As crazy as it may sound to haters like Uproxx’s Jessica Hudnall, Ryan Bader should be looking at a title shot right now. He’s won five straight in a weight class that is nearly impossible to do so in, he’s done so over increasingly impressive competition, and he’s looked more and more well-rounded with each performance. On the heels of a one-sided decision win over returning former champ Rashad Evans, it seemed as if Bader was all but guaranteed to be the man to face the winner of Jon Jones vs. Daniel Cormier (which FYI, will be Jon Jones).
But if there’s one thing we’ve learned about the modern era of the UFC, it’s that Reebok Fight Kits are terrible. If there’s a second thing we’ve learned, it’s that title fights are *never* guaranteed. As such, Bader has once again been passed over and instead booked against his toughest opponent to date…
As crazy as it may sound to haters like Uproxx’s Jessica Hudnall, Ryan Bader should be looking at a title shot right now. He’s won five straight in a weight class that is nearly impossible to do so in, he’s done so over increasingly impressive competition, and he’s looked more and more well-rounded with each performance. On the heels of a one-sided decision win over returning former champ Rashad Evans, it seemed as if Bader was all but guaranteed to be the man to face the winner of Jon Jones vs. Daniel Cormier (which FYI, will be Jon Jones).
But if there’s one thing we’ve learned about the modern era of the UFC, it’s that Reebok Fight Kits are terrible. If there’s a second thing we’ve learned, it’s that title fights are *never* guaranteed. As such, Bader has once again been passed over and instead booked against his toughest opponent to date…
Last night’s edition of UFC Tonight broke the word that Bader will take on Anthony “Rumble” Johnson in the main event of the UFC’s first FOX card of 2016, which goes down on January 30th at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
After coming up short in his own title bid against Cormier, Johnson bounced back by bouncing Jimi Manuwa‘s head off the canvas repeatedly, scoring a second round knockout and a “Performance of the Night” bonus in the process. Aside from the loss to Cormier, Johnson has been undefeated in some 9 fights dating back to his last stint in the UFC.
If you’re wondering how Bader feels about what should be an unfortunate development for anyone who appreciates having brain cells, well, he’s taking it about as well as one can. (via Fox Sports)
It’s more palatable that it’s Jon Jones coming back and getting it than the whole (Alexander) Gustafsson situation coming off a knockout loss and all that.
For me, it looks like I’ve got to beat all these guys in the top five to get a shot. For me, having a big main event on FOX and fighting Anthony Johnson and he’s ranked No. 1 and that’s where we want to be. Obviously, I wanted to title shot but that’s not happening. The next best thing is this fight.
I’ll give Bader this much: I don’t think I’ve ever heard a fighter call a match with Rumble “the next best” option to *anything*, unless that next best thing was “wearing a Reebok Fight Kit.”
See, I had a plan for that joke all along!! How is it that I get paid so little to do this?!!
If it sounds like I’m underselling the UFC 192 main event that pitted newly-crowned light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier against former title challenger Alexander Gustafsson, it’s only because the five round affair was a fight that simply needs to be seen to be appreciated. I could tack on any number of adjectives to the fight, I could call it a “grinder” or a “war” or a “blood-soaked battle of wills,” but the truth is, Cormier vs. Gustafsson was simply an example of championship-level MMA at its finest.
That DC vs. Lusty Gusty came at the tail end of a main card that saw all five of its fights go the distance is a testament to its greatness, so check out all the highlights from the action-packed main event (and the rest of the card as well), courtesy of UFC on FOX.
If it sounds like I’m underselling the UFC 192 main event that pitted newly-crowned light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier against former title challenger Alexander Gustafsson, it’s only because the five round affair was a fight that simply needs to be seen to be appreciated. I could tack on any number of adjectives to the fight, I could call it a “grinder” or a “war” or a “blood-soaked battle of wills,” but the truth is, Cormier vs. Gustafsson was simply an example of championship-level MMA at its finest.
That DC vs. Lusty Gusty came at the tail end of a main card that saw all five of its fights go the distance is a testament to its greatness, so check out all the highlights from the action-packed main event (and the rest of the card as well), courtesy of UFC on FOX.
Really, this highlight does little justice for what was easily one of the best fights of the year, and Gustafsson’s second brilliant-but-just-shy-of-winning performance against one of the greatest fighters in the sport today. If only he didn’t have to look like his face had been run through a meat grinder after each one of these performances.
In the co-main event of the evening, the evolution of Ryan Bader continued via a hard-fought, if one-sided decision win over former champ Rashad Evans. While “Suga” looked far fresher than you would expect for a guy who has spent the past two years on the shelf battling various injuries, he was simply a step behind “Darth” on Saturday. The TUF 8 winner was able to land first, utilizing a newfound and deadly accurate jab, and even outwrestle the TUF 1 winner consistently, and while I don’t think the win was enough to convince anyone that Bader stands a chance against Cormier or Jon Jones, it was an impressive performance nonetheless.
The unfortunate removal of Johny Hendricks from UFC 192 bumped a flyweight tilt between former title challengers Joseph Benavidez and Ali Bagautinov up to the main card, and they…more or less did not take advantage of it. In a smart, technical performance from the Team Alpha Male veteran that was routinely booed by the crowd, Benavidez utilized a slight speed advantage to keep the Dagestani consistently off balance and chasing en route to a unanimous decision win. Not much else to say about this one, what with both guys chances of receiving another shot at Mighty Mouse falling in the “Slim to none” category.
The full results for UFC 192 are below.
Main card
Daniel Cormier def. Alexander Gustafsson via split decision
Ryan Bader def. Rashad Evans via unanimous decision
Ruslan Magomedov def. Shawn Jordan via unanimous decision
Joseph Benavidez def. Ali Bagautinov via unanimous decision
Julianna Pena def. Jessica Eye via unanimous decision
Undercard
Yair Rodriguez def. Dan Hooker via unanimous decision
Albert Tumenov def. Alan Jouban via first-round KO
Adriano Martins def. Islam Makhachev via first-round KO
Rose Namajunas def. Angela Hill via sub (rear-naked choke)
Sage Northcutt def. Francisco Trevino via first-round TKO
Sergio Pettis def. Chris Cariaso via unanimous decision
Derrick Lewis def. Viktor Pesta via third-round TKO
UFC 192 was almost a tale of two halves. The prelims were stellar, with five of the seven bouts being finished in violent fashion. The main card slowed things down as every fight went to the scorecards, but the main event clash for the light heavyweigh…
UFC 192 was almost a tale of two halves. The prelims were stellar, with five of the seven bouts being finished in violent fashion. The main card slowed things down as every fight went to the scorecards, but the main event clash for the light heavyweight title got everyone back on their feet.
Typically following an event, the suggestions for the next fights come in about 24 hours, but there was a lot to process with UFC 192 from Houston. How should the UFC handle the prospects that won? And how about the title contenders who sit on the outside looking in?
Oftentimes it is not just a matter of who wins and loses on a particular event, but rather how they win or lose. What they show us inside the cage directly affects the path they take up the ranks in their respective divisions. A UFC matchmaker’s job is complex; Joe Silva and Sean Shelby have a lot to take in after the results in Houston.
Well, the recommendations have arrived. Here is how the UFC should handle the next bouts for the winners and losers of UFC 192.
In a world still trying to fill the hole left by the absence of former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones, there are many pursuers to the throne. Most of the names are familiar to the ex-champ—casualties left in his path of Octagon destruct…
In a world still trying to fill the hole left by the absence of former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones, there are many pursuers to the throne. Most of the names are familiar to the ex-champ—casualties left in his path of Octagon destruction—and so it seems likely that if and when he returns, it will be a rematch against whoever happens to be wearing the belt he left behind. Ryan Bader, once a prospect, then an afterthought among the division elite, now finds himself square in the middle of the title picture and the hunt for a Jones do-over after stunning Rashad Evans in the UFC 192 co-main event Saturday night.
In a fight considered a toss-up by betting line, Bader swept the judges’ scorecards with a trio of 30-27 scores, authoring the most technically impressive performance of his seven-year UFC run.
In capturing his fifth straight win, Bader now has the inside track on a championship fight against Daniel Cormier, with one big caveat. Jones still casts an ominous 6’4″ shadow, having just settled his hit-and-run case in New Mexico with little more than probation. While he hasn’t yet publicly stated any intention to return to mixed martial arts, in the immediate aftermath of UFC 192, Jones posted and then quickly deleted a video on Instagram, saying, “I think I miss it.”
Jones, however, has yet to officially meet with the UFC, which suspended him and stripped him of the championship in the wake of his April car crash and arrest.
Whether or not Bader (20-4) gets an opportunity to fight for the title, he showed an elevation of skills that makes him a more formidable challenge than at any point of his career. In the past, Bader featured an overhand right and an overzealous wrestling attack almost exclusively, but against Evans, he illustrated a newfound versatility. He controlled the distance with a sharp, protective jab, showcased a sneaky right uppercut and beat Evans at his own game with superior counterstriking.
“I was feeling good and went out there and finally just felt like the fighter I knew I could be,” he said in the post-fight press conference at Houston’s Toyota Center. “I felt quick, felt fast with the jab. I hit him with some good shots. Rashad is a veteran of the sport. To take out someone like that, that’s what I need. Make it five wins in a row with a name like that as a bookend like that, we’ll see where it goes.
“Obviously I do want a title shot,” he continued. “We got Jon Jones back in the picture. For me, I’ve got to control the things I can control. That’s the fight in front of me, that was Rashad. We’ll just see what happens.”
There was a time when it seemed that Bader’s inconsistency would preclude him from reaching the top tier of UFC light heavyweights. After a promising start to his UFC career, including The Ultimate Fighter 8 title and five straight victories, he seemed to plateau, struggling through a 3-4 stretch that included a first-round submission loss to Tito Ortiz, who at the time, had not won a fight in almost five years.
By the end of his rough patch, he was 30 years old and stuck in neutral.
For most observers, it was confirmation that he would never reach his early promise, but to his credit, Bader kept at it, put the loss behind him and kept building on his skill set. While his stand-up had once been shaped by his bulky and stiff frame, he exhibited few traces of his former self on Saturday with striking that was at times downright creative.
“Just progress, focus,” he said in the press conference, explaining the leap. “Every training camp, I take the things I need to take and drop the stuff I need to drop. This is my 17th fight in the UFC. That accumulates. Having the right people around me in my camp. My personal life is great. Everything together, it just puts me in the mindset to go out there and take what I want. It’s changing my mind set, really. I just made up my mind that I want to go out there and do it, and want to be the best.”
Reaction to Bader’s win was somewhat restrained due to the recent inactivity of Evans (19-4-1), who was competing for the first time in 687 days. The former champ had been out of the Octagon since a November 2013 technical knockout victory over Chael Sonnen. In the time since, he’d undergone multiple knee surgeries, which had put his career into some doubt.
Evans had previously come back from a long layoff, however, and performed brilliantly, returning from a 14-month hiatus to steamroll Ortiz back in 2011. While that fact may not be enough to sway some of the more vocal Bader doubters, his streak speaks for itself, with the longest string of victories of anyone in the division’s top 10.
Does he have enough firepower to effectively challenge the ultra-aggressive Cormier? Can he hang with the uber-talented Jones? In truth, most would probably doubt him in either instance, but he’s already beaten expectations once.
A few years ago, few would have bet on him to reach this point at all. There was a time when Bader was going nowhere. Who would have guessed his road to nowhere led all the way here?
The light heavyweight matchup of Ryan Bader and Rashad Evans could have been the main event on a lesser card than UFC 192.
On a card as loaded as the one set to take place Saturday, October 3, it serves as one of the delicious appetizers before a…
The light heavyweight matchup of Ryan Bader and Rashad Evans could have been the main event on a lesser card than UFC 192.
On a card as loaded as the one set to take place Saturday, October 3, it serves as one of the delicious appetizers before a championship main event.
Bader and Evans are ranked No. 4 and 5, respectively, heading into the event, according to the UFC rankings. With a win, either would be in a great position to challenge the winner of the main event for the light heavyweight strap.
Here’s a look at how the two match up statistically.
Fight Breakdown
By reputation, this is a matchup of two great wrestlers. Bader and Evans both wrestled at the Division I level in college, with Bader wrestling at Arizona State and Evans representing Michigan State.
However, only one of them truly plies their trade in the Octagon. As noted by Reed Kuhn of Fightnomics, Bader actually utilizes his ground game to control fights far more than anyone on the entire card:
Bader earned this shot against a top-five opponent by virtue of a four-fight winning streak that goes back to December 2013. It’s a win streak that has largely come from his ability to take opponents to the mat and keep them there.
According to FightMetricnumbers, Bader has opened a 20-2 advantage over his opponents in the takedown department. Combine that with his ability to maintain top control, and it’s easy to see how he’s earned four straight decisions.
In the same span of time that Bader has racked up a four-fight win streak, Evans hasn’t even stepped into the cage. A series of injuries has kept the former champion from competing in the Octagon, which has led to questions about what kind of shape Evans will be in when he steps into the cage.
Bader went to Twitter to pose the question:
Evans doesn’t think conditioning will be an issue, though. “He should know one thing: I would never get into the cage looking fat,” Evans said, per Case Keefer of the Las Vegas Sun. “But he should hope for that version of me because by him doing that, he’s messed up. He’s going to get the Rashad Evans that showed up and whipped Chael (Sonnen). Too bad for Bader.”
The Evans that defeated Sonnen in the first round still doesn’t exactly resemble the wrestler that competed at Michigan State, though. While Bader has shown that his modusoperandi is to take opponents down and keep them there, Suga has preferred to stand and trade with opponents.
He hasn’t registered multiple takedowns in any of his last four fights.
With Bader‘s proficiency on the ground, Evans is likely to turn this into a kickboxing bout as much as possible.
Prediction
Evans’ long layoff makes this a difficult fight to project. If he’s truly back in top form, he should be able to win this fight. His wrestling is still elite and his athleticism should be able to ward off Bader‘s advances.
However, if years of fighting the best the light heavyweight division has to offer and injuries have started to take their toll, Bader has an opportunity to pick up the biggest win of his career.
The important stat to hone in on here is striking defense. Bader might not be the most polished striker in the world, but he’s elusive enough that he rarely gets hit cleanly either. Given the long layoff for Evans, that will give Bader an opportunity to throw and land serious strikes of his own.
In the case of two fighters who appear to be on equal footing, the pick should be the fighter with the fewest questions. At this point, that has to be Bader. He has recent momentum on his side and could capitalize on the the opportunity to take his career to new heights.
Rashad Evans is free of injury and ready to return to action with a fight against Ryan Bader at UFC 192.As reported by Thomas Gerbasi of the UFC’s official website, Suga will step into the Octagon for the first time since his November 2013 victory over…
Rashad Evans is free of injury and ready to return to action with a fight against Ryan Bader at UFC 192.
As reported by Thomas Gerbasi of the UFC’s official website, Suga will step into the Octagon for the first time since his November 2013 victory over Chael Sonnen to take on an in-form Bader, who is currently ranked third in the organisation’s light heavyweight standings.
Houston’s Toyota Center will host the bout on Saturday, October 3, a day former heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez is also eyeing for his return, per UFC Tonight (h/t MMA Fighting). Velasquez surrendered his title to Fabricio Werdum at UFC 188 in June, finding no answer to the Brazilian’s third-round guillotine choke.
“Sources close to Velasquez told Ariel Helwani that he wanted to compete on that particular card because that’s the same one his training partner—and current light heavyweight champion—Daniel Cormier is hoping to fight on,” noted MMA Fighting.
Helwani believes the potential line-up is looking good:
Although Cain is yet to outline an opponent, UFC 192 is shaping up to be one of the year’s best-stacked cards. Velasquez’s only other loss came against Junior dos Santos in 2011, a defeat he has since avenged with two victories in the three-fight series. He will be itching to land another opportunity at Werdum.
Cormier will headline the card if he’s to be included, providing an excellent opportunity for Rashad or Bader to underline their credentials for his belt prior to the main event. He’d likely face Alexander Gustafsson after beating Anthony “Rumble” Johnson for the light heavyweight belt in May.
Evans’ record stands at 19-3-1 heading into a challenging bout with Bader. Wins over Dan Henderson and Sonnen allowed him to gain momentum after Jon Jones and Antonio Nogueira inflicted back-to-back defeats, the first of which was for the title.
Rashad has struggled with knee injuries since stopping Sonnen, having battles against Cormier and Glover Teixeira cancelled over the last 15 months. Bader has gained traction in that time, beating Anthony Perosh, Rafael Cavalcante, Ovince Saint Preux and Phil Davis since December 2013.
Darth’s record stands similar to Evans’ at 19-4, but he is yet to experience the light heavyweight gold. The 2008 Ultimate Fighter winner has typically come unstuck against the best—his defeats have arrived against Jones, Tito Ortiz, Lyoto Machida and Teixeira—so he’ll be hoping to slay Evans before his opponent can regain his composure in the Octagon.
UFC 192 promises to be a memorable night, even before the main event and complete card is announced.
Evans’ return is big news and may allow the 35-year-old one final run to recapture the belt. The light heavyweight division is stacked with quality, so defeat for Rashad or Bader will set them back considerably.
