Ryan Bader knows if he wants to become Bellator light heavyweight champion again, he’s going to have to walk through a murderer’s row of talent in the upcoming grand prix.
In fact as he prepares to face Lyoto Machida in the Bellator 256 main event, Bader only has to take a quick look at the seven other fighters comprising the tournament to know the kind of investment the promotion has made in this division.
In addition to Bader and Machida, who are the first fighters to kick off the grand prix, Bellator boasts reigning champion Vadim Nemkov, former champion Phil Davis, as well as a number of high-profile free-agent additions in recent months including Anthony “Rumble” Johnson, Yoel Romero and Corey Anderson.