Bellator 226 | Pro fighters make their picks for Ryan Bader vs. Cheick Kongo title fight

In the main event of Bellator 226, Ryan Bader looks to defend his heavyweight title for the first time when he takes on Cheick Kongo. The champion is currently a -350 favorite at 5Dimes while the challenger is a +250 underdog.

Ahead of this Bellator 226 fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the scrap. This time around, the pros are unanimous as they all believe Ryan Bader will defend his belt against the 44-year-old Frenchman.

BJPENN.com Fighter Picks: Ryan Bader vs. Cheick Kongo

Javy Ayala, Bellator heavyweight: It is going to be a good fight. But I see Ryan Bader winning it and does so by decision to keep his belt.

Marvin Vettori, UFC middleweight: I see Ryan Bader winning this fight and defending his belt.

Steven Peterson, UFC featherweight: I feel like Ryan Bader beats Cheick Kongo 9 times out of 10. He’s much more tactical and I see him using his wrestling and capitalizing in the transitions to knock him out.

Max Griffin, UFC welterweight: I’m going to go with Ryan Bader. He’s a proven winner and just beat Fedor. I think he’s going to land a big shot and use his grappling to dominate Kongo to a third or fourth round ground and pound TKO.

T.J. Brown, UFC featherweight: I think Ryan Bader wins it. He will use his wrestling to get the fight to the ground and dominate the fight and win by submission, or possibly a TKO late in the fight.

Peter Barrett, UFC featherweight: I think Ryan Bader gets it done, he has looked impressive as of late.

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Fighters picking Ryan Bader: Javy Ayala, Marvin Vettori, Steven Peterson, Max Griffin, T.J. Brown, Peter Barrett

Fighters picking Cheick Kongo: None

Who do you think will win the fight between Ryan Bader and Cheick Kongo at Bellator 226? Let us know in the comment section.

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 9/6/2019.