Light heavyweight contender Ryan “Darth” Bader is currently a free agent, and it appears as if he’s weighing in his options. The No. 4-ranked UFC light heavyweight has competed inside the Octagon since 2008, but we may have seen the last of him competing for the world’s largest mixed martial arts promotion. On yesterday’s (Jan.
Light heavyweight contender Ryan “Darth” Bader is currently a free agent, and it appears as if he’s weighing in his options. The No. 4-ranked UFC light heavyweight has competed inside the Octagon since 2008, but we may have seen the last of him competing for the world’s largest mixed martial arts promotion.
On yesterday’s (Jan. 30, 2017) edition of The MMA Hour, Bader said that he has an offer from Bellator coming this week, although he did admit that the UFC has the right to match any offer he receives:
“I have a Bellator offer coming either today or tomorrow,” Bader said .“We kind of know the particulars. I went out and met with Scott Coker and the Bellator boys and I liked what they had to say, and I liked what they were about. So we’re going through that process. That being said, the UFC has the right to match. It’s kind of in a weird place. I’m super-excited to be in this position. I’m in a great position.”
The 33-year-old has won seven of his last eight bouts including victories over Anthony Perosh, Rafael Cavalcante, Ovince Saint Preux, reigning Bellator 205-pound champion Phil Davis, Rashad Evans, Ilir Latifi and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira.
If he does indeed jump shit and head over to Bellator, Bader believes he could receive an immediate title shot, and he feels as if it would be a fight that would interest Davis:
“I do believe we can [get a title shot right away]. That’s another thing, like I said, I keep hitting on the word opportunity and the plan — what’s your plan for me? And so, things like that are being discussed. I know [Davis] probably wants to get that win back…that’s definitely part of it.”
Do you expect Bader’s next fight to take place in the Bellator cage?
Ryan Bader is still a free agent, but that will be changing soon. Bader gambled on himself when he decided to fight out his Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) contract instead of re-sign. The move paid off as Bader dismantled Antonio Rogerio Nogueira in the final bout of his contract. Bellator showed interest in Bader and […]
Ryan Bader is still a free agent, but that will be changing soon. Bader gambled on himself when he decided to fight out his Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) contract instead of re-sign. The move paid off as Bader dismantled Antonio Rogerio Nogueira in the final bout of his contract. Bellator showed interest in Bader and […]
Free agent Bader may have found a new role with Bellator.
Scott Coker recounted on the success of Bellator landing “100%” of their free agent targets at the ‘170 press conference on Tuesday. Big names in UFC including Rory MacDonald, Benson Henderson, Chael Sonnen and Matt Mitrione crossed over to Bellator MMA, which bulked up the talent of the world’s secondary MMA promotion. 2017 looks at though it may start where the previous year ended, with news emerging [via Josh Gross] that Coker and co are ready to offer light heavyweight free agent Ryan Bader a contract to join their roster.
Bader is a former ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ winner, having taken the competition’s title in 2008. The 33 year old light heavyweight has mixed it with the best in his division, having beaten fighters such as Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Rashad Evans and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira. The current Bellator light heavyweight champion Phil Davis lost to Bader via decision on UFC on Fox 14 in Stockholm, Sweden in 2015.
An appealing factor would certainly be a rematch with Davis (as previously reported), in what would be a rare title shot for Bader. The Bellator light heavyweight title would open a wealth of new opportunities, with championship status and the associated financial rewards that will come with the strap. With no fighting apparel contract in place, sponsorship money is also a positive in signing with Bellator.
Bader has long been a UFC light heavyweight gatekeeper, and at 33, chances are he will seize the opportunity to be the latest ex-UFC fighter to join the franchise.
Free agent Bader may have found a new role with Bellator.
Scott Coker recounted on the success of Bellator landing “100%” of their free agent targets at the ‘170 press conference on Tuesday. Big names in UFC including Rory MacDonald, Benson Henderson, Chael Sonnen and Matt Mitrione crossed over to Bellator MMA, which bulked up the talent of the world’s secondary MMA promotion. 2017 looks at though it may start where the previous year ended, with news emerging [via Josh Gross] that Coker and co are ready to offer light heavyweight free agent Ryan Bader a contract to join their roster.
On the free agency front, @ScottCoker told me Bellator will send an official offer to @ryanbader next week.
Bader is a former ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ winner, having taken the competition’s title in 2008. The 33 year old light heavyweight has mixed it with the best in his division, having beaten fighters such as Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Rashad Evans and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira. The current Bellator light heavyweight champion Phil Davis lost to Bader via decision on UFC on Fox 14 in Stockholm, Sweden in 2015.
An appealing factor would certainly be a rematch with Davis (as previously reported), in what would be a rare title shot for Bader. The Bellator light heavyweight title would open a wealth of new opportunities, with championship status and the associated financial rewards that will come with the strap. With no fighting apparel contract in place, sponsorship money is also a positive in signing with Bellator.
Bader has long been a UFC light heavyweight gatekeeper, and at 33, chances are he will seize the opportunity to be the latest ex-UFC fighter to join the franchise.
Free agency has become a hot topic in the sport of mixed martial arts (MMA). Fighters are starting to see opportunities outside of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) that are worth their while. One f…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Px3lgStDqD0
Free agency has become a hot topic in the sport of mixed martial arts (MMA). Fighters are starting to see opportunities outside of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) that are worth their while. One fighter who is testing the market is Ryan Bader.
Bader has put together a 22-5 record in his professional career. At the age of 33, “Darth” certainly has some gas left in the tank. He realizes, however, that he isn’t getting any younger and he wants a shot at gold.
A Bellator official has confirmed that the promotion will be making Bader an offer in the next two weeks (via MMAJunkie.com). Bader recently expressed great interest in facing Phil Davis for Bellator’s light heavyweight championship. The UFC is allowed to match offers made to Bader by other promotions since he is still in the matching phase.
Another fighter that has been testing the market is welterweight Lorenz Larkin. Negotiations have hit a snag as the asking price could not be agreed upon.
Like Bader, Larkin has won two straight and decided to go into free agency. “The Monsoon’s” last victory was an eye opener, knocking out Neil Magny in the first round at UFC 202. Magny was riding a three-fight winning streak and had never been knocked out before.
2016 is coming to a close, and another year of mixed martial arts (MMA) competition will soon be in the books. This year has given us some great memories in fighting; some historic, some spectacular, and some just plain amazing. One of the most exciting parts of MMA are the vicious knockouts fans tune in to
2016 is coming to a close, and another year of mixed martial arts (MMA) competition will soon be in the books. This year has given us some great memories in fighting; some historic, some spectacular, and some just plain amazing.
One of the most exciting parts of MMA are the vicious knockouts fans tune in to see every week, and 2016 has presented plenty highlight reel KOs that we’ll never forget.
To commemorate those bouts, we’ve compiled a list of the best knockouts that we’ve seen this year, so let’s dive into LowKick’s top 10 MMA knockouts of 2016….
12. Paige VanZant vs. Bec Rawlings
Following her fifth-round submission loss to Rose Namajunas in December of last year, Paige VanZant took a little break from mixed martial arts (MMA) competition to compete in the 22nd season of Dancing With The Stars.
After finishing the competition as the runner-up, VanZant made her return to fighting action against Bec Rawlings, who was coming in off of a two-fight win streak that included a submission win over Lisa Ellis.
VanZant opened up the second round of her bout with Rawlings with a flashy maneuver that would land and send the Vancouver crowed into a frenzy, as the Team Alpha Male star landed a flush jumping head kick on Rawlings and finished her off with a few punches.
The jaw-dropping knockout earned VanZant her seventh professional win of her MMA career, and No. 12 on our list of top knockouts of 2016.
Ryan Bader remains a free agent following his win over Antonio Rogerio Nogueira recently.
The former Ultimate Fighter winner positioned himself nicely by scoring a second win over the Brazilian, especially considering the current state of the light heavyweight division.
After the win, “Darth” mentioned his desire to sign a new contract and compete for the UFC title, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t hearing from others wishing to obtain his services.
“I’m still a free agent right now. And over the next week or so, we’re gonna see kind of what we’re doing and what not as far as if we’re going to take any offers elsewhere, getting offers from the UFC, all that kind of stuff,” he said during an interview with Submission Radio. “So we haven’t gone there yet, we’re in the preliminary stages of it. So just kind of waiting right now and we will see. We were gonna wait for that light heavyweight title fight to happen, but obviously that’s pushed back, so we started the process a little earlier than expected.
“Without getting into specifics or anything like that, there’s been interest, for sure. I can’t really talk much about it until this stuff is all done and finalized and what not, but there’s definitely interest out there. So like I said, we’re in the preliminary stages right now, we’re talking to the UFC. It’s one of those things where we (either) get an offer from the UFC or do we go out and test free agency? So we’re in that stage right now.“
Outside of his own contract status, Bader is planning on developing a contact within the newly-formed MMAAA to find out more about the group. One of his good friends is Cain Velasquez, as both are former Arizona State University wrestlers.
“It’s scary for fighters because you look at it and you go, okay, it’s great that we have these big names in there and we’re starting this conversation, we’re starting this whole deal, but what’s going to happen? What’s going to happen going forward? What’s your plans? What actions are you going to put into play here? What’s the first step, what’s the second step? What are you guys trying to get out of it? You know, things like that,” he said. “Are you trying to gather fighters and basically what’s going to be the play? How are you gonna get this accepted? Basically, what it really boils down to is how you’re going to get that accepted by basically the UFC? So I know it’s just getting people on board and all that. But I’d love to hear the steps on that plan.”
Ryan Bader remains a free agent following his win over Antonio Rogerio Nogueira recently.
The former Ultimate Fighter winner positioned himself nicely by scoring a second win over the Brazilian, especially considering the current state of the light heavyweight division.
After the win, “Darth” mentioned his desire to sign a new contract and compete for the UFC title, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t hearing from others wishing to obtain his services.
“I’m still a free agent right now. And over the next week or so, we’re gonna see kind of what we’re doing and what not as far as if we’re going to take any offers elsewhere, getting offers from the UFC, all that kind of stuff,” he said during an interview with Submission Radio. “So we haven’t gone there yet, we’re in the preliminary stages of it. So just kind of waiting right now and we will see. We were gonna wait for that light heavyweight title fight to happen, but obviously that’s pushed back, so we started the process a little earlier than expected.
“Without getting into specifics or anything like that, there’s been interest, for sure. I can’t really talk much about it until this stuff is all done and finalized and what not, but there’s definitely interest out there. So like I said, we’re in the preliminary stages right now, we’re talking to the UFC. It’s one of those things where we (either) get an offer from the UFC or do we go out and test free agency? So we’re in that stage right now.“
Outside of his own contract status, Bader is planning on developing a contact within the newly-formed MMAAA to find out more about the group. One of his good friends is Cain Velasquez, as both are former Arizona State University wrestlers.
“It’s scary for fighters because you look at it and you go, okay, it’s great that we have these big names in there and we’re starting this conversation, we’re starting this whole deal, but what’s going to happen? What’s going to happen going forward? What’s your plans? What actions are you going to put into play here? What’s the first step, what’s the second step? What are you guys trying to get out of it? You know, things like that,” he said. “Are you trying to gather fighters and basically what’s going to be the play? How are you gonna get this accepted? Basically, what it really boils down to is how you’re going to get that accepted by basically the UFC? So I know it’s just getting people on board and all that. But I’d love to hear the steps on that plan.”
12. Paige VanZant vs. Bec Rawlings