Tag: Ryan Bader

Linton Vassell on entering 2024 PFL season: ‘I can’t be waiting around’ for Ryan Bader

Linton Vassell expected Ryan Bader next but explains why he ended up entering the 2024 PFL season instead.

[autotag]Linton Vassell[/autotag] expected [autotag]Ryan Bader[/autotag] next but ended up entering the 2024 PFL season instead.

Vassell (24-8) was scheduled to challenge Bellator heavyweight champion Bader (31-8) this past October but withdrew due to lingering effects of COVID. In the meantime, Bader faced 2023 PFL champion Renan Ferreira in February but was knocked out in just 21 seconds.

Vassell still thought he’d get to run things back with Bader but ended up accepting an offer to join the 2024 PFL season when he was told Bader isn’t ready yet.

“I was supposed to fight Bader, which didn’t happen,” Vassell told MMA Junkie Radio. “I got sick in October. So, me and my manager were saying I’m going to fight him depending on what happens with him and Ferreira. Obviously he lost the fight, so I’m expecting I’m going to fight Ryan next. I get a phone call saying that fight is not happening. ‘Do you want to go into the PFL tournament?’

“This was about maybe four weeks ago. That’s exactly what happened. I didn’t even get a chance to really decide what I wanted to do, but I wanted to fight. I’ve been training, so I thought why not? It’s a year pretty much when I fought (Valentin) Moldavsky. I can’t be waiting around for Ryan or whatever fight could be lined up later.”

Vassell meets Denis Goltsov in Thursday’s 2024 PFL 1 (ESPN2, ESPN+) co-main event, which takes place at Boeing Center in San Antonio. The 40-year-old is enjoying his best career run having won five straight, and despite his age, is ready for the strenuous tournament format.

“I know what I’ve put myself into,” Vassell said. “How would I know unless I tried? I could always be like, ‘Oh, I’m not ready,’ but I could be like, ‘I’m 40 now, I’m not going to fight,’ but I feel I’m at my best right now. I’ve won my last five fights. It’s not like I’m winning and it’s going the distance. Out of five fights, one fight went the distance, and I’ve beaten the top guys.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub forΒ 2024 PFL 1.

Renan Ferreira def. Ryan Bader at PFL vs. Bellator: Champions: Best photos

Check out these photos from Renan Ferreira vs. Ryan Bader at PFL vs. Bellator: Champions in Saudi Arabia.

Check out these photos from [autotag]Renan Ferreira[/autotag]’s TKO victory over Ryan Bader at PFL vs. Bellator: Champions, which took place at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (Photos courtesy of PFL)

PFL vs. Bellator: Champions results: Renan Ferreira sparks Ryan Bader in 21 seconds, calls out Francis Ngannou

Renan Ferreira calls out Francis Ngannou after finishing Ryan Bader in just 21 seconds in the PFL vs. Bellator: Champions main event.

[autotag]Renan Ferreira[/autotag] didn’t waste time cashing in his ticket for a future big payday in a massive showdown against [autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag].

With just one fight left on the PFL vs. Bellator: Champions at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the PFL side needed to pick up a victory as Bellator was running a clean sweep on the tally of bragging rights between promotions.

Ferreira (13-3) provided what the PFL needed in the blink of an eye by finishing Bellator heavyweight champion Ryan Bader in just 13 seconds in the main event.

Beyond taking home a shiny new belt with a championship ring embedded in it, the winner of the fight would lay claim to the first opponent to face Ngannou in the PFL cage.

Ferreira claimed that spot quickly, by sparking Bader (31-8) with a hard right hand in an opening exchange. Bader fell to the canvas and Ferreira capitalized by raining hammerfists until the referee rushed in.

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During his post-fight interview, Ferriera turned his attention to Ngannou, who was watching cageside. The former UFC champion will face the towering 6-foot-8 Brazilian when he returns to the MMA cage after facing Anthony Joshua in the boxing ring on March 8.

“Francis, where you at?” Ferreira said through an interpreter. “I’m waiting for you, let’s do this. I’m the champion out here!”

When Ngannou signed with PFL, part of his deal ensured his opponent would receive a minimum $2 million purse, meaning Ferreira is in for a large payday when the fight takes place in the near future.

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Up-to-the-minute results of PFL vs. Bellator: Champions include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for PFL vs. Bellator: Champions.

PFL vs. Bellator: Champions live and official results

Check out the full results of PFL vs. Bellator: Champions which takes place at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

PFL vs. Bellator: Champions took place Saturday and MMA Junkie provided coverage of live and official results throughout the entire card.

The event featured PFL fighters vs. Bellator fighters at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Champions of both promotions clashed in the main and co-main bouts. The main event was a heavyweight bout between PFL’s [autotag]Renan Ferreira[/autotag] and Bellator’s [autotag]Ryan Bader[/autotag]. Middleweights battled in the co-feature as PFL’s [autotag]Impa Kasanganay[/autotag] took on Bellator’s [autotag]Johnny Eblen[/autotag].

The 11-fight event featured several notable names including [autotag]Yoel Romero[/autotag], [autotag]A.J. McKee[/autotag], [autotag]Aaron Pico[/autotag], [autotag]Claressa Shields[/autotag], and the pro debut of Muhammad Ali’s grandson [autotag]Biaggio Ali Walsh[/autotag].

Check out the official results, details and highlight clips from each bout below.

PFL announces Francis Ngannou will fight Renan Ferreira vs. Ryan Bader winner; no timeline given

The stakes in the champion-vs.-champion showdown between Renan Ferreira and Ryan Bader just got a whole lot bigger.

(Editor’s note: Story updated after PFL’s announcement following Ngannou’s interview on ESPN.)

The stakes in the champion-vs.-champion showdown between [autotag]Ryan Bader[/autotag] and [autotag]Renan Ferreira[/autotag] just got a whole lot bigger after the PFL announced on Thursday that the winner will take on former UFC heavyweight champ [autotag]Francis Ngnnou[/autotag] when he returns to MMA.

“The PFL is excited to announce Francis Ngannou’s return to MMA in the PFL PPV division will be against the winner of the PFL Champion vs. Bellator Champion heavyweight superfight between Renan Ferreira and Ryan Bader,” PFL CEO Peter Murray said in a statement. “Francis is a true combat sports icon with a global fan base and appeal. We, along with the rest of the MMA world, will be watching to see who his first opponent will be, Ferreira or Bader.”

Reigning PFL champ Ferreira and Bellator champ Bader headline Saturday’s PFL vs. Bellator: Champions card (ESPN+ pay-per-view) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and now the two big men know what’s on the line aside from bragging rights.

The announcement came about an hour after Ngannou appeared on ESPN’s “SportsCenter.” Ngannou, who’s preparing for a March 8 boxing match with Anthony Joshua, said he considered the Ferreira-Bader winner his “potential opponent” when he returns to the cage.

“(That’s) my potential opponent, because I think the winner of this is going to be the guy I fight in my MMA return when I return,” Ngannou said. “… First of all, both are champions. They’re going to be champ-champ. So I think there wasn’t a better way to find an opponent for me, since I’m a champion myself, just in case you have forgotten.”

The PFL’s announcement did not include a date or even a timeline for Ngannou’s return as a win over Joshua figures to open a whole new set of lucrative opportunities in boxing, including an immediate title fight or a rematch with Tyson Fury. That scenario could delay Ngannou’s PFL debut indefinitely, although Ngannou indicated he does intend to still compete in MMA.

“It’s my intention to return to (MMA). When exactly, I think all depends on March 8. Everything depends on March 8,” Ngannou said. “… I haven’t finished my MMA career. I just wanted to chase my dream in boxing. Obviously, I can enjoy both and combine whenever the opportunity is there. I’m not done with MMA. I have an intention to come back and fight and put on some shows.

“… That doesn’t change anything. I think on March 8, whatever happens, the fight is happening. … I take out Anthony Joshua on March 8. Then, I have an opportunity for the undisputed right away to fight. I think it’s a great opportunity not to miss out.”

Ngannou, 37, made his boxing debut in October against Fury, whom he dropped and nearly defeated in a close split decision loss. The fight was his first combat sports competition since he departed the UFC as the promotion’s heavyweight champion in early 2023. Ngannou hasn’t competed in MMA since January 2022.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for PFL vs. Bellator: Champions.

UFC veterans in MMA, karate and kickboxing action Feb. 22-25

Check out which veterans of the UFC are competing in combat sports across the globe this weekend.

This week, the UFC returns to Mexico for UFC Fight Night 237.

The event at Mexico City Arena in Mexico City features a flyweight clash between former champion [autotag]Brandon Moreno[/autotag] and [autotag]Brandon Royval[/autotag].

Many other combat sports events are taking place that feature several familiar names that have competed under the UFC banner.

Check out which veterans of the global MMA leader are competing Feb. 22-25.

Scroll below to see how the UFC veterans fared last week, and see the names and details of this weekend’s competitors.

Upcoming event information fromΒ Tapology.

Special PFL vs. Bellator: Champions belt designs revealed

The winners of the PFL vs. Bellator champion vs. champion fights will walk home with an extra piece of hardware.

While the PFL and Bellator titles won’t be on the line Saturday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the winner of each champion vs. champion matchup will go home with special hardware.

Monday, the promotion released a first look at the special PFL vs. Bellator: Champions title belts that the winners of the head-to-head champions fights will be awarded with.

Those eligible for this special title belt are the main event and co-main event competitors. The headlining bout features 2023 PFL heavyweight champion [autotag]Renan Ferreira[/autotag] (12-3) against Bellator heavyweight champion [autotag]Ryan Bader[/autotag] (31-7). The co-feature is a fight between PFL light heavyweight champion [autotag]Impa Kasanganay[/autotag] (15-3) and Bellator middleweight champion [autotag]Johnny Eblen[/autotag] (14-0).

Check out the title belt revelation in the video below:

https://www.instagram.com/p/C3ioDO_vkRj/?img_index=1

MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view, 3 p.m. ET)

  • Renan Ferreira vs. Ryan Bader
  • Impa Kasanganay vs. Johnny Eblen
  • Ray Cooper III vs. Jason Jackson
  • Bruno Cappelozza vs. Vadim Nemkov
  • Thiago Santos vs. Yoel Romero
  • Clay Collard vs. A.J. McKee

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 12:30 p.m. ET)

  • Gabriel Braga vs. Aaron Pico
  • Biaggio Ali Walsh vs. Emmanuel Palacio
  • Claressa Shields vs. Kelsey De Santis
  • Abdullah Al-Qahtani vs. Edukondala Rao

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for PFL vs. Bellator: Champions.

Why Ryan Bader thinks a Jon Jones rematch would be a different fight than UFC 126 in 2011

Ryan Bader is confident he would do a lot better if he ever got the chance to run things back with UFC champ Jon Jones.

[autotag]Ryan Bader[/autotag] is confident he would do a lot better if he ever got the chance to run things back with UFC champ [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag].

Bader (31-7) faced Jones (27-1 MMA, 21-1 UFC) at UFC 126 in February 2011 in a matchup to dub the “next big thing” in the sport. Jones ended up dominating Bader en route to a second-round submission, handing him his first career loss.

Since then, both fighters’ careers have flourished. Jones went on to reign over the UFC’s light heavyweight division for years and recently captured the UFC heavyweight title. Bader would also see success in two divisions, but under a different banner. Bader became a two-weight champion at Bellator, and thinks he’s grown exponentially since fighting Jones 13 years ago.

“I think it would definitely be a different fight,” Bader told MMA Junkie Radio. “Jones has proven himself over and over again. I feel like he’s the best fighter in the world, but my mentality now from what it was back then, basically a kid new to this sport, it would definitely be a different fight for sure.

“Who knows the outcome, but that would be a fun one. I got to run a few back, undefeated in rematches, and that would be one of the fights that you can go in and kind of see how far you’ve grown from whenever that fight happened, 2011 or something to 2024. That would be something very, very cool.”

Bellator heavyweight champ Bader takes on PFL heavyweight champ Renan Ferreira in the main event of PFL vs. Bellator: Champions (ESPN+, DAZN, ESPNews) Feb. 24 at Boulevard Hall in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Bader loves the idea of cross-promotional fights and wants to see more of it.

“That’s what’s kind of cool about this one we have coming up, it’s promotion vs. promotion and that’s what the fans want to see,” Bader said. “They always talk about how would this guy do if he went to over to the UFC, or the UFC (champ) fought a Bellator champ, this and that. So, they’re fun fights and I wish we could do that.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub forΒ PFL vs. Bellator.

Video: Which side has the edge in the upcoming PFL vs. Bellator: Champions event?

Our “Spinning Back Clique” debates if PFL or Bellator has an advantage, and the potential for a complete sweep.

Next month, the best of the best in PFL and Bellator will travel across the globe for a unique event.

On Feb. 24 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the PFL vs. Bellator: Champions event goes down, and it places champs from both promotions against one another. The top four fights on the card will be champion vs. champion bouts, all three rounds, with no title on the line.

This event will give us [autotag]Renan Ferreria[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Ryan Bader[/autotag], [autotag]Impa Kasanganay[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Johnny Eblen[/autotag], [autotag]Ray Cooper III[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Jason Jackson[/autotag], [autotag]Jesus Pinedo[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag] and other PFL vs. Bellator matchups.

Should either promotion bring a broom for the clean sweep, or will both sides pick up victories?

Our “Spinning Back Clique” of Mike Bohn, Matthew Wells and Brian “Goze” Garcia discussed the matchups with host “Gorgeous” George Garcia.

You can watch their discussion in the video above, and check out this week’s episode below on YouTube or in podcast form.

Renan Ferreira, Ryan Bader expect winner of PFL vs. Bellator champs fight to face Francis Ngannou

Renan Ferreira and Ryan Bader think they are fighting for the chance to welcome Francis Ngannou back to MMA at PFL vs. Bellator: Champions.

The stakes going into the PFL vs. Bellator: Champions main event between [autotag]Renan Ferreira[/autotag] and [autotag]Ryan Bader[/autotag] are about as big as it gets.

Not only do Ferreira (12-3) and Bader (31-7) get the opportunity to headline the inaugural event of the new era since PFL acquired the Bellator brand, but the Feb. 24 card at Kingdom Arena marks the first for the promotion in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Moreover, the biggest perk of all is that the winner could get a matchup with [autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag].

Despite Ngannou (17-3) shining in the boxing world since his UFC departure, the former UFC heavyweight claims he will be returning to MMA competition in the future after his March 8 bout with Anthony Joshua. He signed with PFL to compete in MMA, and both Ferreira and Bader the winner between them will get awarded that fight.

“One hundred percent (I want to fight Ngannou),” Bader said at a Wednesday press conference in Hollywood, Fla. “That’s one of the fights – he’s got his boxing fight coming up, but I think it’s perfect timing. We get this done and the winner gets that opportunity. Francis is coming over, a former UFC champion, he just had an amazing fight with Tyson Fury and put everybody on notice. So to have the ability to go out there and prove to everybody, to go out there and get that win, that’s huge. I’m not looking past Renan, but get that done, 100 percent.”

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Ferreira echoed Bader’s sentiments.

“If everything goes as planned, yeah,” Ferreira said through an interpreter. “After Feb. 24, Francis is the name. And that being said, I’ll be able to go however he wants to do it. If he wants to do it in MMA, in boxing, we’ll be ready.”

For now, both athletes are focused on each other. The potential $2 million minimum payday said to be promised to the opponent for Ngannou in PFL is a big motivator, but an experienced veteran like Bader has seen and done it all at the highest level under the UFC and Bellator banners.

Bader said he won’t make the mistake of overlooking Ferreira, who at 6-foot-8, is nothing short of a powerhouse finisher. Ferreira doesn’t have the same level of resume as Bader, but he’s keen for the opportunities that could be ahead of him.

“I think he’s a great athlete,” Ferreira said. “His wrestling credentials speak for themselves. He mixes it quite well with his striking, too. I’ve said it before and I will say it again: It’s a great honour to face off with him.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for PFL vs. Bellator: Champions.