Ryan Bader and Valentin Moldavsky are set for January at Bellator 273 to square off.
The heavyweight title will be unified January 29 live on Showtime between Bader and Moldavsky.
Also, Darrion Caldwell and Enrique Barzola meet in a featured bout from the Footprint Center in Phoenix.
A former two-division champion, Bader has had nothing but high-profile bouts since signing with Bellator in 2017, defeating Fedor Emelianenko, King Mo, Matt Mitrione, Linton Vassell, Lyoto Machida, Phil Davis and has gone toe-to-toe with Vadim Nemkov, Corey Anderson and Cheick Kongo.
A winner in eight of his last 11 bouts, Arizona State University’s “Darth” Bader will once again have a partisan crowd in attendance when he meets Valentin Moldavksy at the Footprint Center in Phoenix.
Making his return to the heavyweight division for the first time since 2019, Bader’s last title defense came against the aforementioned Kongo, a bout Bader was controlling until an accidental eye poke prematurely ended the contest.
The winner of the first-ever interim title in history, Moldavsky became Bader’s mandatory challenger following a dominant win over Tim Johnson at Bellator 261. Training under the tutelage of heavyweight legend Fedor Emelianenko, Moldavsky has begun carving out his own legacy, accruing a perfect 6-0 record within the confines of the Bellator cage.
A multi-time European Sambo champion, Moldavsky has defeated top heavyweight contenders such as Johnson, Javy Ayala, Linton Vassell, and Roy Nelson on his climb to the top. Born in Ukraine, the 30-year-old looks to join teammate Vadim Nemkov and become the undisputed champion of the heavyweight division on January 29.
BELLATOR MMA 273: BADER VS. MOLDAVSKY MAIN CARD:
Saturday, Jan. 29 – live on SHOWTIME
10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT
Heavyweight World Title Main Event: #C-Ryan Bader (28-7, 1 NC) vs. #IC-Valentin Moldavsky (11-1)
Bantamweight Bout: Darrion Caldwell (14-5) vs. Enrique Barzola (16-5-2)
PRELIMINARY CARD:
BELLATOR MMA YouTube channel | SHOWTIME Sports YouTube channel | Pluto TV
7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT