3/28/25: Ryan Bader Becomes Latest Bellator Name To Exit PFL Roster
Also: "Road To UFC" Season 4 announced, plus RIZIN unveils heavyweight GP
Welcome to a Friday edition of the Knockdown Daily! We have a few major headlines to dive into as the weekend gets started, plus tons of other smaller news pieces in the notes section. Let’s begin!
Two-Division Bellator Champ Ryan Bader Mutually Agrees To Part Ways With PFL
Another prominent name from Bellator’s past has left the PFL roster.
Former two-division Bellator champ Ryan Bader has parted ways with the promotion, per a report this week from Ariel Helwani.
Bader, a former UFC talent who found a second wind in his career as a stand-out fighter in Bellator’s 265 and 205-pound divisions, joins a growing list of notable names who have entered into free agency since PFL acquired the promotion in late 2023.
Other former champs, including Yaroslav Amosov, Patricio Pitbull, Patricky Pitbull, and Gegard Mousasi, along with other contender-level fighters like Neiman Gracie and Aaron Pico, have left the promotion in recent year or so. Some, like Patricio or Mousasi, went public with frustrations about receiving few opportunities from the promotion before their eventual release.
Bader explained on Thursday that he had worked on a deal to get out of his PFL agreement, which still had another fight left on it.
“PFL and our team came up with terms we were both happy agreeing on with one fight remaining on the contract,” Bader said in an Instagram post. “The Bellator run was one for the books. What a blast, and being surrounded by great people running that org.”
Bader made his entrance into Bellator during a big moment for him: Still riding a two-fight winning streak from the end of his UFC run, he was matched with Phil Davis for a light heavyweight title fight at the promotion’s first-ever Madison Square Garden card in New York City, New York, USA.
Bader snuck by Davis in a five-round split decision result, marking his first major MMA title win as a pro. The following year, he entered a heavyweight grand prix, scoring three wins and stopping Fedor Emelianenko in 35 seconds to grab the division’s title in the grand finals round.
While Bader dropped his light heavyweight championship to Vadim Nemkov in 2020, he would go on to defend his heavyweight belt three more times in the years that followed, most notably with a 2022 upset win over Valentin Moldvasky.
Bader made one appearance during Bellator’s PFL era, losing in 21 seconds to Renan Ferreira as part of a “PFL vs. Bellator” pay-per-view card.
Bader spent parts of 2024 filming scenes for “The Smashing Machine,” an upcoming biopic on Pride FC heavyweight Mark Kerr. Bader is expected to play a key supporting role as Mark Coleman, an ally and fellow competitor to Kerr during the late 90s.
41-year-old Bader may be a free agent and also has a bit of an acting career coming together, but that doesn’t mean he’s done fighting.
“I’m still open to different opportunities in the fight game,” he said Thursday.
‘Road To UFC’ Season 4 Set For May Start Date
UFC’s annual Asia-focused tournament is coming back in a few weeks.
“Road To UFC” will return for its fourth season soon, kicking off with two nights of tournament action in Shanghai, China on May 22nd and 23rd.
The tournament, which presents single-elimination, eight-fighter brackets with a grand prize of a contract to join the UFC roster, has been a fixture in the promotion’s year-long programming since 2022.
The tournament gives a showcase to some of the more active MMA scenes in Asia, like China, Japan and Korea. But the upcoming season will also feature names from India, Mongolia, Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam, Australia, and New Zealand.
A notable talent in the flyweight bracket this year is Aaron Tau, a stand-out name from New Zealand who suffered his first pro loss when he appeared on “Dana White’s Contender Series” last September. After losing a one-fight opportunity to get into the UFC, he’ll have to take the long road of a three-bout bracket for a second chance to get onto the roster.
Bantamweight includes a long-time Pancrase vet in Rui Imura, who will be making his first-ever appearance outside of his home promotion in May. The 26-year-old has earned a dozen wins since his 2020 pro debut, including a successful run in their 2020 “Neo Blood Tournament.”
There are many intriguing names appearing in the featherweight bracket: Former ONE talents Yoon Chang-min and Li Kaiwen, plus RIZIN alum and DEEP Impact champ Jin Aoi will all be in action.
The lightweight bracket, which is returning this year to replace the women’s strawweight division, includes names like undefeated 11-fight Japanese fighter Yuji Yannikc Ephoeviga and Pancrase finisher Daichi Kamiya.
Here’s a full list of the competitors. First-round matchups will be unveiled at a later date.
Flyweight: Aaron Tau (9-1, New Zealand), Agulali (12-1, China), Kai Yoshida (6-1, Japan), Mridul Saikia (8-0, India), Namsrai Batbayar (7-1, Mongolia), Rio Tirto (8-0, Indonesia), Wataru Yamauchi (7-1, Japan), Yin Shuai (17-5, China)
Bantamweight: Chungreng Koren (7-1, India), Kuya Ito (17-8-1, Japan), Peter Danesoe (8-3, Thailand), Rui Imura (12-4, Japan), Sim Kai Xiong (6-1, Singapore), Sulang Rangbo (8-3, China), Ti Haitao (16-6, China), Van Y Nghiem (5-1, Vietnam)
Featherweight: Zhejiang Ailinuer (15-3, China), Yoon Chang-min (7-2-1, Korea), Seo Dong-hyun (7-2-1) (Korea), Park Eoh-jin (9-1-1, Korea), Jin Aoi (14-5-1, Japan), Li Kaiwen (14-6, China), Keiichiro Nakamura (5-1, Japan), Sebastian Szalay (8-1) (Australia)
Lightweight: Daichi Kamiya (6-0, Japan), Deni Daffa (6-1, Indonesia), Dom Mar Fan (6-2, Australia), Jack Becker (13-5, Australia), Park Jae-hyun (7-3, Korea), Ren Yawei (8-3, China), Kim Sang-woo (11-3, Korea), Yuji Yannick Ephoeviga (11-0, Japan)
RIZIN Announces Heavyweight Grand Prix Opening Round For Tokyo Dome Card
A venue synonymous with legendary grand prix MMA action will host the opening round of a new tournament from RIZIN later this year.
RIZIN’s May 4th return to the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan will feature the first round in an eight-man heavyweight tournament, a bracket where the winning fighter will be awarded 20 million yen (roughly $132,000 USD).
The tournament, which was announced Wednesday in Japan, will feature a mix of heavyweights from within the country’s scene, plus fighters from affiliate promotions who are letting their talents enter the bracket.
Unlike past tournaments that saw some or even most fights take place in one night, only the opening round will go down in May. The semi-finals are expected this summer, and the finals are being targeted for autumn.
Six names have been unveiled for the bracket thus far, half of which represent the Japanese MMA scene. Among those set to compete are former sumo wrestler turned MMA talent Tsuyoshi Sudario, 29-year-old finisher Mikio Ueda, and returning talent Shoma Shibisai, who has pieced together three wins in RIZIN since 2022.
Other talents include Alexander Soldatkin from German regional FNC, Marek Samociuk from Polish MMA leader KSW, and ex-Bellator talent Jose Augusto, who is representing U.S.-based promotion LFA.
The final two entrants will be unveiled at a later date.
The upcoming bracket is a return to the early days of RIZIN, where the promotion presented two grand prix brackets focused on heavyweight talents. In 2015, King Mo defeated now-UFC talent Jiri Prochazka to win the RIZIN Heavyweight Grand Prix. A year later, JMMA legend Mirko Cro Cop got past Amir Aliakbari in the finals of an openweight tournament.
After years of brackets focused on lower weight classes—bantamweight, lightweight, and atomweight—the heaviest hitters will be back under the spotlight this year.
The Tokyo Dome is possibly best known in combat sports for presenting many of the top events from legendary MMA promotion Pride FC. The venue played host to the 2000 Openweight Grand Prix, where heavyweight Mark Coleman put on a legendary showing of three straight wins in one night to come out victorious.
RIZIN is looking to load up the May card, potentially making it their biggest MMA lineup in the venue yet. They previously presented a stacked show when they made their Tokyo Dome debut in 2021, although COVID-19 pandemic restrictions meant the show had a turnout of just 9,000 attendees.
RIZIN drew over 56,000 attendees when heading back the following year with “THE MATCH 2022,” but the card was a co-promotion between many other brands and was strictly a kickboxing lineup.
Along with the announcement of a heavyweight grand prix, it was revealed this week that former UFC fighter John Dodson and ex-Bellator talent Danny Sabatello will appear in the lineup. More details on those fights can be found in today’s notes section.
Here’s a look at all of the fights set for RIZIN Otoko Matsuri so far:
Bout 6: Kleber Koike (34-7-1) vs. Razhabali Shaydullaev (12-0) (RIZIN Featherweight Championship)
Bout 5: Hiroya (10-13-1) vs. Tatsuki Shinotsuka (0-0) (Flyweight)
Bout 4: Danny Sabatello (14-4-1) vs. Shinobu Ota (7-4) (Bantamweight)
Bout 3: John Dodson (24-14) vs. Takaki Soya (12-6-1) (Flyweight)
Bout 2: Erson Yamamoto (4-7) vs. Daichi Tomizawa (1-0) (Flyweight)
Bout 1: Joe Hiramoto (1-1) vs. Toki Tamaru (0-0) (Flyweight)
Notes On: Today’s Event, UFC, PFL, ONE Championship, RIZIN & Cage Warriors
Preview
The most notable card tonight comes from LFA, who is heading to Brasilia, Brazil for a title fight. A new bantamweight champ will be crowned in the main event when Vincius Pires (10-1) and Lionel Abojer (11-2) fight. Abojer has proven to be a strong contender in the LFA, having earned four wins against fellow prospect-level talents since 2023. Abojer, a former champ in Argentina, is on an impressive run of five consecuive rear naked choke submission wins. This is a solid test for two guys who look near that call-up level. LFA’s Brazil cards always deliver on an endless list of prospects. I feel like it’s worth mentioning Manoel Sousa (11-1), who is back on the regionals and looking to rebound after a brief PFL run.
The main card is set to begin at 8 p.m. ET on UFC Fight Pass.
UFC
Tecia Pennington (14-7) will step into the UFC cage for the 18th time when she faces Luana Pinheiro (11-4) at the promotion’s May 17th card at the APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, per AgFight. Pennington snapped a two-fight skid in her last appearance, defeating the retiring Carla Esparza in October. Pinheiro has struggled since 2023 and will be trying to avoid a fourth consecutive loss in this upcoming appearance.
A fight between flyweights Bruno Silva (14-6-2) and Joshua Van (13-2) has been re-booked for a June 7th UFC card, per Marcel Dorff. Silva and Van were booked to meet at UFC 313, although the fight didn’t end up happening. Silva had an impressive four-fight winning streak stopped when he was on the losing side of a dominant Manel Kape performance last December. Van, who instead beat Rei Tsuruya earlier this month, will be hunting for his fourth consecutive win.
UFC’s June 7th show is reportedly expected to be a pay-per-view, with New Jersey as a possible location. Nothing has been confirmed by the promotion just yet.
PFL
A few changes have been made to PFL’s April 11th card:
Both Ali Taleb (12-1) and Zebenzui Ruiz (12-3) have withdrawn from their bantamweight quarter-final matchup, leaving space for two fighters in the bracket’s opening round. Taking their place will be Italy’s Francesco Nuzzi (10-1) and Mexico’s Mando Gutierrez (10-3). Nuzzi was originally booked earlier in the night to compete in a reserve bout. He’s coming back after nearly two years out of the cage due to numerous cancelled bouts in recent months. “Contender Series” alum Gutierrez is returning after a pair of wins in 2024.
Due to Nuzzi’s change of plans for the card, Matheus Mattos (14-3-1) will now face former CFFC champ Vilson Ndregjoni (11-4) in a reserve fight at bantamweight. The PFL newcomer scored a first-round head kick at UAE Warriors 57 in January.
It was also announced that undefeated 10-fight prospect Ciaran Clarke (10-0) won’t be able toa appear in his fight against Kasum Kasumov (16-1) in the bantamweight bracket. Stepping in to replace him will be Justin Wetzell (10-2). Wetzell has been tearing up the regionals for years, having won four of his last five, including numerous LFA appearances — this is now his first chance in a major promotion. Russia’s Kasumov will be looking for his first PFL success after putting together a pair of Bellator wins in recent years.
ONE Championship
Two more fights have been added to ONE Championship’s April 4th card in Bangkok, Thailand:
Jihin Radzuan (9-4) will return against Macarena Aragon (3-1) in a 115-pound fight. Radzuan had a pair of fights against Ayaka Miura fall through last year, keeping her inactive during 2024. Her last appearance was a March 2024 loss to rising prospect Chihiro Sawada. Aragon took her first loss when she debuted for ONE last fall, getting submitted early in somewhat of a mismatch against the aforementioned Miura.
Experienced Argentinian fighter Mauro Mastromarini (17-4) will make his ONE debut against Carlo Bumina-ang (7-1). Mastromarini has held regional titles in his home country for years, including a run of five consecutive title wins from 2021 to 2022. He now meets seven-fight ONE vet Bumina-ang, who bounced back from his sole pro loss in February with a 53-second win over Song Min Jong.
RIZIN
Here’s a breakdown of the many other fights added to RIZIN: Otoko Matsuri this week:
In his first appearance since officially signing with RIZIN, former Bellator title challenger Danny Sabatlelo (14-4-1) will face off against Shinobu Ota (7-4). Sabatello gained a reputation for being a loudmouth fighter during his fast rise in Bellator, putting together momentum which led him to a pair of high-profile fights in recent years against Raufeon Stots and Magomed Magomedov. He’s coming back shortly after fighting to a draw against Lazaro Dayron on a PFL lineup last summer. Sabatello vs. Ota is an interesting matchup of fighters who both have wrestling backgrounds. Sabatello was a three-time NCAA Championships qualifier while wrestling for Purdue. Ota won silver at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics for Greco-Roman wrestling. Ota had a three-fight winning streak stopped by veteran Yuki Motoya on New Year’s Eve.
Veteran John Dodson (24-14) is coming back to MMA for a rematch against Takaki Soya (12-6-1). Dodson beat Soya last year, although that meeting was under bare-knuckle boxing rules. A rematch this year gives Dodson the chance to bounce back after a streak of MMA wins that was stopped in late 2023 by Hiromasa Ougikubo. Soya is similarly looking to get back into the win column, as past appearances against Yusaku Nakamura and Ramazan Temirov haven’t gone his way.
Long-time RIZIN fighter Erson Yamamoto (4-7) will return against Daichi Tomizawa (1-0). Yamamoto—the son of JMMA legend Miyuu Yamamoto—is coming back after losing via finish in his past two appearances. Kickboxer Tomizawa scored his first MMA win in December, beating bantamweight star Kota Miura in less than two minutes.
Former RISE Kickboxing Champion Toki Tamaru (0-0) will make his MMA debut on the Tokyo Dome card, meeting Joe Hiramoto (1-1). 23-year-old Tamaru has demonstrated high levels of success in kickboxing, piecing together 18 wins and just four losses since his 2017 pro debut. He’s now set to face Joe, the younger brother of RIZIN star Ren Hiramoto. Joe is coming back after winning his RIZIN debut in 2023 against Yushi. He suffered his first pro loss a few months ago, getting submitted on a DEEP card.
Cage Warriors
Cage Warriors will present a doubleheader of events from the BEC Arena in Manchester, England on June 27th and 28th. The first of the two cards will be the promotion’s invite-only “Unplugged” show, with the second being a normal numbered event. Saturday lineup will take place the afternoon of UFC 317 and will go head-to-head with an OKTAGON card from Germany.
Final Thoughts
One of the most interesting stories to me is the significant talent bleed that PFL has faced since acquiring Bellator. When they bought Bellator, they mainly did so to acquire the roster. Yet some of the biggest names they got from that trade—including numerous former champions and most recently Ryan Bader—are now gone. If you were purchasing for the roster but many of the top talent ended up walking anyway, the less you’re getting your money’s worth from that late-2023 exchange.
Road To UFC is one of the best events in the prospect-watching space, in my opinion. However, I wished they kept the women’s strawweight bracket for a second year. Last year’s tournament had some interesting names, and the grand final delivered on a viral moment when Shi Ming scored a brutal head kick knockout.
RIZIN is clearly putting in a lot of work to stack up that May Tokyo Dome card, but I still think they need to add some more firepower to that show if they hope to attract a big crowd. Interested to see what some of the later additions to the lineup will be.