Ryan Bader is back on the market. The former Bellator heavyweight champion is now a free agent after parting ways with the PFL, despite having one fight remaining on his contract. The two parties reached an agreement, ending his brief tenure with the promotion. His only bout in the PFL took place in February 2024, when he lost by knockout to Renan Ferreira. That loss not only brought an end to his time there but also created major buzz about where he might move to next.

Bader made it official with a social media statement revealing his PFL departure and reflecting on his time with Bellator. “Officially a free agent,” he stated. “PFL and our team came up with terms we were both happy agreeing on, with one fight remaining on contract. The Bellator run was one for the books. What a blast, and being surrounded by great people running that org. I’m still open to different opportunities in the fight game.” He also thanked Scott Coker and Mike Kogan, two major individuals during his tenure at Bellator, for treating fighters with respect.

It’s worth mentioning that the PFL, the Dana White-led promotion’s biggest rival, is going through a major shake-up. The organization abandoned its usual season model in favor of a single-elimination tournament and officially incorporated Bellator, effectively closing down the brand entirely. With these changes, the PFL is attempting to rebuild itself as a more competitive alternative to the UFC. However, this has also led several fighters, including Bader, to leave in quest of better opportunities.

While fans waited to see if Ryan Bader would return to the cage, he made a different kind of move: right into Hollywood. He won a role in The Smashing Machine, an upcoming biopic starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson about MMA superstar Mark Kerr. The move surely made his fans anxious if ‘Darth’ Bader was done fighting, but now that production on the movie has been completed, he’s proving he still has gas in the tank. The only issue is, where will he go from here?

Now that he’s available, supporters are already brainstorming where he should go next. With a 6-1 (1 NC) record at heavyweight, he’s defeated Cheick Kongo, Valentin Moldavsky, and the famous Fedor Emelianenko. The big question is, will the UFC bring him back? At 41, he’s no spring chicken, but with the heavyweight division in continual need of new challengers, a comeback isn’t out of the question. Whatever the case may be, one thing is certain: Bader is far from finished.  However, it seems like this move has divided the MMA community for sure.

Fans left divided as Ryan Bader looks for a new battleground

The instant Ryan Bader became a free agent, people began arguing about where he should go next. Some believe he deserves another chance in the UFC, while others say he would struggle in today’s heavyweight category. Of course, a few others showed up just to troll. So, it is safe to say that the MMA world is surely divided at this point. A number of fans supported Bader’s return to the Dana White-led promotion, believing that the heavyweight category requires experienced combatants.

A fan wrote, “UFC needs a good heavyweight back in the division and someone that’s actually got an accomplished resume so new upcoming heavyweights can make a name for themselves (like Aspinall).” Others were more direct: “Needs to join the UFC heavyweight division as soon as possible.” Then there were those who wanted a rematch with Jon Jones, with one comment reading, “Good, and hopefully @UFC re-signs him so we can finally see the rematch with Jon Jones! Let’s go!”

However, not everyone was on board. Bader’s history came back to haunt him, as fans brought up Daniel Cormier’s famous “easiest fight in the division” quote from years ago to tease the now-free agent for failing to make a mark in the PFL. One fan joked, “Easiest fight in the division, Ryan Bader 😂,” and another added, “I want the easiest fight 😂😂.” Even after all these years, some fans definitely remember that iconic moment from the UFC 187 post-fight press conference.

Then there were those who didn’t care about Bader at all—they only wanted to criticize PFL. One fan commented, “PFL acquires Bellator only to fall apart… just like Bellator.” Another speculated that there was more going on behind the scenes, stating, “Bout time. PFL is clearly doing the ‘we bought it to sell it’ s—.”

Others were simply fed up, with one comment stating, “Ouch, they really need to change the way they run the company.” Whether you like him or not, Bader’s free agency has sparked debate. Now the real question is: where does he go from here? What do you think? Will Dana White bring him back to the biggest MMA promotion in the world? Let us know in the comments.