Bellator‘s light heavyweight champion is picking right up where he left off before the pandemic threw everything off in 2020. Ryan Bader (27-5, 1 NC) will be defending his light heavyweight title against Vadim Nemkov (11-2) per ESPN.
Breaking: Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) two-weight champion Ryan Bader (@ryanbader) tells ESPN he has signed to defend his 205-pound title against Vadim Nemkov at Bellator 244 on Aug. 21. Bader's first trip back to 205 since 2017. Full story here: https://t.co/rvriJj4p1F
— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) July 29, 2020
These two men were initially scheduled to fight at the original Bellator 242 which was scheduled for May. However, once Bellator shut down operations due to COVID-19 the fight was scrapped.
Now that Bellator has held it’s first successful event in Connecticut, they are ready to resume action. Bader will be defending his light heavyweight title for the first time in three years.
Bader’s Bellator Journey
Ryan Bader was always one of the best fighters in the UFC, but he was one that couldn’t quite climb all the way to the top. After winning back-to-back fights in 2016 by knockout, Badar left for Bellator.
Once in Bellator, Bader defeated Phil Davis to become the Bellator light heavyweight champion. Bader would defend the title once against Linton Vassell. Since then, Bader has competed at heavyweight.
Bader would go on to become Bellator‘s heavyweight champion, and a double champion in the promotion. Now, Bader will move back down to his original weight class and defend his title.
If Bader is able to defeat Nemkov in August, I’m expecting him to defend his heavyweight title towards the end of the year. Perhaps defending it against a former UFC heavyweight champion.
Nemkov is coming into this fight riding a six fight winning streak with wins over guys like Phil David and Rafael Carvalho. Nemkov is looking to prove to the world that he’s one of the best on August 21st.