Cheick Kongo
Active 2006–present · rated in 1 edition · peak overall 79.0
Scouting report
Cheick Kongo was born in Paris to a Burkinabe father and a Congolese mother. He started kendo and karate at five and earned black belts in both, then added boxing, Muay Thai, savate and Greco-Roman wrestling at 19. He met Bas Rutten at 25, and he started MMA in 2001. His UFC record was 11-6-1, with a decision win over Mirko Cro Cop at UFC 75 on September 8, 2007 and a first-round knockout of Pat Barry at UFC on Versus 4 on June 26, 2011.
Peak ratings
Cheick Kongo: a kendo and karate black belt who became a Bellator champion
The Cro Cop decision was named UFC.com's Upset of the Year for 2007. The Barry knockout won Knockout of the Night, UFC.com's Knockout of the Year and the World MMA Awards' Comeback of the Year. After the Roy Nelson loss at UFC 159 in April 2013, he turned down a four-fight UFC offer, said he had not been cut, and signed with Bellator in August 2013. He won the Season 9 heavyweight tournament that fall.
Kongo, attribute by attribute
Boxing. 82. Dan Evensen was stopped by punches at 4:55 of round one at UFC 87, and Antoni Hardonk by punches in round two at UFC 97.
Kickboxing. 84. His kickboxing honors include a European savate title. Christian Wellisch was knocked out with a knee at 2:51 of round one at UFC 62.
Wrestling. 76. He is a Greco-Roman wrestler by training, and he beat Matt Mitrione on a unanimous decision at UFC 137 in October 2011.
BJJ. 70, the weakest of his skills. Frank Mir submitted him with a guillotine at 1:12 of round one at UFC 107 in December 2009.
Strength. 89, his best. Mostapha al-Turk was stopped by elbows and punches at 4:37 of round one at UFC 92, and Nelson knocked him out at 2:03 of round one in 2013.
Durability. 80. Mark Hunt stopped him with punches at 2:11 of round one at UFC 144 in Saitama in February 2012.
Cardio. 80. He beat Mitrione, Jordan and Cro Cop on the scorecards, and he drew with Travis Browne at UFC 120.
Fight IQ. 78. A back injury cancelled his UFC 116 fight with Roy Nelson in July 2010. Shawn Jordan replaced Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira as his UFC 149 opponent, and Kongo won a unanimous decision.
Strength at 89 across two promotions
In Bellator he beat Mark Godbeer by TKO in round two and Peter Graham by decision in the 2013 tournament, then fought 18 times in the promotion. He later knocked out Javy Ayala and Timothy Johnson in the first round in 2018. Late in his career he fought Ryan Bader for the title, once ruled a no contest after an accidental eye poke in September 2019, and once in May 2022, which Bader won on a decision.
BJJ at 70 and the heavyweights who ended it early
Mir, Hunt and Nelson all finished him inside two and a half minutes in the first round. Velasquez beat him on a unanimous decision at UFC 99. In Bellator he lost to Vitaly Minakov for the title in April 2014 and to Muhammed Lawal by split decision in 2015. Fill the submission-defence gap with another slot.
Keep exploring
Closest heavyweight profiles to Cheick Kongo, measured by how near their peak attribute ratings sit across all eight categories.
- Travis Brownebest strength 88 · weakest bjj 74
- Augusto Sakaibest strength 86 · weakest bjj 72
- Marcos Rogerio de Limabest strength 89 · weakest bjj 76
- Walt Harrisbest strength 91 · weakest bjj 66
- Heavyweight division guide: how the whole division rates and who to draft from it.
- Grappling vs striking in the draft: a guide that fits Cheick Kongo's strongest attribute, Strength.
Draft Cheick Kongo into your build
Cheick Kongo enters the pool on any spin landing on heavyweight between 2010 and 2013. Spin, draft eight attributes, then simulate 25 fights.
Ratings shown are my own estimates, made with AI assistance and informed by how Cheick Kongo is regarded by the MMA community. They are unofficial and do not constitute an assessment of Cheick Kongo's real-world abilities. How the ratings are made. See the disclaimer below. Ratings and write-ups by Haaris A. Last reviewed 2026-09-30; spot an error? Tell us. Read our editorial standards.