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Tag: Ryan Bader

  • Ryan Bader Signing With RIZIN, Will Fight On New Year’s Eve

    Ryan Bader Signing With RIZIN, Will Fight On New Year’s Eve

    The next stop for former Bellator heavyweight and light heavyweight champion is now known, as it appears he is signing with Japanese MMA promotion RIZIN.

    Bader appeared at the Rizin: Otoko Matsuri event held at the Tokyo Dome on May 4, announcing plans to take on the winner of the RIZIN Heavyweight Grand Prix tournament. Such a fight would take place at the end of this year at RIZIN’s annual New Year’s Eve card.

    This will be Bader’s first MMA fight since his 21-second TKO loss to Renan Ferreira at the PFL vs. Bellator Champions vs. Champions card in February 2024. Bader officially parted ways with the PFL in March, two months after it was officially announced that the PFL was folding the Bellator brand. The PFL had formally purchased Bellator MMA in November 2023.

    Ryan Bader To Fight In RIZIN On New Year’s Eve

    Bader won the Bellator heayvweight championship by winning the Bellator Heavyweight Grand Prix held from January 2018-January 2019. The tournament saw Bader defeat Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal, Matt Mitrione and Fedor Emelianenko to become champion. Bader became the first Bellator heavyweight champion since Vitaly Minakov was formally stripped of the title in 2016 and became the first double champion in Bellator history.

    Bader defended the heavyweight title against Cheick Kongo, Valentin Moldavsky and Emelianenko before Bellator’s purchase by the PFL.

    Bader was also the light heavyweight champion at one point, winning the title in his Bellator debut at Bellator 180. He’d defend that title against Linton Vassell before losing the title to Vadim Nemkov.

    The eight-man RIZIN Heavyweight Grand Prix began at the May 4 event, which saw Marek Samociuk defeat Daniel James, José Augusto Azevedo best Tsuyoshi Sudario and Mikio Ueda beat Shoma Shibisai. The remaining quarterfinal will take place between Islambek Baktybek Uulu and Alexander Soldatkin.

  • Ryan Bader Addresses Decision To Split With PFL

    Ryan Bader, a respected mixed martial arts fighter, recently decided it was time to move on from the PFL.

    This decision came after a year-long break from fighting, during which he took on a role in the upcoming movie, The Smashing Machine, a biography about Mark Kerr. This absence made him question when he would compete again, leading to discussions with the PFL about ending their professional relationship amicably.  

    It’s seemingly rare for a fighter and a promotion to part ways without any hard feelings, but Bader insists that there’s no animosity between him and the PFL. Even though he still had one fight left on his contract, they agreed to separate.

    While speaking with MMA Fighting, Bader explained that the decision was mostly his. He held the Bellator heavyweight championship, and with the PFL’s recent acquisition of Bellator, there was some confusion about titles and tournament structures. He felt that the timeline for his next fight was unclear, so they had a positive discussion and decided to go their separate ways.

    He expressed gratitude for his time in Bellator and said he would remember it fondly.

    “For me, I just felt like it’s going to be a little while [before I fight again], it’s kind of unclear so we had a good talk with them and decided to go our own separate ways. We were happy with the outcome. They were great to us, and I had an absolute blast with that run in Bellator. I’ll look back very fondly on that.”

    Bader’s only PFL appearance resulted in a loss to Renan Ferreira in February 2024. This fight determined who would face Francis Ngannou in the Cameroonian’s promotional debut. Shortly after, Bader received an unexpected opportunity to act in The Smashing Machine, alongside Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Emily Blunt.

    After securing the movie role, Bader spent several months filming. He appreciated that the PFL allowed him this time, even though he was still under contract with them. He was pleased that they reached a mutually agreeable arrangement. He said that he will always speak well of both organizations.

    One of the main reasons for Bader’s departure from the PFL was his current career stage. At 41, he knew that his retirement was approaching, and he wasn’t interested in participating in a PFL tournament. He also wasn’t sure what suitable opponents would be available, as he had already faced many top heavyweights from the former Bellator roster.

    “I felt like I didn’t have a ton to prove anymore,” Bader said. “For me, I loved my Bellator run. It was so much fun but even then we were kind of recycling guys. I kind of felt it going that same kind of route. The tournaments are kind of weird, because my purse is great money, and nobody really wants to pay that multiple times in a year let alone three times in a year and I get that. So that wasn’t really an option. I don’t know. For me I could get three fights somewhat quickly and then be done but yeah, we that opportunity to do the movie, that was all summer and then haven’t fought for a while.

    “For me, it was just perfect timing. It took away that unknown even though I’m in a different unknown, I can kind of steer where I’m going. We’re happy where we’re at. I had a blast in those organizations. We’ll just see what next. I believe there will be something next, at least one more.”

  • Former Two-Division Bellator Champion ‘Amicably’ Parts Ways With PFL

    Amid a wave of discontent and high-profile departures from the PFL, a former two-division Bellator champion has chosen to sever ties with the promotion on cordial terms.

    On Thursday, combat sports journalist Ariel Helwani was the first to report on X that MMA veteran Ryan Bader has officially split from the PFL, walking away before fulfilling the final fight on his contract. Helwani also revealed that “Darth” and PFL executives amicably reached a mutual agreement to part ways, with both sides satisfied with the terms of the separation.

    Bader also took to Instagram to address his free agency, releasing a statement that confirmed Helwani’s report.

    “Just an update…officially a free agent. PFL and our team came up with terms we were both happy agreeing on with one fight remaining on contract. The Bellator run was one for the books. What a blast, and being surrounded by great people running that org. Im still open to different opportunities in the fight game,” he captioned.

    Bader was last seen in action at PFL vs. Bellator: Champions in February 2024, where he suffered a knockout loss to Renan Ferreira in just 21 seconds.

    Following the setback, the 41-year-old Nevada native revealed he would be stepping away from competition to join the cast of The Smashing Machine, a biopic about MMA legend Mark Kerr. The film, starring Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt, is set for release later this year.

    During his reign as Bellator’s heavyweight champion, “Darth” secured victories over notable contenders, including Valentin Moldavsky, Cheick Kongo, and the legendary Fedor Emelianenko.

    Following Bellator’s merger with the PFL, he wrapped up his tenure with the promotion at 9-3 with one no contest, bringing his overall career mark to 31-8.

  • Cheick Kongo To Ryan Bader: “I’m Going To Murder You”

    Bellator heavyweight contender Cheick Kongo is looking to earn more than the heavyweight title in his upcoming rematch against Ryan Bader.

    Kongo has proved that age may be just a number during his recent run-in Bellator. The 46-year-old has won 9 of his last 11 fights, including most recently against Sergei Kharitonov at Bellator 265.

    Just minutes after Bader earned a unanimous decision victory against Valentin Moldavsky at Bellator 273, the promotion announced that Bader will defend his belt against Kongo in May at an event in Paris.

    The Bader-Kongo rivalry is one of the most heated in recent Bellator history. The two top heavyweights fought to a no-contest after an accidental eye-poke by Bader stopped the fight. Bader later denied that he poked Kongo.

    Kongo is looking to earn a decisive win this time against Bader. During a recent interview with Mirror, he revealed what he told Bader during their staredown following Bellator 273.

    “I told him ‘karma is a b****’ and you did really good,” Kongo said. “I was impressed with his performance, it was a really good satisfaction. I wish he will be able to perform the same way [against me] but I’m going to kill you. When he left the cage, I told him ‘you better be ready, because I’m gonna murder you’. I wasn’t expecting to face him after three years, I thought it was just a utopia but they make it real. Now it’s happening. His salvation will probably for me to die with Covid or get hit by a car to not face me.”

    Kongo will have the opportunity to exact his revenge against Bader in front of the hometown crowd in Paris. He has his own gym and team in France called “Kongo’s Smashin’ Club”, which features top prospects such as Djati Melan.

    Kongo’s murder comments remind some fans of UFC middleweight contender Sean Strickland, who has previously spoken about his desire to kill someone in the cage.

    The Kongo-Bader rivalry doesn’t show any signs of cooling down anytime soon, and their fight is expected to be one of the most highly-anticipated in Bellator in 2022.

    What is your prediction for Ryan Bader vs. Cheick Kongo 2?

  • Bellator 273 Results & Highlights: Bader Defeats Moldavsky

    Bellator MMA’s first event of the year has just wrapped up, and it featured a heavyweight title fight to determine their undisputed champion. Sitting champ Ryan Bader was in the light heavyweight World Grand Prix, so to keep the heavyweight division moving, an interim title fight between Timothy Johnson and Valentin Moldovsky went down last June with Moldavsky emerging as the victor. 

    Bader lost his semifinal bout in the Grand Prix, so at Bellator 273, he returned to heavyweight to determine who the true champion is. At media day on fight week, Bader said, “The last fight (in Phoenix at Bellator 268 on Oct. 16, 2021) was not the result we wanted. The crowd showed up. Arizona showed up. We packed the house. Let’s get a little redemption here in front of the home crowd.”

    Below, you can find highlights from the main event that saw Bader retain the heavyweight championship.

    Ryan Bader def. Valentin Moldavsky

    Bellator MMA 273 Fast Results

    MAIN CARD

    • Heavyweight Championship Bout: Ryan Bader © def Valentin Moldavsky via unanimous decision (48-47×3)
    • Benson Henderson def. Islam Mamedov via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
    • Henry Corrales def. Aiden Lee via unanimous technical decision (29-28, 30-27×2)
    • Sabah Homasi def. Jaleel Willis via submission (arm-triangle choke) R1 (1:42)

    PRELIMINARY CARD

    • Enrique Barzola def. Darrion Caldwell via TKO (strikes) R3 (3:01)
    • Chris Gonzalez def. Saad Awad via knockout (head kick, punches) R1 (0:36)
    • Dalton Rosta def. Duane Johnson via unanimous decision (30-27×3)
    • Nikita Mikhailov def. Blaine Shutt via TKO (punches) R3 (3:23)
    • Lucas Brennan def. Benjamin Lugo via submission (arm-triangle choke) – R1 (2:27)
    • Sullivan Cauley def. Ben Parrish via TKO (punches) R1 (4:35)

  • Ryan Bader vs. Valentin Moldavsky Heavyweight Title Fight Headlines Bellator 273

    Ryan Bader will finally be defending his heavyweight title again.

    Bellator announced on Monday that Bader will defend his heavyweight title against the interim champ, Valentin Moldavsky in the main event of Bellator 273 on January 29. The event will take place at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona and air live on Showtime.

    Ryan Bader (28-7) has not fought at heavyweight since September of 2019 where he fought Cheick Kongo to a No Contest. Since then, he suffered a knockout loss to Vadim Nemkov to lose his light heavyweight title. “Darth” was then in the light heavyweight grand prix where he beat Lyoto Machida in the opening round before suffering a 51-second TKO loss to Corey Anderson in the semifinals.

    Ryan Bader

    At heavyweight in Bellator, Bader is 3-0 with one No Contest and won the vacant title after winning the grand prix. In the opening round, he knocked out King Mo in 15 seconds before winning a decision over Matt Mitrione. In the finals, he knocked out Fedor Emelianenko in 35 seconds to win the belt.

    Valentin Moldavsky (11-1) is undefeated in Bellator and is the pupil of Emelianenko. In his last fight, he earned a clear-cut decision over Tim Johnson to win the interim heavyweight title. He’s 6-0 in Bellator with notable wins over Roy Nelson, Javy Ayala, and Linton Vassell. Prior to signing with Bellator, he competed in RIZIN and beat Karl Albrektsson among others.

    Along with Bader vs. Moldavsky, Bellator announced former bantamweight champion, Darrion Caldwell will take on TUF: Latin America 2 featherweight winner and UFC veteran, Enrique Barzola. The fight will serve as Barzola’s Bellator debut, as he went 6-3-1 in the UFC and was not re-signed by the promotional after a draw against Rani Yahya back in March of 2020.

    Who do you think will win, Ryan Bader or Valentin Moldavsky?