By FCF Staff

After winning Bellator’s last heavyweight tournament, UFC veteran Cheick Kongo will challenge the promotion’s champion Vitaly Minakov on April 4th. The bout will headline Bellator 115, which will be hosted by Nevada’s Reno Events Center.

Kongo (20-8-2) secured a title shot in November, by working his way to a unanimous decision win over Peter Graham, which followed his stoppage victory over Mark Godbeer in October. The 38 year-old fighter is 3-2 in his last 5 bouts.

“Being a Champion is something I’ve wanted for a while,” Kongo was quoted saying in a press release from the promotion. “It’s not about having it now, or fighting for right now. It’s about when I’m old and retired from the sport, I can always look at that belt on my wall, and know that is why I put in all the hours and made the sacrifices I did. It means a lot to me, and it’s something I want to collect on April 4^th.”

Minakov (13-0) laid claim to the heavyweight title at Bellator 108, by taking out Alexander Volkov in the first round with strikes. The 28 year-old fighter has won all four of his Bellator bouts to date.

“I am now the Bellator Heavyweight World Champion, and that isn’t going to change,” Minakov said. “It doesn’t matter who is in my way, they are getting finished. Kongo has been around for a long time and is a great challenger, but the belt is staying with me. I’m not giving my belt to anybody. This is my belt.”

The main card for Bellator 115 will be broadcast live on SPIKE.