Bellator 273 talking points: Ryan Bader's best weight is heavyweight, but who is the world's best heavyweight?

Bellator returned with its first event of 2022 with a cracking fight night in Phoenix that was headlined by a gritty display of championship mettle.

Ryan Bader became the undisputed heavyweight champion with a superb comeback display against Valentin Moldavsky while Benson Henderson crept towards retirement with an upset in the chief support.

With a heavyweight championship night in Paris also announced, BBC Sport looks at five talking points from Bellator 273.

Bader spent the last two years trying to reclaim the light-heavyweight crown after losing the belt to Vadim Nemkov in August 2020.

The American was unsuccessful in that attempt and returned to heavyweight after a near three-year absence to defend that crown.

Fedor Emelianenko's ward Moldavsky was crowned interim champion in the meantime, but at 38 Bader's future is now surely at heavyweight.

Going up and down in weight is difficult on any body, but Bader looked stronger at heavyweight than he has done in his recent stints at 205lbs.

The heavyweight champion was able to hit a new gear in the championship rounds and weather a wickedly fast-paced storm from Russian Moldavsky. Heavyweight contenders will have been watching Bader's comeback with interest and with his next fight already decided, he looks to be staying in that division for now.

While Bader showed the fight of a dog, Cheick Kongo was watching from cageside. The Frenchman knew he would be fighting the winner of the Bellator 273 event and has been given his third crack at the heavyweight title in his home country.

A title fight in Paris on 6 May is a dream come true for Kongo, who suffered a heartbreaking defeat to Tim Johnson in Bellator's first visit to France in 2020.

Kongo will turn 47 just a few weeks after his