INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Ryan Bader could be the first simultaneous two-division champion in MMA to be afforded a realistic chance to defend both titles.

Bader (27-5 MMA, 5-0 BMMA) added the Bellator heavyweight title alongside his light heavyweight belt at Bellator 214 on Saturday when he scored a brutal 35-second knockout of Fedor Emelianenko (38-6 MMA, 2-2 BMMA) to win the heavyweight grand prix. The fight headlined the Paramount and DAZN-streamed card at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif.

Although simultaneous champions have been more frequent under the UFC banner in recent years, it’s the first time it has happened with Bellator. Company president Scott Coker sees the potential for an unprecedented scenario, though, in which Bader is allowed to defend both belts as long as possible.

“That’s going to be up to Ryan as long as we don’t have the light heavyweight (title picture) being jammed up,” Coker told reporters, including MMAjunkie, post-fight at Bellator 214. “If Gegard (Mousasi) – because he told me he wants to move up and Lyoto (Machida) might want to move up at some point and fight Bader at 205. As long as those fights aren’t right down the road for him, we’re going to give him a little bit of leeway to say, ‘Hey, if you want to defend the heavyweight, then you can do it.’

“Then he’ll go back-and-forth. But I think eventually there will be a bottleneck at some point, and then we’ll all make a business decision.”

With Bader obtaining a stranglehold on two weight classes with Bellator, he is in a position of power to look at multiple position options for his next fight.

At 205 pounds, no clear-cut contender exists. Chael Sonnen called for a shot in the aftermath of Bellator 214, and Coker confirmed the winner of the Bellator 216 bout between former champ Vitaly Minakov (21-0 MMA, 5-0 BMMA) and Cheick Kongo (29-10-2 MMA, 11-2 BMMA) is next in line at heavyweight.

There are some key decisions to be made going forward, but if there’s one thing Coker is sure of, it’s that his champ-champ Bader is among the best fighters in MMA.

“He’s got to be right up there in the top two or three (pound-for-pound) in my opinion,” Coker said. The guy is dangerous. I’m not even sure if I’m just imagining, but it seems like he’s becoming a better and better striker because the go-to move was always go for the takedown … the ‘King Mo’ stoppage and this stoppage, I think he was setting up what he hit him with, and he caught him, and that was it. These guys are big, strong men, and one punch and it’s over.”

For complete coverage of Bellator 214, check out the MMA Events section of the site.