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#4. Ryan Bader – Bellator light heavyweight champion
Ryan Bader is one of the most accomplished fighters in Bellator history. He debuted on the promotion’s first event at Madison Square Garden, where he captured the light heavyweight championship. He defeated then-champion Phil Davis and went on to hold the title for 1155 days.
‘Darth’ only had one successful title defense during that time, but his reign was still significant. After retaining his title against Linton Vassell, he entered the heavyweight Grand Prix. He ended up winning all his heavyweight bouts while still holding the light heavyweight championship.
Bader made history by winning the heavyweight Grand Prix as he was a two-division champion and held both simultaneously. His light heavyweight championship reign came to an end on August 21, 2020, when he lost to Vadim Nemkov. He attempted to regain the title by entering the light heavyweight Grand Prix last year. But, he was defeated by Corey Anderson in the semifinals.
#3. Ryan Bader – Bellator heavyweight champion (current)
Despite competing at light heavyweight for the majority of his career, Bader has been more successful defending his Bellator heavyweight championship. He won the heavyweight championship after knocking out Fedor Emelianenko in the Grand Prix finals. He is currently the reigning champion and has held the title for 1160 days and counting.
By the time he fights again, ‘Darth’ will have held the heavyweight championship longer than the light heavyweight championship. He has retained his title on two occasions while also moving down to defend his light heavyweight championship.
Bader made his first title defense against UFC veteran Cheick Kongo in 2019. The conclusion of the bout was very controversial. Kongo had been unable to continue following an accidental eye-poke, which resulted in the bout being ruled a no contest.
‘Darth most recently retained his title against interim-champion Valentin Moldavski in a hard-fought unanimous decision. The champion is once again scheduled to defend his title against Kongo, when the promotion returns to Paris in May.
