Cheick Kongo repertoire and trained in Kickboxing, Muay Thai, Savate and Greco-Roman Wrestling at age of 19. At age 23, he studied Pencak Silat, an Indonesian martial art, and was coached by Charles Joussot and Franck Ropers, men who brought silat to France. They taught Kongo the Pencak Silat style of Setia Hati Terate. He is also a cousin of rugby star Fulgence Ouedraogo, the French back-rower. Cheick is also a columnist for the French MMA magazine, Top Fight. On June 10, 2001, Kongo began his professional career by knocking out Doog Ward. Kongo then followed up that win with a TKO
Indonesian martial arts popularity of radio shows featuring pencak silat experts in the old Indonesian kingdoms of Pajajaran and Majapahit circa the 14-15th century. Historical epics such as "Saur Sepuh", "Tutur Tinular" and "Misteri Gunung Merapi" have been adapted both for TV and film. Indonesian cinema differentiates this from modern action films or "laga". The latter may or may not include traditional fighting styles, but the modern setting makes it distinct from the silat genre proper. While Indonesian movies and TV series have always had a large following in neighbouring Malaysia and Singapore, it was the 2009 film "Merantau" that brought international attention