“For me, I feel like every time I go out there, I have to prove something, because whether it's fans or the fighters I'm going to fight potentially or am scheduled to fight, there's always an excuse of why I won.”

American mixed martial artist and actor

Ryan Bader is an American mixed martial artist and actor. Born in 1983, he has competed across major promotions and is known for his success in Bellator and, later, RIZIN. Bader held Bellator titles at both heavyweight and light heavyweight, won the 2018 Bellator Heavyweight World Grand Prix, and became the first fighter in Bellator history to hold two divisional championships at the same time. Before Bellator, he fought at light heavyweight in the UFC and won The Ultimate Fighter: Team Nogueira vs. Team Mir. He also appears in the 2025 film The Smashing Machine as MMA fighter Mark Coleman.