“I’m always open to different things” – Ryan Bader expresses interest in boxing
Ryan Bader expressed openness to crossing over into boxing and following fellow MMA fighters' transition to the squared circle. In an interview with SecondsOut, the Bellator MMA heavyweight champion said he would like to try out at least one bout in boxing:
"I’m always open to different things. I’ve always said I would like at least one boxing match. It's gotta make sense. though, so we’ll see what’s gonna happen."
However, a boxing match for Ryan Bader seems out of his immediate future.
The 38-year-old is set to defend his belt against Cheick Kongo at the Accor Arena in Paris on Friday at Bellator 280. The two heavyweights are in search of a conclusive ending to their rivalry after their first meeting in 2019 ended in a no-contest when Kongo was accidentally poked in the eye and couldn’t continue.
Bader said settling the score with his French opponent is his only immediate priority at the moment:
"For me right now it's like, 'Alright, let's finish this deal here and see where we go from there.' "
Watch Ryan Bader's full interview with SecondsOut below:
Ryan Bader believes there's nothing wrong with MMA fighters moving to boxing
In the same interview, Bader expressed support for the decision of some professional MMA fighters to jump over to boxing. He said:
"I like all the different opportunities, honestly. The more stuff out there for the fighters, the better... It’s good to have options for these fighters."
A handful of MMA fighters have tried to move into boxing in chase of more lucrative paydays and global exposure. Current MMA stars like Stipe Miocic, Francis Ngannou, and Kumaru Usman have also expressed their eagerness to enter the boxing ring.
The trend was brought to life by UFC star Conor McGregor's fight with boxing legend Floyd Mayweather Jr. The two flamboyant fighters squared off in a boxing match in August 2017. The bout generated the second-highest domestic pay-per-view buys of all time with 4.3 million purchases and saw 'Notorious' suffer a TKO loss in round ten.
Watch the highlights of Mayweather vs McGregor here: