Ryan Bader defends light heavyweight title against Vadim Nemkov at Bellator 243

Two-division champion Ryan Bader will return to 205 pounds for his next fight as he defends the light heavyweight title against Vadim Nemkov at Bellator 243 on May 9 in San Jose, Calif.

The title fight was announced on Saturday as part of the Bellator 238 broadcast from Los Angeles.

Bader has been teasing his return to light heavyweight after winning the Bellator Heavyweight Grand Prix and then defending his belt against Cheick Kongo last year. While that fight ended in a no contest, Bader decided that it was time to return to his old stomping grounds at 205 pounds where he won the title and defended it previously against Linton Vassell before making the move up to heavyweight.

As for Nemkov, he will finally get his shot at Bellator gold after winning four straight fights in the promotion and six in a row overall.

Most recently, the Russian defeated former Bellator middleweight champion Rafael Carvalho and he also holds wins over former light heavyweight champions Phil Davis and Liam McGeary.

Bader vs. Nemkov will be featured on the latest Bellator card in San Jose with more fights expected to be announced in the coming weeks.