Overview
- Bader announced on Instagram that MRI results confirmed the need for surgery, which he scheduled for early next week.
- The withdrawal cancels his Dec. 30 heavyweight title bout in Saitama against Alexander Soldatkin in what was to be his RIZIN debut.
- He detailed a near-complete detachment of the right pubic plate with full-thickness tearing, a partial detachment on the left, a Grade 2 rectus abdominis strain, and a partial adductor longus tear with tendinosis.
- No timetable has been given for his return, with reporting noting that recovery could delay any comeback until 2026.
- Bader apologized to RIZIN and Japanese fans, said this is his first mid-camp withdrawal in 44 fights, and RIZIN has not announced Soldatkin’s status or a replacement.