Ryan Bader may have walked out of Bellator 244 without the light heavyweight title around his waist, but at least he can still console himself with some heavyweight gold. The former longtime UFC athlete took his talents to the Viacom-owned promotion back in 2017, grabbing the strap at 205-lbs in his first fight at his new home, before charging through Bellator’s heavyweight Grand Prix—KOing MMA legend Fedor Emelianenko in just 35 seconds to capture his second piece of hardware.
On August 21st, Vadim Nemkov made his own splash after a somewhat slower climb through the Bellator ranks, picking up a TKO over Bader behind a head kick and series of unanswered punches midway through the second round of the Bellator 244 main event.