How is Cheick Kongo so successful at his age?

[TheBrownRanger]

There are very very VERY few fighters that fight in their 40's as they did in their prime age. Kongo should definitely be recognized more for his longevity.

- Gave Vitaly Minakov a tough fight in 2014. Kongo was 38 years old, an age where his decline should have began at Heavyweight. Unlike DC, Kongo has been fighting for almost 20 years (since 2001). Definitely has some miles on him.

- While the legends were getting fights with their elderly counterparts, Kongo was taking on the young dogs of the Bellator Heavyweight division (Sakai, Spartan, Tim and Tony Johnson, etc) and beat them all decisively.

- Guys like Frank Mir, Chuck Liddell, and Bigfoot Silva are probably on TRT. However, they all look like shells of their former selves. Goes to show that TRT is not some magic pill for aging fighters unless their body responds well to steroids (Vitor Belfort). Kongo seems to have evolved his fight game while the others haven't and looks like he hasn't missed a step since his UFC days.

- Rampage was chosen over Kongo due to their connection. However, Kongo had a bigger claim to a tournament spot. Current Rampage has no business being in the Bellator title picture, sorry. Kongo wasn't even given an alternate spot. It went to tournament loser, Roy Nelson, for some reason. I have heard from the grapevine that Bellator doesn't particularly like Kongo or his fighting style and its very obvious. He fought his way tooth and nail back to the top.

Dude is CTE-proof and his current run is extremely underrated. His age and politics clearly against him and he's still Bellator's best heavyweight.

 

[Phisher]

Veteran craft and a weak division.

 

[Prefect]

Strong guy hits hard.

 

[Limit Smasher]

He's done remarkably well since going to Bellator. Maybe it's genetics and he's probably taken good care of himself. Likely very little drinking and drugs combined with a whole lot of training.

 

[Bobby Boulders]

In before Rodney tirade.

 

[Gambit MMA]

could be the gear, but prob a combination of also training hard and staying healthy and taking care of himself.

 

[HaulParris]

He doesn’t take too many risks, and though he has a great highlight reel, spends a lot of time grinding down his opponents against the fence.

 

[HUGHPHUG]

It does irk me that Kongo is constantly overlooked for the tournament for whatever reason

He has more fights than any of the other competitors with an 11-2 record

In fact he probably has more fights than the other 7 combined. Yet fucking Roy Nelson gets the alternate nod.

Dude should have been in there, I feel for him, I'd probably favor him over all other than Bader

 

[cevo]

Sometimes it just comes down to genetics. Overeem has been KO'd by heavyweights a hundred times at this point and he's still going strong. Smart training also helps.

 

[Mentallooser]

Genetics, takes care of himself by avoiding unhealthy vices, seems to work harder as he gets older. He may use a little extra help, I can't know. I personally(eye test only) think he looked like a better fighter in his last fight than he did against Minakov. He should not at all be counted out in the rematch

 

[Go Go Plata]

Great topic. Kongo is definitely underappreciated. The fact that Kongo started working on his wrestling late in his career and has been taking guys down is an accomplishment in itself for a guy who came in as a pure kickboxer.

 

[mkt]

Very poor competition at HW certainly comes into play. Remember, King Mo moved up to HW and beat him...he really hasn't faced any other wrestlers at HW. I definitely don't see him winning the HW tournament. Bader would smoke him and some other guys might beat him. Remember, slightly younger/better versions of Hunt and Nelson KO'd him in the 1st round before he left the UFC. Sergei and Fedor would definitely be big threats if Kongo couldn't work his grind-n-stall game.

 

[Kingz]

He’s kept himself in shape. He looks and moves the same as he did 10 years ago and he fights smart. So he hasn’t really dropped off any. He is still a really good barometer. The guys you thought should beat him have but he still kind of protects that gate between middle of the road and somebody who is the real deal.

Kongo never really had let downs in the UFC. He’s always been a very steady fighter.

 

[Hardcore MMA]

Kongo definitely got snubbed for a spot in the HW tournament. He’s been the most successful HW in Bellator since Minakov went on his long hiatus. Too bad Bellator left the belt vacant for so long and didn’t give Kongo a shot for the vacant title like 2 years ago when they should ha e.

 

[Ultimate Cuck]

because he fights against really shitty fighters lol

 

[pooknicca]

Very poor competition at HW certainly comes into play. Remember, King Mo moved up to HW and beat him...he really hasn't faced any other wrestlers at HW.

Hasn’t fought any wrestlers? What about Tony and Timothy Johnson?

 

[mkt]

Hasn’t fought any wrestlers? What about Tony and Timothy Johnson?

Well, okay, but neither of them were able to do what King Mo did to Kongo, and Mo's a LHW/MW sized fighter who went on a really bad losing streak afterwards. There just aren't a lot of good wrestlers at HW right now unless you include Cormier and Cain (if he ever gets healthy again) along with Stipe, who would be a nightmare matchup for Kongo.

 

[Go Go Plata]

Well, okay, but neither of them were able to do what King Mo did to Kongo, and Mo's a LHW/MW sized fighter who went on a really bad losing streak afterwards. There just aren't a lot of good wrestlers at HW right now unless you include Cormier and Cain (if he ever gets healthy again) along with Stipe, who would be a nightmare matchup for Kongo.

Stipe is right on Kongo's level. He's a gatekeeper that matches up well against older/slower fighters.

 

[mkt]

Stipe is right on Kongo's level. He's a gatekeeper that matches up well against older/slower fighters.

Nah, he has better wrestling and better striking...he wins anywhere the fight goes. It would look just like his fights against Overeem, JDS and Werdum. Stipe destroyed the same Hunt and Nelson who knocked Kongo into another dimension.

 

[executionermma]

Stipe a gatekeeper lol people are so delusional when talking about HWs