Ryan Bader may have lost his Bellator MMA light heavyweight belt in decisive fashion on Friday night, but he still has the heavyweight belt to defend. Looking at the history of that unloved, neglected strap, one can only say: it’s about time.
While the graphic speaks eloquently of what a mess the Bellator heavyweight title has been since its inception almost a decade ago, to be fair, heavyweight has always been the most problematic division in MMA. Due to the sheer physics that make heavyweight so volatile—the usual shorthand is “everyone there has knockout power”—it is exceedingly difficult for a fighter to sustain a title reign.