Cheick Kongo vs. Antoni Hardonk at UFC 97
by Scott Haber on Feb 6, 2009 6:28 PM EST
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According to a report from Fighters Only magazine, two lethal heavyweight strikers will clash in the Octagon in April when Cheick Kongo meets Antoni Hardonk at UFC 97 in Montreal:
Dutch heavyweight Antoni Hardonk (8-4) will face Cheick Kongo (13-4-1) at UFC 97 in Montreal, Fighters Only learned earlier today.
Sources in the Netherlands said the bout agreements have been signed and the fight is all set for the UFC’s second Canadian event.
Hardonk (4-2 UFC) is on a three-fight winning streak in the UFC, with all three wins coming via first or second round TKO stoppage. Known for his dangerous leg kicks, Hardonk also holds a purple belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu under the legendary Rickson Gracie. The Dutchmen last fought at UFC 92 in December where he stopped late replacement Mike Wessel with punches in the second round. With a 4th consecutive UFC victory and against such steep competition as Kongo, Hardonk could soon be working his way towards the top of the UFC heavyweight ladder.
Kongo (6-2 UFC), a Frenchman who trains mainly in the UK with the Wolfslair team, has compiled an impressive record inside the Octagon with his most notable win, coming via decision agains Mirko Cro Cop at UFC 75. Always seemingly in the heavyweight title race but not yet a recipient of a title shot, Kongo most recently brutalized newcomer Mustapha Al-Turk with a vicious ground-and-pound assault that led to a first round TKO at UFC 92 in December. Steadily improving his wrestling and jiu-jitsu with Wolsflair, Kongo will have to use more than his dangerous striking when he faces Hardonk who will perhaps be the first opponent to possibly match Kongo in stand-up ability. It should also be noted that Kongo's only career TKO loss came against another talented Dutch striker: Gilbert Yvel.
The rumored UFC 97 card as it stands now includes:
- Anderson Silva vs. Thales Leites
UFC Middleweight Championship - Chuck Liddell vs. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua
- Krzysztof Soszynski vs. Brian Stann
- Jason MacDonald vs. Nate Quarry
- Ed Herman vs. David Loiseau
- David Bielkheden vs. Mark Bocek
- Cheick Kongo vs. Antoni Hardonk
- Luis Cane vs. Steve Cantwell
- Xavier Foupa-Pokam vs. Denis Kang
- TJ Grant vs. Ryo Chonan
- Matt Wiman vs. Sam Stout
The FanPosts are solely the subjective opinions of Bloody Elbow readers and do not necessarily reflect the views of Bloody Elbow editors or staff.
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let kongo fight an A level fighter, then talk about a title shot..
He lost to the gate keeper herring, so i dont think him beating B or even C level fighters should get him a title shot..
http://weoweoweo.deviantart.com/
by Anton Tabuena on Feb 6, 2009 10:09 PM EST up reply actions
at least let him fight velasquez (if he wins), after.. Lose to herring, beat a couple of cans then, title shot?
Lots of you people whine about people undeserving of title shots but you are okay with a guy beating hardonk and going for the title?
Plus Carwin/Gonzaga winner deserves it more.. Especially if Carwin wins, that would be a huge statement.
http://weoweoweo.deviantart.com/
by Anton Tabuena on Feb 7, 2009 2:53 AM EST up reply actions
I am not sold on Kongo as a title contender
The reason why I am not sold on Kongo as a title contender is because his biggest win is against CroCop who was and is in the downward slope of his career. Beating Evenson and Al-Turk doesn’t say much to me except that he can beat the lower-tier of the Heavyweight Division. The problem isn’t all Kongo, but in how thin the UFC Heavyweight Division is. There just are not enough Heavyweights in the UFC to have many competitive matchups in that division. Skillwise, Kongo has great striking and improved wrestling and takedown defense, but he looked like a fish out of water when he was on his back against Herring, and Herring isn’t even a ground fighter.
Ok, as ridiculous as it would be to say a win over Hardonk would earn anyone a title shot, especially someone who lost to Heath Herring, I think it’s a better possibility than most folks might think.
I think the winner of Lesnar v. Mir will still have some questions to answer about where they stand in the division. Kongo would have 7 wins in the UFC against only two (albeit pretty noteworthy) losses and has a style that should play into either Lesnar or Mir’s gameplans.
Worst case scenario, a giant, ripped-up dude knocks out either Mir or Lesnar, so you have a giant, dominant looking champion. Then, he can be fed to the winner of Nogueira v. Couture, at which point the winner of that match would absolutely be among the very best Heavyweights in the world.
Then, of course, you can go with the Velasquez and Carwin/Gonzaga winners of the world as challengers.
Yeah, Kongo with a title shot actually makes sense.
"BJ on the BE" - Kierkegaard
Whoa what a step up in competition for Kongo. Not.
Well I guess there aren’t that many heavywieghts to go around.
Kuwabara Kuwabara
Nah, its a very dangerous fight for him. Hardonk is weak as hell against decent fighters who can control him on the ground, but his striking is very dangerous. Kongo’s ground game isn’t good enough to beat Hardonk with, and they’re relatively even on the feet.
by Michaelthebox on Feb 6, 2009 9:42 PM EST up reply actions
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