UFC light heavyweight Ryan Jimmo is a believer in Ryan Bader‘s chances against newly minted 205-pound champion Daniel “DC” Cormier.
Speaking with MMAFighting.com’s Guilherme Cruz ahead of his UFC Fight Night 67 bout against Francimar Barroso, Jimmo talked about a potential title fight between Bader and Cormier, predicting a new champion would be crowned should the fight take place.
“I might have a little bit of a biased intention here because Ryan Bader is my training partner, but I don’t think Daniel Cormier keeps it. I think Ryan Bader will beat him,” Jimmo told Cruz. “I think other fighters have done better against Jon Jones than Daniel Cormier has, and I don’t think he keeps that belt very long.”
Specifically, Jimmo sees Bader as the more athletic fighter in a potential showdown against Cormier.
“I think he [Bader] can stop his [Cormier‘s] wrestling, and I think his striking has really improved and he’s got an incredible amount of endurance,” Jimmo said. “I think Bader is actually a better athlete.”
The Bader-vs.-Cormier discussion took roots long before Cormier earned the UFC light heavyweight title at UFC 187.
Before former champion Jon Jones’ hit-and-run incident and subsequent suspension and loss of his title, Cormier was scheduled to face Bader at the UFC Fight Night 68 event in Louisiana on June 6. When the UFC needed an opponent to fill in at UFC 187 to face title contender Anthony “Rumble” Johnson, however, it called Cormier‘s name, and the former Olympic wrestler rose to the challenge, eventually capturing the 205-pound strap via third-round submission.
Since then, Bader and Cormier have engaged in some verbal sparring, including a heated faceoff at the UFC 187 post-fight press conference.
While the UFC has not officially named Bader as the first challenger to Cormier‘s title, the fight makes sense, as Bader is on a four-fight winning streak and was already scheduled to face Cormier anyway.
There is, however, the small matter of level of competition in Bader‘s case. The best win during his four-fight run is current No. 6-ranked light heavyweight Ovince St-Preux, whom he defeated by unanimous decision in August 2014.
It’s unclear whether Bader‘s resume is strong enough to warrant a title shot, but he’s certainly generating some hype and giving himself every chance to earn the nod from UFC brass.
If the fight is arranged and Jimmo‘s prediction comes true, we’ll be in for a quick changing of the guard at light heavyweight.
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