Ryan Bader Only One Win Away From Francis Ngannou

Michael Chandler: “Ryan Bader is a phenomenal fighter, and he’s got the scars and belts to prove it”

Welcome to The Weekly Takedown, Sports Illustrated’s in-depth look at MMA. Every week, this column offers insight and information on the most noteworthy stories in the fight world.

Michael Chandler: “Ryan Bader is a phenomenal fighter, and he’s got the scars and belts to prove it”

There are new stakes for this Saturday’s PFL vs. Bellator main event.

The winner of the Ryan Bader-Renan Ferreira heavyweight bout will fight Francis Ngannou.

🚨𝗕𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗞𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗡𝗘𝗪𝗦 🚨

𝗛𝗘𝗔𝗩𝗬 𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗞𝗘𝗦 For Saturday Night 👀@francis_ngannou will face the winner of the Renan Ferriera vs Ryan Bader bout#PFLvsBellator pic.twitter.com/4dP9RqYiMu

— PFL (@PFLMMA) February 22, 2024

This is exactly the opportunity Bader has been awaiting. While Ngannou has been focused on his boxing–he nearly defeated Tyson Fury in the fall, and now has an upcoming bout against Anthony Joshua on March 8–he has not competed in an MMA bout since defeating Ciryl Gane is January of 2022.

Courtesy DAZN

In that same timespan, Bader has won three fights, and all signs point to him overwhelming Ferreira on Saturday.

Courtesy Bellator

UFC star Michael Chandler is a longtime friend and teammate of Bader. He sees Saturday’s bout as a one-sided affair.

“Ryan Bader is a phenomenal fighter, and he’s got the scars and belts to prove it,” said Chandler. “He’s going out there on Saturday, and he’s going to do his job.”

The reigning Bellator heavyweight champion, Bader (31-7, 1 NC) is considerably smaller than Ferreira, who won the 2023 PFL heavyweight championship. But that is one of the only distinct advantages for Ferreira (12-3, 3 NC), who stands 6’8”.

Ferreira does not have the strength, speed, or power in both hands that Bader possesses, which should be evident on Saturday.

“Ryan’s going to smash this dude,” said Chandler. “There’s no doubt in my mind that’s what is going to happen.”

Courtesy Zuffa LLC

If it all plays out this way, Vadim Nemkov will be waiting in the wings for the winner of Bader-Ngannou. It is a masterful plan for the PFL, whose heavyweight division would be able to compete with any other promotion. A fly in the ointment would occur if Ngannou wins–or is at least very competitive–against Joshua. If Ngannou wants to keep boxing, that could prevent or prolong this PFL fight from taking place.

For now, however, the plan is in place. And it is one that allows Bader to carve out his legacy in the sport.

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Merab Dvalishvili correctly predicting UFC bantamweight division

Merab Dvalishvili dominated Henry Cejudo this last Saturday at UFC 298, definitively proving he is currently miles ahead of the former Olympic gold medalist.

Courtesy Zuffa LLC

Reigning bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley defends the belt next month against Chito Vera at UFC 299. Dvalishvili’s victory over Cejudo now puts him next in line for a title shot against the winner of that bout.

Just a few weeks ago, Dvalishvili explained how the top of the division is going to play out. So far, he has been extremely accurate.

Another lesson ... given by Professor Machine/Dr. Merab aka Me 🦾🤣#WhatTheFuckIsThisBullshit pic.twitter.com/v3rZesoVNp

— Merab “The Machine” Dvalishvili (@MerabDvalishvil) January 26, 2024

For what it’s worth, Dvalishvili also correctly predicted that Ilia Topuria would defeat Alexander Volkanovski. Perhaps we should be listening more closely when Dvalishvili makes his predictions.