Ryan Bader unsure about Bellator's future, but eyes 'very, very interesting' Francis Ngannou fight

07/10/2023 17:00

As rumors swirl that Bellator could be sold at any moment, Ryan Bader already knew his fight at Bellator 300 may potentially be his last with the organization.

Unfortunately, the reigning Bellator heavyweight champion won't even be able to compete on Saturday after opponent Linton Vassell fell out of their fight just days before the event.

Prior to the fight cancellation, Bader addressed the reality of his situation. He's heard the same rumblings as everyone else about Bellator's possible demise and how that might affect the athletes on the roster.

"I've had some talks with my manager about 'what ifs,' but really nobody knows what's happening," Bader told MMA Fighting. "So what you can do, keep that on the outside and take care of your job. Put yourself in the best position moving forward with a merger or who knows what happens. Are we all free agents? Are we merging with PFL? We don't know.

"You can think of all different scenarios, but none of them may be true. What we have to do is keep our heads down and think about the fight in front of us, and put ourselves in the best position to get your contract picked up, or if you're a free agent, a new contract. Being the heavyweight champion has a little bit of weight going into that."

As a three-time defending Bellator champion — not to mention his long history as a top-10 UFC fighter for most of his career — Bader carries name value and history that make him an intriguing option for any promotion or fight.

At the top of the list may be a showdown with ex-UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou, who signed a lucrative deal with PFL, with his debut expected sometime in 2024.

Under the terms of his contract, Ngannou not only secured a hefty payday for himself; he also guaranteed any opponent a $2 million minimum salary for a pay-per-view fight.

Bader acknowledges the challenge Ngannou represents. That and a sizable paycheck already has grabbed his attention, especially knowing Bellator's future is so uncertain.

"[Ngannou] has a minimum [of $2 million dollars], and that's anybody that fights him gets $2 million," Bader said. "You go in there as a champion and negotiate your terms too, that's a nice little payday and something you work toward. Something like that's definitely on the line, so maybe this is happening at the right time for the right reason.

"Obviously we've got to see how things shake out, but it seems to be happening at the right moment. It's one of the things I'm talking about. If this merger or whatever comes to happen, that's a big money fight and it's something that's very, very interesting."

With the PFL's goal to sell pay-per-views when Ngannou fights next, Bader certainly seems to be an interesting name to throw into the mix.

Of course, Bader also acknowledges that as he moves toward the end of his career, those massive paychecks mean more. But he's not getting paid to be anyone's cannon fodder.

"I've hit a lot of those plateaus and peaks as far as winning the heavyweight grand prix while holding the light heavyweight belt. You can't really top that," Bader said. "[I beat] Fedor [Emelianenko], and being heavyweight champ for so long — so yeah, a lot of it is you want to make [money], and I've been making great money, and I want to continue making great money or even more money.

"I'm 40 years old. I'm not going to be fighting here forever. I'm not going to be fighting four or five more years. So yeah, that's a big motivator, too. Go out and get these paychecks, but deep down the [competitor] in me wants to go out and win, and win titles, and do that kind of stuff also. They go hand in hand."