Ryan Bader has the opportunity to become the first fighter to ever hold multiple Bellator belts simultaneously on Jan. 26 when he faces Fedor Emelianenko for the vacant heavyweight title in Los Angeles. For his coach Jair Lourenco, it’s a chance to make history.
Lourenco, the leader of team Kimura in Natal, Brazil, moved to Arizona to coach Bader back in 2016, shortly after Bader’s win over Ilir Latifi. Since then, “Darth” has stopped Antonio Rogerio Nogueira in his final UFC bout and went on to defeat Phil Davis, Linton Vassell, Muhammed Lawal, and Matt Mitrione in Bellator, claiming the company’s 205-pound belt in the process and advancing to the heavyweight grand prix final.