Back in the day, Ryan Bader would have been goaded into a firefight with a striker as lethal as Rafael Cavalcante. And he probably would have lost.
But that was the old Bader, and this is the new one. The former Ultimate Fighter winner shut down the former Strikeforce champion in a light heavyweight bout Saturday night at UFC 174.
The judges’ scorecards in Vancouver were 30-27 across the board.
Bader set the tone early by establishing his wrestling. When he scored the takedown, he started working from the top, mixing up ground and pound with violent knees to the body.
This continued for the better part of two rounds, as “Feijao” seemed to have no answer for Bader.
More Coverage: UFC 174 Results | UFC news
Download MMA Fighting iPhone App
Cavalcante came out in round three looking like he was a fighter who knew he was down 2-0 on the scorecards, and he threw a few big bombs. Bader stayed composed, though, didn’t get suckered into a brawl, and resumed control by the middle of the round.
Bader (17-3) has won three of his past four fights and his 5-2 since his infamous 2011 loss to Tito Ortiz. Cavalcante is 12-5 with a no-contest and has dropped two of his past three.