Ryan "Darth" Bader (24-5) walked to the cage at Bellator 186 to a rendition of the "Imperial March" from "Star Wars." He walked out of it, belt still in hand, after a merciless performance the Sith Lord would respect.
Bader pummeled English veteran Linton Vassell (18-6, 1 NC) over nine minutes, retaining his light heavyweight championship by second-round TKO on Friday night in State College, Pennsylvania.
After an eight-year UFC run in which he went 15-5, Bader moved to Bellator in June and claimed the title in his promotional debut. He said the pressure was off in his first defense, and that comfort showed Friday night. A former Arizona State wrestler, Bader put Vassell on his back seconds into the fight and connected on a relentless array of punches, elbows and knees to every part of the challenger's frame.
With Vassell fading late in the second round, Bader pinned him against the fence on the ground, trapping Vassell's right hand and landing 10 consecutive lefts to the head before referee Keith Peterson stepped in to stop the fight.
It was Bader's ninth win in his past 10 fights and the 10th win of his career by KO or TKO.
In the co-main event, Bellator crowned its first women's flyweight champion, as Ilima-Lei Macfarlane (7-0) outclassed Emily Ducote (6-3), securing a fifth-round verbal submission by armbar after more than 23 minutes of dominance.
In a rematch of Macfarlane's decision win last December in Oklahoma, Macfarlane, 27, was the more effective striker, grappler and aggressor. Ducote didn't have an answer for the champion's right cross and ate more than her fair share of knees in the clinch. After nearly sinking in an Americana in the opening minutes, Macfarlane patiently worked a leg triangle from her back and locked in an armbar to secure the tap with 1:18 remaining.
While the two title bouts led the marquee, Penn State wrestling was the centerpiece around which Bellator 186 was built. The Nittany Lions have won six of the past seven NCAA national team championships under coach Cael Sanderson, himself an unprecedented 159-0 as a collegiate wrestler. Two recent alumni filled out the main card and helped fill out the stands.
The man from whom Bader took the light heavyweight title this summer, Phil Davis (18-4, 1 NC), was a four-time All-American in Happy Valley. Davis swept a unanimous decision over decorated Brazilian grappler Leo Leite (10-1) to improve to 5-1 since signing with Bellator.
In addition to Davis, Ed Ruth (4-0) had clear backing from the Bryce Jordan Center crowd. Ruth is Penn State's only three-time national champion and one of the most heralded prospects in all of mixed martial arts. He recorded his fourth knockout in as many fights with a second-round, one-punch finish of Chris Dempsey (11-6).