Former UFC Contender Ryan Bader Set for Bellator Debut in Surprising Booking

Bellator MMA officially announced its signing of top-10 staple Ryan Bader on Saturday night at Bellator 175 and wasted no time in revealing the details of his debut fight. Following the main event bout between Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and "King" Mo Lawal, it was announced that Lawal would welcome Bader to the promotion in June.

Bader is, to this point, Bellator's biggest free-agent signing of 2017. Owning a 15-5 record in the UFC with wins over two former champions, he has been widely regarded as a top-10 fighter for much of his eight-year career. He signed with Bellator riding a two-fight winning streak (both knockouts) and immediately entered the title picture off his 2015 win over its champion, Phil Davis.

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He faces a stiff test in Lawal, however. After an up-and-down start to his Bellator career, Lawal has cemented himself as one of the promotion's most valuable, and best, fighters. A former Strikeforce champion, he has competed against, and defeated, many of Bellator's top talents at 205 and 265 pounds. His wrestling resume is exceptionally strong, and he should be able to keep up with Bader in the clinch and on the ground.

The announcement is somewhat odd, though, as it pits two fighters that Bellator is deeply invested in against one another, and eliminates a potentially interesting title contender. That said, this is a fight between legitimate top-10 talents, and Bellator is putting it on one of the biggest stages it can muster, sliding it into the main event of June 24's Bellator 180 card.

Taking place at Madison Square Garden, New York, the card serves as a lead-in to the Bellator: NYC pay-per-view event, headlined by Wanderlei Silva vs. Chael Sonnen. Save a bout between Irish prospect James Gallagher and knockout artist Chinzo Machida, no other fights have been attached to the card. Expect more fight announcements in the coming weeks.