Ryan Bader Releases Statement Following Bellator 268 Defeat

Ryan Bader’s bid to reclaim light heavyweight gold came up short in the semifinals of the light heavyweight grand prix, where he suffered a 51-second technical knockout loss to Corey Anderson in the Bellator 268 co-main event on Saturday night.

Despite fighting in front of a hometown crowd at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Ariz., the former Arizona State University All-American wrestler was unable to get going against Anderson. Bader was floored by an overhand right early, and though he tried desperately to defend himself against the ensuing hailstorm of follow-up ground-and-pound, his opponent would not be denied.

Bader recently released a brief statement on Instagram in the aftermath of the defeat.

“The game we play…not the result we wanted but felt the love in AZ!” Bader wrote. “Thank you guys for always having my back.”

Though it appears Bader’s run at 205 pounds in Bellator might be at its end, the Power MMA Team stalwart remains the promotion’s reigning heavyweight king. That means a title unification bout with interim champ Valentin Moldavsky could be in the offing once Bader gets some time to recover.

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