Ryan Bader’s career since defecting from the Ultimate Fighting Championship to Bellator MMA in 2016 is nothing short of remarkable. The 35-year-old has gone from strength to strength since his debut fight for the promotion when he captured the Bellator light heavyweight belt by defeating another former UFC fighter Phil Davis at Bellator 180 in June 2017.
In 2018, “Darth” entered the Bellator Heavyweight Grand Prix and beat the likes of Muhammed Lawal, Matt Matrione and finally Fedor Emelianenko to claim the vacant Bellator heavyweight title.