Ryan Bader, a respected mixed martial arts fighter, recently decided it was time to move on from the PFL.
This decision came after a year-long break from fighting, during which he took on a role in the upcoming movie, The Smashing Machine, a biography about Mark Kerr. This absence made him question when he would compete again, leading to discussions with the PFL about ending their professional relationship amicably.
It's seemingly rare for a fighter and a promotion to part ways without any hard feelings, but Bader insists that there's no animosity between him and the PFL. Even though he still had one fight left on his contract, they agreed to separate.
While speaking with MMA Fighting, Bader explained that the decision was mostly his. He held the Bellator heavyweight championship, and with the PFL's recent acquisition of Bellator, there was some confusion about titles and tournament structures. He felt that the timeline for his next fight was unclear, so they had a positive discussion and decided to go their separate ways.
He expressed gratitude for his time in Bellator and said he would remember it fondly.
For me, I just felt like it’s going to be a little while [before I fight again], it’s kind of unclear so we had a good talk with them and decided to go our own separate ways. We were happy with the outcome. They were great to us, and I had an absolute blast with that run in Bellator. I’ll look back very fondly on that.
Bader's only PFL appearance resulted in a loss to Renan Ferreira in February 2024. This fight determined who would face Francis Ngannou in the Cameroonian's promotional debut. Shortly after, Bader received an unexpected opportunity to act in The Smashing Machine, alongside Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Emily Blunt.
After securing the movie role, Bader spent several months filming. He appreciated that the PFL allowed him this time, even though he was still under contract with them. He was pleased that they reached a mutually agreeable arrangement. He said that he will always speak well of both organizations.
One of the main reasons for Bader's departure from the PFL was his current career stage. At 41, he knew that his retirement was approaching, and he wasn't interested in participating in a PFL tournament. He also wasn't sure what suitable opponents would be available, as he had already faced many top heavyweights from the former Bellator roster.
I felt like I didn’t have a ton to prove anymore,” Bader said. “For me, I loved my Bellator run. It was so much fun but even then we were kind of recycling guys. I kind of felt it going that same kind of route. The tournaments are kind of weird, because my purse is great money, and nobody really wants to pay that multiple times in a year let alone three times in a year and I get that. So that wasn’t really an option. I don’t know. For me I could get three fights somewhat quickly and then be done but yeah, we that opportunity to do the movie, that was all summer and then haven’t fought for a while.
For me, it was just perfect timing. It took away that unknown even though I’m in a different unknown, I can kind of steer where I’m going. We’re happy where we’re at. I had a blast in those organizations. We’ll just see what next. I believe there will be something next, at least one more.