go back and review the tape. But I actually was a little surprised. I had to do a double-take. (I said to myself), ‘Who’s up there barking? Oh my god, it’s Rampage Jackson. It happened and we’ll take a look at it. But hey listen, no one was flying out of the cage attacking other people.”
Coker was, of course, referring to the very eventful headliner between UFC lightweight champ Khabib Nurmagomedov and former two-division champ Conor McGregor, which led to suspensions for both fighters and their teammates. That bout is likely to be run back sooner or later, according to UFC president Dana White.
For Bellator, though, it sounds like it’s time to move on.
