Does ‘Darth’ deserve an instant shot at the Bellator title?
Ryan ‘Darth’ Bader, 33 years old and an MMA veteran, has recently tested free agency after he ran down his fight contract with the UFC.
At this moment in time, he looks pretty likely to sign for Bellator MMA and the question begs to be asked, should Ryan Bader receive an instant shot at Bellator light heavyweight champ Phil Davis.
They’re many reasons why people think Bader should be given an instant title shot. First off, we all know Bader is one of the top 10 light heavyweights in MMA at the moment so he automatically has to become a contender. With his only recent loss coming to incumbent UFC title challenger Anthony ‘Rumble’ Johnson at UFC on Fox 18, Bader is still one of the world’s best. Bader’s proved just as much in his last fight for the UFC as he comfortably defeated another MMA veteran in ‘Minotauro’ Nogueira.
At UFC on Fox 14, Bader faced off against the current Bellator champion Phil Davis and edged out a split decision in what was a great fight. Following the decision loss, Davis parted ways with the UFC and moved to Bellator quickly climbing the mountain and went on to become champion with a victory over British fighter Liam McGeary. Following Davis’ UFC departure, Bader is now looking for the same glory.
But, there are a few people and quite a few fighters that would have something to say about that. It can be argued that it’s not exactly fair for Bader to just walk into Bellator and opt for a title shot straight away. The feeling that he should at least have to have a one or two ‘tune-up’ fights within Bellator wouldn’t exactly be lost on fighters such as Liam McGeary and Linton Vassell who can claim to be next for Bellator’s champion. McGeary is set to face Vassell at Bellator 179, headlined by Paul ‘Semtex’ Daley and Rory MacDonald, but both fighters would feel after the fight in question, the winner would have warranted a shot at Davis or at least even a fight with Bader himself.
Either way, however, one thing is for certain; Ryan Bader is sure going to have a huge impact on Bellator’s light heavyweight division and there should be some great fights along the way.