The main event will feature Ryan Bader defending his heavyweight championship against Valentin Moldavsky in a heavyweight unification match. The champion Ryan Bader looks to prove that he is the best heavyweight in Bellator, while interim champion Valentin Moldavsky looks to show the world that he should be a household name.
Valentin Moldavsky beat Timothy Johnson at Bellator 261, winning the interim championship in the process. The 29-year-old Russian is 11-1 and has made a splash in the Bellator heavyweight division. Currently undefeated in Bellator, Moldavsky has wins over Linton Vassell, Roy Nelson, and most recently, Timothy Johnson. Of his 11 wins, 7 are by decision, 3 by submission, and 1 by KO. His only loss is by decision. Being 6-0 since arriving at Bellator, the interim champion is looking to show that his win streak isn’t luck or something he just happened to benefit from. He wants to show the promotion and the world that he is a name everyone needs to pay attention to.
Ryan Bader was Bellator’s “double champ”, holding both the light heavyweight and heavyweight titles. While holding both titles, Bader focused more of his attention on the light heavyweight division. After losing the lightweight title to Vadim Nemkov at Bellator 244, Bader opted into the light heavyweight grand Prix. During the Grand Prix, Ryan Bader got a win over Lyoto Machida before suffering a TKO loss in the first round by Corey Anderson. Now, after more than 2 years, Ryan “Darth” Bader will defend his heavyweight title. Ryan Bader is 28-7 in his career but Bellator has a 6-2 record, with 1 no contest. Bader has 12 wins coming by KO/TKO, 3 by submission, and 13 by decision. Of his 7 losses, 5 come from KO/TKO, while 2 come from submission. After a long stint in the light heavyweight division, “Darth” wants to prove that even though he was fighting at light heavyweight, he still is the best heavyweight on the Bellator roster.
Can Valentin Moldavsky use his momentum to take the heavyweight title to claim as his own? Or will Ryan “Darth” Bader prove that he was the only man who could’ve held the title for the past 2 years? Tune in on Saturday, January 29th, 2022 to find out!
