MMA Views

Cheick Mate: Kongo Moving Beyond Heavyweight Gatekeeper

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t excited to see Cheick Kongo take the win last night at UFC on Versus 4 in Pittsburgh. Kudos to Pat Barry for putting up a hell of fight but how can you root against a guy who looks like he could single-handedly defeat the War on Terror with one body kick? The fight started off as planned between the two strikers, but, after taking several bombs from Pat Barry it looked like Kongo was on the cusp of his first knockout loss since 2004. Kongo somehow managed to gain his composure, get back to his feet, and deliver a backpedaling right uppercut out of nowhere to take the knockout win. By far one of the best comeback victories in MMA history.

It’s not always easy being a Kongo fan. Kongo will show overwhelming dominance in one fight and turn around and get dominated in the next. Up until this point in his UFC career he has remained at best a heavyweight gatekeeper. Routinely defeating mid to lower rank heavyweights but always falling short against the divisions elite. A unanimous decision win over an aging Mirko CroCop being his most high profile win in the UFC to date. This followed by losses to former heavyweight champion Frank Mir, current heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez, and a durable Heath Herring.

On the plus side, no one can deny the power and technique of Kongo’s stand up game. Kongo boasts an extensive kickboxing record including 21 wins with 12 knockouts prior to his migration to MMA. Eight of his past Eleven MMA victories have been by knockout, technical knockout, or submission by punches. But Kongo’s Achilles heel has always been his grappling and submission game. Frank Mir and current heavyweight champ Cain Velasquez wrote the book on how to defeat Kongo. Cain beat Kongo up against the cage and drilled him with takedowns while Mir landed a big shot and synced up a choke in the first round.

After the losses to Velasquez and Mir it’s assumed Kongo realized he will never become apart of the heavyweight elite unless he developed a grappling game. These improvements were showcased in his fight against Paul Buentello. Although this fight was marred with rule infractions on both sides Kongo clearly dominated the fight while keeping it on the ground. Riding a win into his next fight with Travis Browne, Kongo manages to backpedal in progress and muster a draw. One step forward and one step backward in typical Kongo fashion.

While last night’s main event was very exciting it still leaves us with a lot of questions regarding Kongo. We know Kongo’s stand up is top of the heap in the division. We know Kongo has tenacity and resilience being the only man to go three rounds with Cain Velasquez and knockout Pat Barry after being essentially knocked out twice moments before. We have seen moments of technical competence on the ground but only when initiated by Kongo. Kongo needs a top opponent in his next fight and needs to win decisively. No more punching bags (Al-Turk, Buentello) or guys suited specifically to play into Kongo’s game. Give Kongo a top 10 opponent and lets see what he can do.