Ryan Bader Biography, Age, Family, Career, Wife, Children and Net Worth

This article will answer every question you have about Ryan Bader. Below are some of the frequently asked questions about him.

  1. What does Ryan Bader do for a living?
  2. Who are Ryan Bader’s parents and siblings?
  3. What are Ryan Bader’s interests and hobbies?
  4. Is Ryan Bader married or does he have a girlfriend/ boyfriend?
  5. Does Ryan Bader have any children?
  6. Where is Ryan Bader now?
  7. How tall is Ryan Bader?
  8. How much money does Ryan Bader earn?
  9. What is Ryan Bader’s net worth?

N/B: Please read the entire post to have all your questions answered.

 Who is Ryan Bader?

Ryan DuWayne Bader is a famous American professional mixed martial artist currently signed to Bellator MMA. He is the current Bellator Heavyweight Champion, the former Bellator Lightweight Champion, and the winner of the 2018 Bellator Heavyweight World Grand Prix Tournament. Bader became the first fighter in Bellator history to become champion in two weight divisions simultaneously at Bellator 2014.

Before signing with Bellator, Ryan competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) in the Light Heavyweight division. He was also a cast member and winner of The Ultimate Fighter: Team Nogueira vs. Team Mir. Bader is No. 5 in the Bellator men’s pound-for-pound rankings and No. 3 in the Bellator Light Heavyweight Rankings as of May 10, 2022.

Ryan Bader career

The Ultimate Fighter (2008)

Ryan’s UFC career started as a contestant on season 8 of The Ultimate Fighter. As the first light-heavyweight picked by coach Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Bader went on to win his first three fights on the show to fight with Vinicius Magalhaes on December 13, 2008, at The Ultimate Fighter 8 Finale. He beat Magalhaes by way of a quick, first-round Knockout, at the finale, receiving the title of ”The Ultimate Fighter” and winning the traditional ”six-figure UFC deal”. An overhand right dropped Magalhaes, and Ryan followed up with strikes on the ground to take the victory, less than halfway through the first round.

Ultimate Fighting Championship (2009-2011)

His first post-TUF fight was at UFC Fight Night 18 against Carmelo Marrero. He beat him through a unanimous decision, scoring 30-27 on all three judges’ scorecards. Within the fight Ryan tore his medial collateral ligament and posterior cruciate ligament, staying sidelined until the following fall. Briefly, after the Marrero fight, he appeared together with fellow Ultimate Fighter 8 winner Efrain Escudero in the UFC’s sixth video game, UFC 2009 Undisputed. They were available via a special code obtained by pre-ordering the game from Gamestop. They were later available for download on PlayStation Network and Xbox 360 Marketplace on September 10, 2009.

Ryan went back against Eric Chafer at UFC 104, on October 24, 2009. Bader mainly dominated the fight, scoring with a powerful attack of combinations standing and controlling the grappling, en route to a unanimous decision win (30-27, 29-26, and 30-27). Next for him was Keith Jardine, who he fought at the UFC’s debut effort in Australia, UFC 110, on February 21, 2010. He scored a sharp jab on the tiring Jardine, which set up a flying knee to the chest and a left hook at 2:10 of the third round to secure a KO win for him. Together with CB Dollaway, Jesse Forbes, Aaron Simpson, and Eric Larkin, he departed from Arizona Combat Sports to train at their newly opened gym Power MMA And Fitness.
Ryan moved his UFC record to 5-0 at the expense of Antonio Rogerio Nogueira at UFC 119. He controlled most of the fight with his wrestling and using his jab and short combinations to stop much of Nogueira’s offense. All the three judges scored the fight 30-27 for Ryan.

A photo of Ryan Bader
A photo of Ryan Bader

How old is Ryan Bader?

Ryan DuWayne Bader is aged 38 as of 2021, having been born on June 7, 1983, in Reno, Nevada, United States. He shares his birthday with famous people including Ben Ray Luján, Bill Hader, Colleen Camp, Gordon Gano, Iggy Azalea, Liam Neeson, Allen Iverson, Dean Martin, and Karl Urban, among others.

Ryan Bader Family

Who are Ryan Bader’s parents?

Ryan DuWayne Bader was born in Reno, Nevada, to his parents, Anita Bader and Mark Bader. Not much is known about his family and parents as he has not shared information about them with the media.

Does Ryan Bader have siblings?

Bader was born to his parents into a family of two children. He has one younger sibling, sister Karlea Bader.

Ryan Bader Education

Bader attended Robert McQueen High School, where he won two state championships and was ranked as high as fourth in the country for wrestling. He then enrolled at Arizona State University on a wrestling scholarship and was college teammates with former UFC Heavyweight Champion Cain Velasquez and CB Dollaway.

Ryan Bader Interest

Bader began wrestling at the age of seven and entered mixed martial arts after a successful career in amateur wrestling. In high school he took part in football and was the 2001 Nevada Defensive Player of the Year, assisting the McQueen Lancers to win the Nevada state championship title.

Ryan Bader Wife

Bader is currently married to his loving and beautiful wife Daisy Bader, who he married in October 2010. The couple currently resides in their home in Chandler, Arizona, with their three children.

Ryan Bader Children

Bader and his sweetheart and spouse Daisy have three children together. Their children are Kamon Bader, born in 2012, Hartley Bader, born in 2013, and Rocket Bader, born in 2014.

Ryan Bader Height

Bader has a well-built, muscular and athletic body adding up to an impressive height of 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) and weight of 106 kg (233 lbs).

First MMA losses (2011-2013)

Four months following his victory against Nogueira, Ryan fought fellow rising prospect, Jon Jones, at UFC 126, on February 5, 2011. He got the first loss of his MMA career following tapping out to a modified guillotine choke in the second round. On July 2, 2011, he lost to Tito Ortiz in a massive upset at UFC 132, by an arm-in guillotine choke which Ortiz secured after a knockdown of Bader. Ryan then faced Jason Britz at UFC 139, on November 19, 2011. He beat Britz at 1:17 of the first round through KO, landing a straight right behind Britz’s ear leading him to immediately fall on the mat face-first.

Ryan later faced former Light Heavyweight champion, Quinton Jackson, at UFC 144, on February 26, 2012. Jackson weighed in more than the Light Heavyweight weight allowance of 206 lbs by 5 lbs, weighing in at 211 lbs. However, Bader agreed to the fight at a catchweight and received 20% of Jackson’s purse, and won by unanimous decision, with all three judges scoring the fight 30-27. Next, he faced Lyoto Machida at UFC on Fox: Shogun vs. Vera on August 4, 2012. He lost through KO AT 1:32 in the second round, following rushing in and being caught with a punch.

2013

On January 26, 2013, Ryan faced former title challenger Vladimir Matyushenko at UFC on Fox 6. He won the fight through guillotine choke submission at just 50 seconds of the first round. This earned him his first Submission of the Night honors and also having the fastest UFC Light Heavyweight submission. He was then expected to fight Glover Teixeira at UFC 160, on May 25, 2013. But he pulled out of the bout citing an injury and was replaced by James Te-Huna.

The fight with Teixeira finally took place in the main event at UFC Fight Night 28, on September 4, 2013. Ryan lost the bout through TKO in the first round despite dropping Teixeira early in the round. On December 7, 2013, he faced Anthony Perosh at UFC Fight Night 33. He won the fight through unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, and 30-26), by dominating Perosh for all 15 minutes of the three-round contest using his superior wrestling.

Winning streaks at UFC (2014-2016)

Ryan fought Rafael Cavalcante at UFC 174, on June 14, 2014, and won the bout through unanimous decision. His wrestling was displayed once again, controlling Feijao for the majority of the fight. On August 16, 2014, he faced Ovince St. Preux at UFC Fight Night: Bader vs. St Preux, and won the bout by unanimous decision. At UFC on Fox 68, Bader faced Phil Davis on January 24, 2015, and won by split decision. Ryan was then expected to fight Daniel Cormier at UFC Fight Night 68, on June 6, 2015. However, on April 28, 2015, it was revealed that Cormier had been removed from the fight in favor of a matchup with Anthony Johnson at UFC 187, on May 23, 2015. He then faced Rashad Evans at UFC 192, on October 3, 2015. Bader won the bout by unanimous decision

On January 30, 2016, Bader fought Anthony Johnson in the main event at UFC on Fox 18. Bader’s winning streak was halted as he lost the bout through KO in the first round. Next, he faced Ilir Latifi at UFC Fight Night 93, on September 3, 2016. He won the bout through KO in the second round and was awarded a Performance of the Night bonus. Ryan faced Antonio Rogerio Nogueira in a rematch in the main event at UFC Fight Night 100, on November 19, 2016. He won the bout by TKO in the third round with ground and pound following dominating Nogueira on the mat. His fight against Nogueira was the last on his UFC contract and then he was a free agent.

Bellator MMA (2017-present)

Double champion (2017-2020)

Bader revealed that the UFC had not sought to match Bellator’s offer and that he had officially signed a six-fight contract with Bellator MMA on March 21, 2017. He was officially unveiled as a fighter for the company at Bellator 175. Following the main event, he entered the cage and it was announced that he would face Muhammed Lawal at Bellator 180 on June 24, 2017. Lawal however pulled out of the fight and Ryan fought Bellator Light Heavyweight champion Phil Davis in a rematch. Bader and Davis initially met at UFC on Fox: Gustafsson vs. Johnson on January 24, 2015, with Bader winning through a split decision. He then won the rematch again by split decision to become the new Light Heavyweight champion.

Ryan fought Linton Vassel in his first title defense at Bellator 186 on November 3, 2017, and won through TKO in the second round. He then faced Matt Mitrione in the semi-finals on October 12, 2018, at Bellator 207, and won by unanimous decision.

2019-2020

Bader faced Fedor Emelianenko in the final for the vacant Bellator Heavyweight World Championship on January 26, 2019, in the main event at Bellator 214. He claimed the title by winning through KO 35 seconds into the first round, becoming the first simultaneous two-weight champion in Bellator history. Ryan then signed an exclusive, multi-year, and six-fight deal with Bellator in April 2019.

It was announced on July 11, 2019, that Bader is set to make his first heavyweight title defense against Cheick Kongo. On September 7, the fight served as the headliner of Bellator 226. It ended in a no contest at 3:52 of the first round when Ryan landed an accidental eye poke on Kongo that rendered him unable to go on, with Bader keeping his title. He was signed to defend his light heavyweight title against Vadim Nemkov on May 9, 2020, at Bellator 242. Later, it was announced that Bellator 242 and Bader’s fight against Nemkov had been postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The title fight with Nemkov was rescheduled and took place at Bellator 244, on August 21. He lost the fight through a second-round technical knockout.

Light Heavyweight World Grand Prix

It was announced on February 9, 2021, that Ryan would be taking part in the Bellator Light Heavyweight World Grand Prix. He fought Lyoto Machida in the quarterfinal round, which was a rematch of their August 2012 fight, where Machida won through second-round KO. The fight took place on April 9, 2021, at Bellator 256. Following Machida showing early success in the first two rounds on the feet through kicks, Bader soon controlled the rest of the fight on the ground, winning through a unanimous decision. He then faced Corey Anderson at Bellator 268, in the semi-finals of the Grand Prix on October 16, 2021. Bader lost through technical knockout less than a minute into round one.

Heavyweight Reign

Ryan defended his Heavyweight title against Bellator Interim Heavyweight World Champion Valentin Moldavsky at Bellator 273, on January 29, 2022. He won the close fight through a unanimous decision, and 7 out of 11 media scores gave it to Moldavsky. Bader then defended his title against Cheick Kongo at Bellator 280, on May 6, 2022, winning the bout by unanimous decision.

Ryan Bader Net Worth

American professional mixed martial artist, Bader is signed to Bellator MMA and has been active from 2007 to the present. He was previously signed to Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), prior to signing to Bellator MMA. Bader has garnered an accumulative net worth of approximately $5 million as of 2022.