Report: Bader, PFL agree to part ways

Former two-division champion Ryan Bader and Bellator/PFL have amicably agreed to part ways, sources told Uncrowned's Ariel Helwani.

Bader had one fight remaining on his contract with the promotion, but PFL executives agreed to allow the 41-year-old out of his contract. He's now free to sign with any organization, per Helwani.

"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," his manager Dave Martin said. "We appreciate (PFL executive) Mike Kogan recognizing Ryan's body of work and helping to facilitate a departure that Ryan was very happy with."

The Arizona native made his Bellator debut in 2017 after his contract with the UFC ended the previous year. Bader defeated Phil Davis by split decision to capture the promotion's light heavyweight title. He would later become a double champion after scoring a first-round TKO against Fedor Emelianenko in the Bellator Heavyweight Grand Prix in 2019.

Bader lost the light heavyweight belt to Vadim Nemkov in 2020, falling via second-round TKO.

The 6-foot-2 fighter most recently competed in February 2024. He suffered a first-round knockout loss in 21 seconds to Renan Ferreira in a heavyweight bout. The defeat halted Bader's three-fight win streak.

Bader (31-8, 1 NC) put his career on pause last summer after landing a role in the film "The Smashing Machine," an upcoming biopic about MMA legend Mark Kerr that also stars Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.