Issue 185

December 2019

Bellator’s double-weight champion has much to celebrate, but he’s still looking to the future and his next challenge.

You are the second two-division champion in Bellator history and the first to hold belts in two different weight classes simultaneously. With all this going on, do you ever stop and enjoy the moment or does that happen once it’s all over?

I don’t really stop and think about it to be honest. It’s one of those things that you look back on later in life. Obviously, it was a cool experience to become the double champ and beat Fedor and winning the Heavyweight Grand Prix and all that good stuff. But it wasn’t something that I sat there and thought about how awesome it was. I still feel like there is a lot more that I need to do. I don’t know what that is but there has always been that cliché that there is that one person in front of you trying to take your head off, you are pretty much just worried about that opponent. I have defended the light heavyweight championship now it’s time to defend the heavyweight championship. I don’t know that there has been anyone who has defended both of their titles when winning in two divisions.

Fedor Emelianenko is one of, if not, the greatest heavyweight of all time. To put a cherry on top of the Grand Prix and beat Fedor in the fashion you did was special to say the least. What are your fondest memories of that night? 

That is the pinnacle of the career right there. That’s not taking anything away from what I may do in the future but it was a Grand Prix tournament style and I got to fight one of the legends of the sport, who I idolized growing up. Not only that but to knock him out in 34 seconds and become the double champ. It was the perfect storm, really. It was a great night. A ton of my friends and family were there. Many of them got to come in the cage and celebrate. It was one of those moments in your professional career that you look back on that is a real highlight. It really doesn’t get any bigger or better. It’s hard to go from that to keep having those highs but then again it’s just going in there and beating the guy in front of me.

After capturing your second title, there was an image of you in the cage with a belt over each shoulder and even one around your waist. You have achieved goals that might not have even been attainable not so long ago. What was that moment like in the cage with so much gold on your person? 

It was surreal. It’s one of those things where, leading up to that fight, I felt a lot of pressure. You are at that moment. You are at the biggest moment of your career. If I would have lost that fight it would been one of those woulda-coulda scenarios. To go out there and knock him out that quick, holy smokes. I was thinking about the final when the Heavyweight Grand Prix was announced. I found myself there. To be there is one thing but to go out there and get it done is another thing. I was just relishing the moment. My wife got to come in the cage. My corner was there, too. It was super special and one of those moments I won’t forget.

As if your accomplishments couldn’t get any more special, you are still undefeated in the Bellator organization. Does that get overlooked to some degree with everything else that is brought up in conversation?

I forget that a little bit. I have put it all together, physically and mentally. Looking back, I think I am 10-1 or 11-1 in my last twelve fights between the UFC and Bellator. I have definitely figured it out. I am on a good streak and I very much look to keep that rolling. 

Bellator President Scott Coker tweeted recently that you are the greatest heavyweight on the planet. How great is it to have that level of support from the boss?

Oh, yeah. I appreciate that recognition. I think it’s true. If I didn’t, I need not be competing. I do believe I am the best and I do believe that I can beat anybody at any given time in heavyweight or light heavyweight. I appreciate the confidence he has in me and I look forward to going out there and proving that. 

When the last page of the Ryan Bader story is written does it say that Ryan Bader is the greatest fighter in Bellator history?

Yeah I think so. I have proven a lot. I’m the double champ but I am doing it at the upper weight classes. Any weight class is tough, but with the big boys, all it takes is one mistake and the night is over. I have done a lot but I still feel like I have a lot to prove. I feel like I am just in my prime mentally and physically. I definitely feel like I will be for sure. 

We always talk about the UFC and Bellator doing some co-promotion but it recently happened in game show form. How fun was it to compete on Celebrity Family Feud and have that game show experience?

It was super cool. It was nerve-wracking, too. You walk out there in front of a live audience. You are in a little horseshoe. Then all of a sudden, bam, it’s on you. A lot of times you can’t think clearly. There are 18 cameras on you. The crowd is there and you think about all of the people watching at home. It was a fun experience. We got to do it with some legends of the MMA world and it was definitely a good time and a cool experience.