Ryan Bader (28-7, 1 NC) defends his heavyweight title against Valentin Moldavsky (11-1) in the headliner of Bellator 273 at Footprint Center in Phoenix, AZ on Saturday, January 29. Check out below what former two-division champion had ahead of the bout.
Bellator 273 tickets are on sale and can be purchased through TicketNetwork and Vivid Seats. Other MMA fans can watch the event live on Showtime.
“I am a black belt myself. He is more of a sambo guy. I have seen a couple of fights with him (Moldavsky) on his back. He usually just waits to explode. I have been in there with some of the better guys in the world on the ground. I am totally fine wherever this fight goes. He is good everywhere, on the ground and on his feet. There are different areas I can exploit.”
“The last fight (in Phoenix at Bellator 268 on Oct. 16, 2021) was not the result we wanted. The crowd showed up. Arizona showed up. We packed the house. Let’s get a little redemption here in front of the home crowd.”
“It means a lot to me to go out there, defend and unify this heavyweight title. I have been wanting to fight at heavyweight for two years. He (Moldavsky) is an interim champ. a great prospect. I have had my eyes on him for a while.”
Bellator 273 fight card, start time, how to watch, live stream, Bader vs Moldavsky
“I am not done yet. I feel that fire still. I feel healthy and I can train the way I need to in order to be successful. I don’t want to look back and say, ‘Oh man, I had a few years and a few fights when I stopped and regretted it for the rest of my life.’ I feel amazing. I don’t see any quitting here in the near future.”
“A Fedor (Emelianenko) fight is big. I don’t see how I can do it much better than I did the first time we fought. A Fedor fight is something that will always interest me.”
“Sullivan Cauley is a high-level fighter and one of the better guys I have trained with. His wrestling is on point. His striking is pretty damn amazing at his level and his age. To be able to go through camp with him, push each other, and gauge ourselves off of each other has been awesome. He is definitely a guy to watch in the future. He is going to do really big things.”
“We went through a weird time with Covid, not really knowing when the fights were and what weight class. So, I had to be in this limbo and keep my weight at a certain point. Cutting out water started getting harder and harder. It didn’t benefit me. I am excited to be back at heavyweight and feel good going into the fight.”
Get Bellator 273 full fight card.
The post Ryan Bader: Fedor Emelianenko fight is something that will always interest me (video) appeared first on FIGHTMAG.