Former Bellator MMA light heavyweight and heavyweight champion Ryan Bader, who was recently granted his release by the PFL, has found a new home.
Bader (31-8, 1NC), a former UFC contender at 205lbs, has inked a deal with RIZIN Fighting Federation, and is set to make his debut for the company later this year. “Darth” Bader appeared in the ring at the Tokyo Dome during Sunday’s RIZIN Otoko Matsuri broadcast alongside RIZIN CEO Noboyuki Sakakibara to announce the news.
As confirmed by the broadcast, Bader will face the winner of the heavyweight grand prix, which kicked off on Sunday, at the promotion’s annual New Year’s Eve show, promising to become heavyweight champion at the end of the year.
Bader, 41, has not competed since a February 2024 loss to Renan Ferreira at the PFL Champions vs. Bellator Champions crossover event. Up until his release, he remained the Bellator MMA heavyweight champion, a title he defended three times, the most of any heavyweight champion in the now-defunct promotion’s history.
After wrapping up his UFC career on a two-fight win streak in 2016, Ryan Bader was a massive free agent signing for Bellator, and made his debut the following year. He won light heavyweight gold in his promotional debut, defeating fellow UFC ex-pat Phil Davis to do so. Bader would hold that title until a 2020 loss to Vadim Nemkov, becoming a simultaneous double champ along the way.
