On Tuesday afternoon, MMAFighting’s Danny Segura confirmed the reigning Bellator light heavyweight and heavyweight champion had inked an exclusive multi-year deal with the promotion.
In terms of competition, Bader (27-5) was last seen earning his heavyweight crown with a first round destruction of mixed martial arts icon Fedor Emelianenko in January. This result was the culmination of Bader’s reign of terror through the Bellator Heavyweight Grand Prix, where fans saw him demolish Muhammed Lawal and Matt Mitrione en route to capturing his second championship.
Prior to this, the man known as “Darth” successfully defended his light heavyweight title, which he captured from fellow UFC veteran Phil Davis in 2017, with a second round TKO over Linton Vassell.