BRIDGEPORT, Conn. — If Bellator has its way, two-division champion Ryan Bader has a busy final stretch of 2019 ahead of him. Already on his schedule: a Bellator 226 heavyweight title defense against veteran Cheick Kongo on Sept. 7. If all goes according to plan, he’ll be back in the cage by the end of the year to defend his light-heavyweight championship, Bellator president Scott Coker told MMA Fighting.
That will be a challenging situation. And here’s an intriguing wrinkle thrown into the mix: Bader’s first defense could come against the winner of the Bellator 228 co-main event pitting Lyoto Machida and Gegard Mousasi.