Ryan Bader isn’t going anywhere.
Bader, who is the Bellator light heavyweight and heavyweight champion, has re-signed with the promotion. MMAFighting.com confirmed that the deal is multi-year and exclusive. Bader has gone 5-0 under the Bellator banner thus far.
What’s Next For Ryan Bader?
Bellator president Scott Coker has said that he’s looking to book Bader vs. Cheick Kongo for the heavyweight title later this year. Coker is looking at a potential summer time frame. The Bellator boss has also said that Josh Barnett is likely to get a title opportunity against the winner.
Coker plans on giving Bader leeway as a two-division champion. The state of the light heavyweight division in Bellator remains unclear. Lyoto Machida and Chael Sonnen will collide at light heavyweight in June, but both men have the middleweight division in their back pocket if they choose not to wait for Bader.
Speaking to MMA News, Sonnen said he understands why Bader gets a bit of elbow room:
“You have to give Bader leeway. I mean, he came through this thing the hard way. He went into a tournament, moving up in weight…and particularly his draw. He did not have an easy draw. I did not think he was gonna get through the first round. I mean, just to put in perspective what a good job Ryan Bader did…and as a competitor but also somebody in that tournament, I’m not gonna take that from him.”
Did Ryan Bader make the right decision to re-sign with Bellator?
