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Heavyweight title contender Cheick Kongo will continue to compete under the Bellator MMA banner for the foreseeable future.
The California-based promotion recently signed Kongo to a new, multi-fight contract. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Sherdog.com confirmed the news with a promotion official following an initial report from MMAjunkie.com.
In his most recent appearance, Kongo challenged for heavyweight gold at Bellator 226, where his fight with Ryan Bader ended in a no contest at the 3:52 mark of Round 1 due to an accidental eye poke. Prior to that, the 44-year-old Frenchman had won eight straight bouts in Bellator competition. It is unclear if Kongo is in line for a rematch, as Bader was next scheduled to defend his light heavyweight belt before the coronavirus pandemic hit.
Kongo signed with Bellator in 2013 following an 18-fight stint in the UFC. He has compiled a 12-2 mark with one no contest during his tenure with the Scott Coker-led promotion, earning notable wins over the likes of Vitaly Minakov, Timothy Johnson, Alexander Volkov, Augusto Sakai and Lavar Johnson.