PFL and Ryan Bader Agree to Part Ways

The Bellator heavyweight champion is officially a free agent. Yesterday, Ariel Helwani reported that the PFL and Ryan Bader (31-8) had agreed to part ways with Bader having one fight left on his deal. Bader is currently filming The Smashing Machine, but the soon to be 42-year-old plans on continuing his fighting career afterwards.

In a statement made to Helwani, Bader’s management said, “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. We appreciate Mike Kogan recognizing Ryan’s body of work and helping to facilitate a departure that Ryan was very happy with.”

I had been expecting Bader to compete in the PFL Champions Series but it’s clear that both parties felt it would be best to move in a different direction. It’ll be interesting to see what comes next for Bader. I don’t foresee a return to the UFC but the GFL could be a name to watch here.