This past weekend (Sat. January 26, 2019) Ryan Bader picked up one of the biggest victories of his career. The Bellator light heavyweight champion defeated Fedor Emelianenko to capture the vacant heavyweight title. Bader is now the first-ever dual-weight champ in Bellator history. With the victory, it marked the seventh-straight win for Bader inside the cage.
Bader hasn’t lost a fight since January of 2016. He was knocked out in the first round by Anthony “Rumble” Johnson at UFC on FOX 18. Five of his seven wins have come by TKO or knockout. Speaking at the Bellator 214 post-fight press conference, Bader discussed his big win over Fedor. With the victory, Bader said he believes he’s one of mixed martial arts’ (MMA) pound-for-pound best (via MMA Junkie):
“I think this kind of solidifies that I am one of the best pound-for-pound out there,” Bader said. “But it’s just one of those things where I feel like I’m in my prime right now, so there’s a lot more to go. So I haven’t really begun to scratch the surface on legacy and all that kind of stuff.
“But this is the pinnacle right here: Heavyweight championship, I’m the light heavyweight champion. I got to fight Fedor, one of the best of all time, in the grand prix style tournament and become a two-division champion. I mean, what else is there to do? I can’t drop to 185.
“You can defend it and all that, but to do that, against that competitor in Fedor – if you look back at a career, that will always be a highlight.”
Do you think Bader is one of MMA’s best P4P fighters in the world?
