https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywdkLMCxPnM Weight Class: Heavyweight The current Bellator heavyweight champion, Vitaly Minakov is another big man with a huge upside. A sambo champion before entering Bellator, Minakov defeated the aforementioned Volkov for the heavyweight strap in a swift first round TKO, and would then defend the belt against Bellator's biggest heavyweight signing to date: Cheick Kongo. Kongo was a free agent after his last UFC run, and the UFC had interest in re-signing him. He'd always sort of hung around the top 15 to top 10 as a solid gatekeeper, and had enough of a name that he could draw in a co-main event, or perhaps a Fight Night event. Instead of returning to the UFC however, Kongo would elect to head to Bellator, where he would enter the season 9 heavyweight tournament and win with ease - only to lose a five round decision to Minakov in a fight everyone expected him to win. Due to the nature of the fight - a decision, slow, without much action - it wasn't quite a signature win for Minakov, but the Russian has twelve finishes in his career, and is undefeated at 14-0. Tell me the UFC wouldn't take an undefeated 14-0 fighter who has wins over legit talent like Kongo and Volkov. Next up for Minakov, however, is a rematch with Volkov.
Primarily covering the sport of MMA from Ontario, Canada, Jay Anderson has been writing for various publications covering sports, technology, and pop culture since 2001. Jay holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of Guelph, and a Certificate in Leadership Skills from Humber College.