Former Bellator heavyweight champion Ryan Bader parts ways with the PFL

Former Bellator heavyweight champion Ryan Bader is now a free agent after parting ways with the PFL.

There are few fighters who benefited from leaving the UFC more than ‘Darth’. After eight years under Dana White, Ryan Bader left in favor of Scott Coker and Bellator in 2016. Quickly, the light-heavyweight wrestler found success. Bader won gold in his first night in the promotion, scoring a split-decision win over Phil Davis. He would follow that up with a title defense against Linton Vassell, before heading up to heavyweight.

Over the span of a year, Ryan Bader demolished the Bellator heavyweight division. In the 2017 Grand Prix, he scored a first-round knockout win over King Mo, dominated Matt Mitrione en route to a decision win, and then knocked out Fedor Emelianenko. With that win over ‘The Last Emperor’, Bader earned the vacant Bellator heavyweight title. While he would suffer losses at 205 pounds in the years that followed, he continued to dominate at heavyweight.

The 41-year-old last appeared in the cage at the PFL vs. Bellator event last February in Saudi Arabia. In the main event, Ryan Bader was handed a first-round stoppage defeat by Renan Ferreira. As a result, he failed to secure a bout against Francis Ngannou. As it turns out, that will be the wrestler’s final bout under Donn Davis. Earlier this week, Ariel Helwani revealed that Bader was now a free agent after amicably parting ways with the company.

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Ryan Bader and Bellator/PFL have amicably agreed to part ways, sources say.

Bader had one fight left on his deal but after discussing with PFL execs they agreed to go their separate ways, and I’m told Bader and his team are content with the terms surrounding the departure.…

— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) March 27, 2025

Former Bellator heavyweight champion Ryan Bader parts ways with the PFL

“Ryan had a great run at Bellator with every single fight being either a title fight or a fight in one of the Grand Prix tournaments,” Ryan Bader’s long-time manager Dave Martin stated in a statement to Helwani. “We appreciate Mike Kogan recognizing Ryan’s body of work and helping to facilitate a departure that Ryan was very happy with.”

With this release, the 41-year-old is now a free agent for the first time in a decade. While a UFC return is likely off the table, Ryan Bader does have multiple options. The newly launched Global Fight League will kick off in May, while promotions such as ONE Championship and RIZIN are also possible landing spots. If Bader wants to do something different, he could wind up in BKFC or Mike Perry’s Dirty Boxing.

During Ryan Bader’s time in Bellator, he compiled a 9-2 promotional run. The former two-weight champion earned victories over the likes of Fedor Emelianenko, Lyoto Machida, King Mo, Phil Davis, and more. At age 41, Bader now has the chance to close out his career under a new banner.

What do you make of this PFL news? Who do you want to see Ryan Bader sign with?