Tag: Ryan Bader

Video: Ryan Bader Takes Ilir Latifi’s Soul With Crushing Knockout

UFC Hamburg transpired in the Barclaycard Arena last night (Saturday September 3, 2016). In the promotion’s fifth trip to Germany and the first to Hamburg, a host of well-known European prospects were on show. Most of the local favorites did very well indeed. Alexander Gustafsson bounced back from the first back-to-back losses of his career.

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UFC Hamburg transpired in the Barclaycard Arena last night (Saturday September 3, 2016). In the promotion’s fifth trip to Germany and the first to Hamburg, a host of well-known European prospects were on show. Most of the local favorites did very well indeed. Alexander Gustafsson bounced back from the first back-to-back losses of his career. The former title challenger shut out a game Jan Blachowicz over three rounds. The real story of the night came from Ryan Bader though.

After being squashed by Anthony Johnson in his last trip to the octagon, ‘Darth’ was in need of a big win. Following the devastation ‘Rumble’ had bestowed on Bader, the Ultimate Fighter 8 winner was not faced with an easy task. Taking on surging knockout artist/wrestler Ilir Latifi on European soil must have been a daunting task.

Ryan Bader

Career Defining Knockout

Not only did he pull it out the bag, but Ryan Bader did it with a stunning knockout in the second round.’Darth’ hadn’t scored a finish in the UFC octagon since 2011 against Jason Brilz. What a time to do it, and in such brutal fashion too. Here’s the footage of Bader’s nasty knockout against ‘Rocky’ in Hamburg:

UFC Fight Night: Latifi v Bader

What’s Next?

That’s an interesting question to ask right now. The UFC light-heavyweight division is a complicated picture at the championship end. With Anthony Johnson, Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier making a bit of a jam, there could be room for a pretty decent fight with Latifi’s team-mate. Yep, Alexander Gustafsson vs. Ryan Bader has a pretty nice ring to it.

There’s now a rivalry to base that fight on too, given the friendship between training partners Gus and ‘Rocky.’ Also the rankings, for what they are even worth these days, would add up in that fight. Have we seen the new version of Ryan Bader put on trial in Germany?

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Video: UFC Fight Night 93 Post-Fight Press Conference

https://youtu.be/nackLupwHd8

After Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 93 event in Hamburg, Germany, UFC held their official UFN 93 post-fight press conference.

Featured above is a complete video archive of the post-presser, which featured Josh Barnett, A…

barnett-ufn-93-post-presser

https://youtu.be/nackLupwHd8

After Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 93 event in Hamburg, Germany, UFC held their official UFN 93 post-fight press conference.

Featured above is a complete video archive of the post-presser, which featured Josh Barnett, Alexander Gustafsson, Ryan Bader and other winners from Saturday’s big show.

For complete UFN 93 results, click here.

UFC Fight Night Hamburg Bonuses: Bader Cashes In On $50K Knee

UFC Fight Night 93 has wrapped up from Hamburg, Germany today (September 3, 2016) and one of the most vicious knockouts of the night came at the hands of Ryan ‘Darth’ Bader. During his scheduled three round contest with No. 12-ranked Illir Latifi, Bader delivered a nasty knee to the Swede’s skull in the second

The post UFC Fight Night Hamburg Bonuses: Bader Cashes In On $50K Knee appeared first on LowKick MMA.

UFC Fight Night 93 has wrapped up from Hamburg, Germany today (September 3, 2016) and one of the most vicious knockouts of the night came at the hands of Ryan ‘Darth’ Bader.

During his scheduled three round contest with No. 12-ranked Illir Latifi, Bader delivered a nasty knee to the Swede’s skull in the second round that sent him out like a light. Bader was awarded ‘Performance of the Night’ along with $50,000 for his efforts.

In our main event two former UFC heavyweight champions Josh Barnett and Andrei Arlovski would collide in a massive contest for the big boys’ division. The two men opened up the fight by dropping one another in a crazy round that brought back memories of Arlovski’s collision with Travis Browne at UFC 187.

Two rounds later Barnett would lock in a rear-naked choke and force ‘The Pitbull’ to tap out, giving ‘The Warmaster’ the submission victory.

Both men were awarded ‘Fight of the Night’ honors and will each take home $50,000 for the slugfest, however, Barnett will take home an extra loaf of $50,000 as he was awarded ‘Performance of the Night’ as well.

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Ryan Bader vs. Ilir Latifi: Results and Reaction from UFC Fight Night 93

At UFC Fight Night 93, airing on Fight Pass live from Hamburg, Germany, on Saturday, American Ryan Bader (21-5) squared off with Sweden’s Ilir Latifi (12-5) in Bader’s first fight since a fast and violent KO loss to Anthony “Rumble” Johnson in January….

At UFC Fight Night 93, airing on Fight Pass live from Hamburg, Germany, on Saturday, American Ryan Bader (21-5) squared off with Sweden’s Ilir Latifi (12-5) in Bader’s first fight since a fast and violent KO loss to Anthony “Rumble” Johnson in January.

His return proved to be spectacular. At just over two minutes into Round 2, Latifi shot in for a takedown with a level change, the last of several he attempted throughout the fight, and Bader knocked him out cold with a knee. 

Bader was calculating and tentative in the first round, looking more comfortable and self-assured in the opening minute than he had against Johnson. He effectively stayed Latifi with body kicks and carefully timed strikes and stuffed or escaped all of the Swede’s takedown attempts.

Both fighters are strong wrestlers, and it shows in how little either was able to accomplish by using it. Toward the end of the first, Latifi dropped Bader with a big right, but the American recovered enough to get back to his feet and survive to the end of the round.

The UFC provided video of Round 1’s highlights:

Round 2 began with striking, but Bader soon shot for a takedown, which Latifi met with a sprawl and a choke attempt that Bader managed to escape. When Latifi shot in for his fifth takedown, per FightMetric, Bader caught his exposed head on the level change with a solid knee to the face. Latifi immediately fell backward unconscious, and Bader walked off as the referee stepped in to call the fight at 2:06 of the second round. 

Bloody Elbow analyzed the action:

In his post-fight interview in the Octagon, Bader said of the finish: “This was something new, you know, I haven’t had a kick or a knee knockout. You kind of know when it hits a sweet spot and you see him go back and he’s done. It was just a great feeling. All the accumulation of hard work comes together at that one moment.”

The UFC captured Bader’s big moment:

Bader was the No. 4-ranked light heavyweight coming into the fight, with wins over Rashad Evans, Phil Davis and Rampage Jackson. Johnson, who last beat Bader, is the No. 1 contender to champion Daniel Cormier. Glover Teixeira sits at No. 3, and former challenger Alexander Gustafsson is No. 2; Rumble has knocked out both of them.

Bader continues to develop, so a bid for the belt might be slightly premature. Gustafsson, who just won a decision at Fight Night 93 over Jan Blachowicz, could be a good opponent for him in a title eliminator. Cormier will likely meet Johnson or Jon Jones next, although no fight has been announced.

Bader, however, was not so concerned with his next fight. Also in the interview, he said, “I’ve fought everybody in the division—a who’s who throughout my career—so at this point who cares who’s next.” 

This was Latifi’s first showdown with a Top 10 light heavyweight, and it may have been too great a leap too soon. He beat No. 15 Gian Villante in March, but besides Bader, he has otherwise not faced any of the Top 15.

Latifi shows great promise, but his game still has holes that are easily exploited. A fight with No. 9 Antonio Rogerio Nogueira or No. 10 Nikita Krylov could help reassert his place among the Top 15.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Ryan Bader vs. Ilir Latifi: Results and Reaction from UFC Fight Night 93

At UFC Fight Night 93, airing on Fight Pass live from Hamburg, Germany, on Saturday, American Ryan Bader (21-5) squared off with Sweden’s Ilir Latifi (12-5) in Bader’s first fight since a fast and violent KO loss to Anthony “Rumble” Johnson in January….

At UFC Fight Night 93, airing on Fight Pass live from Hamburg, Germany, on Saturday, American Ryan Bader (21-5) squared off with Sweden’s Ilir Latifi (12-5) in Bader’s first fight since a fast and violent KO loss to Anthony “Rumble” Johnson in January.

His return proved to be spectacular. At just over two minutes into Round 2, Latifi shot in for a takedown with a level change, the last of several he attempted throughout the fight, and Bader knocked him out cold with a knee. 

Bader was calculating and tentative in the first round, looking more comfortable and self-assured in the opening minute than he had against Johnson. He effectively stayed Latifi with body kicks and carefully timed strikes and stuffed or escaped all of the Swede’s takedown attempts.

Both fighters are strong wrestlers, and it shows in how little either was able to accomplish by using it. Toward the end of the first, Latifi dropped Bader with a big right, but the American recovered enough to get back to his feet and survive to the end of the round.

The UFC provided video of Round 1’s highlights:

Round 2 began with striking, but Bader soon shot for a takedown, which Latifi met with a sprawl and a choke attempt that Bader managed to escape. When Latifi shot in for his fifth takedown, per FightMetric, Bader caught his exposed head on the level change with a solid knee to the face. Latifi immediately fell backward unconscious, and Bader walked off as the referee stepped in to call the fight at 2:06 of the second round. 

Bloody Elbow analyzed the action:

In his post-fight interview in the Octagon, Bader said of the finish: “This was something new, you know, I haven’t had a kick or a knee knockout. You kind of know when it hits a sweet spot and you see him go back and he’s done. It was just a great feeling. All the accumulation of hard work comes together at that one moment.”

The UFC captured Bader’s big moment:

Bader was the No. 4-ranked light heavyweight coming into the fight, with wins over Rashad Evans, Phil Davis and Rampage Jackson. Johnson, who last beat Bader, is the No. 1 contender to champion Daniel Cormier. Glover Teixeira sits at No. 3, and former challenger Alexander Gustafsson is No. 2; Rumble has knocked out both of them.

Bader continues to develop, so a bid for the belt might be slightly premature. Gustafsson, who just won a decision at Fight Night 93 over Jan Blachowicz, could be a good opponent for him in a title eliminator. Cormier will likely meet Johnson or Jon Jones next, although no fight has been announced.

Bader, however, was not so concerned with his next fight. Also in the interview, he said, “I’ve fought everybody in the division—a who’s who throughout my career—so at this point who cares who’s next.” 

This was Latifi’s first showdown with a Top 10 light heavyweight, and it may have been too great a leap too soon. He beat No. 15 Gian Villante in March, but besides Bader, he has otherwise not faced any of the Top 15.

Latifi shows great promise, but his game still has holes that are easily exploited. A fight with No. 9 Antonio Rogerio Nogueira or No. 10 Nikita Krylov could help reassert his place among the Top 15.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Ryan Bader Obliterates Ilir Latifi With A Knee

Once upon a time, Ryan Bader (21-5) was one of the hottest prospects in the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s (UFC) light heavyweight division. While “Darth” hasn’t tasted UFC gold, he has earned 20 professional career wins and sat at number four in the rankings before meeting Ilir Latifi (12-5, 1 NC) at UFC Fight Night 93. “Darth”

The post Ryan Bader Obliterates Ilir Latifi With A Knee appeared first on LowKick MMA.

Once upon a time, Ryan Bader (21-5) was one of the hottest prospects in the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s (UFC) light heavyweight division. While “Darth” hasn’t tasted UFC gold, he has earned 20 professional career wins and sat at number four in the rankings before meeting Ilir Latifi (12-5, 1 NC) at UFC Fight Night 93.

“Darth” earned the sixth win in his last seven fights in a way that left the crowd in Hamburg, Germany speechless.

Bader moved in and defended Latifi’s takedown attempt. “Darth” landed a jab as Latifi was moving forward. Another takedown attempt was thwarted by Bader. A body kick connected for Bader. “The Sledgehammer” caught the leg of Bader and went for some strikes, but his opponent got out of harm’s way. Latifi whiffed a huge hook. Latifi moved forward and dropped Bader with a right hook. “Darth” returned to his feet before the round ended.

The second round began and Bader landed a stiff jab. Bader went for a takedown, but it was stuffed. Bader ate a right hand as he got back to his feet. Bader landed a right hand as Latifi went for a clinch. Bader knocked Latifi out cold with a devastating knee as his opponent went for a level change.

Final Result: Ryan Bader def. Ilir Latifi via KO (knee) – R2, 2:06

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