5 takeaways from Bellator 280

Ryan Bader retained his heavyweight championship against Cheick Kongo (Photo credit: BellatorMMA)

Bellator wrapped up another successful event in Paris, France, which was the first of back-to-back events outside the United States. It was a great opportunity for the promotion to gain a better idea of France as an MMA market.

The last time the promotion hosted an event in Paris, they were limited to 1000 fans due to the pandemic. This event allowed the promotion to really build their audience in France, which recently lifted the ban on MMA.

Bellator heavyweight champion Ryan Bader earned a unanimous decision over Cheick Kongo to retain his title in the main event. Fans also witnessed Yoel Romero turn back the clock as he snapped his losing skid by knocking out Alex Polizzi in the third round. All in all, the event was a great showcase of fighters coming out of France. This list will look at five takeaways from Bellator 280.

#5. Controversial decision on Bellator 280 prelims

👇 @SorenTrueViking takes it to the ground but @Leary8mma ends up on top.

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The Bellator 280 prelims featured a controversial decision that many felt should have gone the other way. Soren Bak and Charlie Leary went the distance in their 160 lbs catchweight bout.

‘The Viking’ had a lot of hype coming into the event. He had a 15-1 MMA record that includes a win over UFC lightweight Paddy ‘The Baddy’ Pimblett. He was also a heavy favorite leading into the bout against a short-notice opponent in Leary. On the contrary, he didn’t have much success in grappling. Leary was able to dictate the fight with his jabs and strikes in the clinch. It looked as though he was going to pull off an upset after Bak was unable to finish him in the third round.

Fans were in for a surprise when it came time for the official scorecards. Bak was awarded a unanimous decision after the judges scored the bout 29-28, 29-28, and 30-27 in his favor. ‘Big’ John McCarthy and Josh Thomson were both critical of the result and mentioned that they felt Leary should have won.