It’s been over a decade since Ryan Bader and Muhammed Lawal faced off in competition, and both have achieved enormous success in MMA following stints as All-American collegiate wrestlers.
Bader burst onto the scene back in 2008 with a dominant run on Season 8 of The Ultimate Fighter. He became a top-10 contender in the UFC before making the jump to Bellator, where he captured the light heavyweight title in his promotional debut with a split decision win over Phil Davis last June, the second time in his career he’s beaten Davis on the scorecards.