Ryan Bader, a former Bellator champion and UFC competitor, announced his signing with RIZIN at the Otoko Matsuri event in Tokyo and is set to fight at their New Year’s Eve show, after recently appearing in a film about UFC legends.
Ryan Bader is heading to RIZIN. Yep, you heard it right.
The former two-division Bellator champ, who’s also battled in PFL and UFC, made a surprise appearance at RIZIN’s Otoko Matsuri event. This all went down at Tokyo Dome, where he announced his new deal with the Japanese promotion.
Check out the video of Bader’s big announcement below.
Bader’s next fight is expected at RIZIN’s New Year’s Eve show on Dec. 31. He’s waiting for the winner of a heavyweight grand prix. This tournament kicked off Sunday, with Jose Augusto, Marek Samociuk, and Mikio Ueda advancing to the semifinals. Unfortunately, the bout between Islambek Baktybek Uulu and Alexander Soldatkin got canceled. Bummer.
It’s been over a year since Bader, now 41, last fought. His most recent bout was at the PFL vs. Bellator event in February 2024. He faced a tough loss to Renan Ferreira, ending his three-fight winning streak. Ouch.
Bader had an impressive run with Bellator, clinching titles in both heavyweight and light heavyweight divisions. He defeated big names like Fedor Emelianenko, Lyoto Machida, and others. Before that, he was a top 10 light heavyweight in the UFC, boasting a 15-5 record.
“I want to fight,” Bader declared on Sunday. “One hundred percent, and I will be your champion by January.” Bold words, right?
This year’s been full of fresh starts for Bader. He’s also starring as UFC legend Mark Coleman in Dwayne Johnson’s film, The Smashing Machine. It premieres nationwide on Oct. 3. By the way, Johnson plays Mark Kerr. Talk about a packed schedule!