More than a year later, it is clear Ryan Bader’s win over Fedor Emelianenko was one of the most important of his career.
The Arizona native stopped Emelianenko just 35 seconds into their heavyweight contest in the main event of Bellator 214 back in January 2019. The win crowned Bader (27-5 MMA, 5-0 BMMA) as the winner of both the heavyweight Grand Prix and the Bellator heavyweight champion. The victory also made him a champ-champ, as he already held the light heavyweight title. Bader also extended his win streak to seven with the finish.
Relive Bader’s win over “The Last Emperor” in the video above.
Now, Bader is gearing up to defend his light heavyweight title for the second time when he meets Vadim Nemkov on May 9. at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif. Bader hasn’t defended his 205-pound title since stopping Linton Vassell in November 2017.
