Tag: Ryan Bader

UFC Fight Night 28 Results: Who’s Next for Yushin Okami and Ryan Bader?

Wednesday was yet another great showing for the UFC on Fox Sports 1.  From the opening main card bell to the last referee stoppage, the Brazil crowd had something to chant about at every turn.
But during a night that featured four main card knocko…

Wednesday was yet another great showing for the UFC on Fox Sports 1.  From the opening main card bell to the last referee stoppage, the Brazil crowd had something to chant about at every turn.

But during a night that featured four main card knockouts and one submission, some fighters felt the ugly backhand of defeat; none more than light heavyweight powerhouse Ryan Bader and middleweight top contender Yushin Okami.

For both men, Wednesday marked yet another opportunity to showcase their worth as current or future title threats.  Bader was aiming to dethrone the Glover Teixeira hype train as Okami was trying to knock off one of the toughest guys in the division, Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza.

In Bader’s case, a former top dog in the division, he did what he needed to do when initially striking with Teixeira.  He kept his distance, circled away from the power hand and mixed things up with a takedown attempt or two. 

Everything looked directed toward a big first-round upset after Bader wobbled the Brazilian against the cage, but after looping three straight hooks from the same angle, Teixeira’s superior boxing skills ultimately took over and culminated in a vicious finish.

Now on the wrong end of over-pursuing one of the best strikers in the division, Bader is forced back to the drawing board.  He’s still relevant, but in a growing division full of more well-rounded offensive fighters, he’ll have to pick his matchups with caution.

One opponent for “Darth” to sink his saber into next would be none other than Mauricio “Shogun” Rua.  Rua hasn’t shown the consistency of a top-10 light heavyweight over his past few fights, so he’ll be looking to get back into the win column.

This is perfect for a fighter like Bader, whom people are starting to write off.  While Rua isn’t the great champion he once was, his name still carries weight in the sport.

Other guys like Jimi Manuwa, James Te Huna and Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcante would all give Bader good fights and a chance to showcase his power wrestling.

In Okami’s case, one of the most consistent contenders in recent middleweight memory, his future within the division is still undecided.

He’s good enough to fight nearly anyone in the top 10, but with a lot of key names like Lyoto Machida, Michael Bisping, Mark Munoz, Tim Kennedy and Luke Rockhold already tied up until the new year, Okami will have to pick and choose his next opponent openly.

And when it really comes down to it, the only worthy name out there without a fight is Thales Leites.  The Brazilian was once a top UFC title threat and would certainly draw some interest. 

However, matchmaker Joe Silva could always throw Okami to a young wolf bordering the division’s top 10 like Brad Tavares.

Now even though a guy like Tavares hasn’t really defeated any prominent figures in the weight class, he’s still one of the hottest fighters outside of the core group of middleweights.

With that said, in culmination with a high-level grappling pedigree and the hunger for victory, Okami should be a huge favorite next time he steps inside the Octagon.

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UFC Fight Night 28: What We Learned from Glover Teixeira vs. Ryan Bader

For the last year, the light heavyweight division has been buzzing about Chuck Liddell prodigy Glover Teixeira and what he could do in the UFC’s 205-pound weight class.
Through his first few fights, Teixeira has been virtually flawless, finishing three…

For the last year, the light heavyweight division has been buzzing about Chuck Liddell prodigy Glover Teixeira and what he could do in the UFC’s 205-pound weight class.

Through his first few fights, Teixeira has been virtually flawless, finishing three opponents within the distance and putting a beatdown on former light heavyweight champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson in his only decision.

On Wednesday night in Brazil, Teixeira faced his stiffest test to date in former Ultimate Fighter winner Ryan Bader.

Over the last few years, Bader has bounced in and out of the top-10 rankings in the division, but he’s faced a murderers’ row of talent and has held his own with almost everybody he’s been in the cage against.

Teixeira came out right away and took the center of the Octagon, something his aggressive style lends him to do, and he was ready to begin exchanging punches with Bader right away. The only problem was Bader was prepared for that attack and fired back with some shots of his own, at one point stunning the Brazilian fighter before transitioning for a guillotine choke.

The grip slipped loose, and it was Teixeira who ended up taking the former All-American wrestler to the mat, but it was only a moment before both fighters were back on their feet.

It was there that Bader slipped through another punch that stunned Teixeira, and as the former Arizona State wrestler smelled blood, he started firing off a series of overhand rights trying to get through his opponent’s defenses. The swarm of punches unfortunately left Bader’s own head open, and Teixeira quickly launched a right hand that clipped his jaw, followed by a left hand that smashed him in the face.

Bader crashed to the canvas and could only cover up as Teixeira unleashed a barrage of punches to get the victory in the first round.

Prior to the fight, Teixeira was being touted as the next potential contender to the UFC light heavyweight title with an impressive win, but did he do enough in his fight against Bader to earn that distinction?

Let’s take a look at what we learned in the fight between Glover Teixeira and Ryan Bader.

 

Glover Teixeira Realizes He Was Buying into His Own Hype

Heading into Wednesday night’s fight card, all anybody could talk about was Teixeira’s phenomenal 19-fight win streak and undefeated run through the UFC thus far in his career. The only problem was Teixeira—as impressive as he’s been—hasn’t faced a single top-10 fighter yet, and hype can be a funny thing when it starts leaking into a fighter’s brain after having it drilled into them for months on end.

Teixeira almost became a victim of his own self-confidence when he thought he could just go out and roll through Bader like he has past opponents like Fabio Maldonado and Kyle Kingsbury. The mistake almost cost Teixeira the win, but after the fight, he was the first one to admit being dropped in the first round by a punch humbled him back to reality.

“I think one of my problems is I just had too much self-confidence,” Teixeira said. “This is a good wake up call.”

Teixeira knowing that he was getting a little too cocky is a good thing as he marches forward toward a potential title shot.

 

Don’t Count Out Ryan Bader Just Yet

Listen, after this fight, all of the critics are going to say that Ryan Bader is a solid fighter but not top-10 level because he has lost to almost all of the ranked competitors he’s faced in his career. Those facts aren’t necessarily untrue, but it’s hard to judge that he won’t bounce back from this fight even better than before.

Bader was swarming on Teixeira and showed confidence in his hands after some early exchanges with the Brazilian on the feet. He dropped Teixeira early and went for a guillotine choke but slipped off before he had the right position. Bader then came back and almost got the finish before getting dropped himself.

At 30 years of age, Bader isn’t the young guy trying to make his way in the UFC coming off The Ultimate Fighter anymore, so expectations are obviously higher, and that’s justified. But don’t write him off yet as just another gatekeeper who can’t beat the best guys in the division. The book isn’t written yet on Bader’s career, and if he can make a few adjustments, he still has a chance to be a solid top-10 fighter for years to come.

 

Glover Teixeira Says He’s Ready for a Title Shot, but He’s Not There Yet

The word from the UFC before this fight was that if Teixeira looked impressive, he would be the next man to challenge for the light heavyweight title against either Jon Jones or Alexander Gustafsson. Following the win, Teixeira proclaimed that no matter who was the victor at UFC 165, he would be taking the belt from him.

“I’m telling you this belt is going to be mine,” Teixeira said. “It doesn’t matter if it’s Jon Jones or (Alexander) Gustafsson, it’s mine.”

Now, on paper, a first-round knockout over Bader should be the kind of impressive performance that Teixeira needed to secure that title shot, correct?

Wrong.

Teixeira is a phenomenally talented fighter and could develop into the kind of competitor that could give Jones or Gustafsson problems, but his tendency to get hit and be involved in wild exchanges during a fight still hampers his overall performances. He showed those tendencies a few fights ago with Fabio Maldonado, and he did it again Wednesday night against Bader.

The fact that Teixeira realizes his own self-confidence was riding too high is a good thing, and taking a punch to the mush that knocks you on your butt is a great wake-up call, but it’s also proof that he’s not quite ready for the title.

Teixeira needs to face at least one proven top-10 fighter before getting to the title, and a perfect matchup would be former NCAA champion Phil Davis—who happens to be fresh off a win over Teixeira’s good friend and teammate, Lyoto Machida.

If Teixeira can do to Davis what he did to Bader, even if it’s not a flawless performance, then he can be proclaimed as the true No. 1 contender. Until then, it’s just too soon.

Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report, and all quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.

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UFC Fight Night: Teixeira vs. Bader — Liveblogging the Fights You Actually Care About


(Dana White isn’t there. Joe Rogan isn’t there. Arianny and Brittney aren’t there. But if you’re the Veteran Voice of the Octagon, you grab a polo shirt out of the hamper and show the hell up. It’s called integrity, okay? Hippofan knows what I’m talking about. / Photo via MMAJunkie)

Ali Bagautinov. Marcos Vinicius. Tor Troeng. Piotr Hallman. The people of Belo Horizonte don’t care about these dudes, and neither do we, to be honest. So we’re going to try something a little different for tonight’s liveblog of UFC Fight Night 28, and only run play-by-play for the three fights on this card that are worth liveblogging: Joseph Benavidez‘s meeting with Brazilian flyweight contender Jussier “Formiga” da Silva, the middleweight co-main event between Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza and Yushin Okami, and the light-heavyweight headliner between Glover Teixeira and Ryan Bader.

Live round-by-round results for those fights will be located after the jump starting around 8 p.m. ET-ish. We’ll also post quick results from the supporting card beforehand. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest, and if you’re watching along with us on FOX Sports 1, use the comments section to let us know how you feel.

(Dana White isn’t there. Joe Rogan isn’t there. Arianny and Brittney aren’t there. But if you’re the Veteran Voice of the Octagon, you grab a polo shirt out of the hamper and show the hell up. It’s called integrity, okay? Hippofan knows what I’m talking about. / Photo via MMAJunkie)

Ali Bagautinov. Marcos Vinicius. Tor Troeng. Piotr Hallman. The people of Belo Horizonte don’t care about these dudes, and neither do we, to be honest. So we’re going to try something a little different for tonight’s liveblog of UFC Fight Night 28, and only run play-by-play for the three fights on this card that are worth liveblogging: Joseph Benavidez‘s meeting with Brazilian flyweight contender Jussier “Formiga” da Silva, the middleweight co-main event between Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza and Yushin Okami, and the light-heavyweight headliner between Glover Teixeira and Ryan Bader.

Live round-by-round results for those fights will be located after the jump starting around 8 p.m. ET-ish. We’ll also post quick results from the supporting card beforehand. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest, and if you’re watching along with us on FOX Sports 1, use the comments section to let us know how you feel.

Quick results…

FOX SPORTS 1 MAIN CARD (7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT)

Glover Teixeira def. Ryan Bader via TKO, 2:55 of round 1

Ronaldo Souza def. Yushin Okami via TKO, 2:47 of round 1

Joseph Benavidez def. Jussier Formiga via TKO, 3:07 of round 1

Piotr Hallmann def. Francisco Trinaldo via submission (kimura), 3:50 of round 2

Rafael Natal def. Tor Troeng via unanimous decision (30-27 x 2, 29-28)

Ali Bagautinov def. Marcos Vinicius via TKO, 3:28 of round 3

FOX SPORTS 1 PRELIMS

Kevin Souza def. Felipe Arantes via split-decision (29-28 x 2, 28-29)

Lucas Martins def. Ramiro “Junior” Hernandez via technical submission (rear-naked choke), 1:10 of round 1

Elias Silverio def. Joao Zeferino via unanimous decision (30-27 x 2, 29-28)

Ivan Jorge def. Keith Wisniewski via unanimous decision (29-28 x 2, 30-27)

FACEBOOK PRELIM

Sean Spencer def. Yuri Villefort via split-decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-28)

Alright, let’s do this.

Joseph Benavidez vs. Jussier “Formiga” Da Silva

Round 1: Benavidez measures his distance with front kicks. Benavidez stalks forward and they clash with punches. Benavidez sticks and moves. Formiga trying to play the counter game, with limited success. Benavidez throws a body kick, Formiga fires a hard left hook. Benavidez with a left straight. He throws some punches at the air and fires a high kick that’s blocked. Front kick and punch from Joe. Formiga tries a turning side kick. Benavidez lands hard with a pair of punches and a knee to the body, and Formiga crumples to the mat. Benavidez drops some bombs from the top, and the ref stops it. Excellent performance from Joe B…he was the aggressor the whole time, and seized on the finish at his earliest opportunity.

Joseph Benavidez def. Jussier “Formiga” Da Silva via TKO, 3:07 of round 1.

Yushin Okami vs. Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza

Round 1: Okami pawing with the jab. Jacare flashes the front kick. Body kick from Jacare, who shoots to clinch afterwards. Okami shakes out, but Jacare lands a big punch that stuns Okami, then punishes Okami against the fence with a barrage of strikes. Okami looks to be in trouble, but he escapes and they return to the center of the cage. Jacare throws a big overhand right. Okami returns fire. Jacare throws the overhand right again and knocks Okami to the mat. Jacare fires down some nasty right hands from the top and the ref has seen enough. Man, did I pick the right fights to liveblog or what?

Jacare says an injury prevented him from doing his Jacare crawl. So you might as well just watch Jade Bryce do it.

Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza def. Yushin Okami via TKO, 2:47 of round 1.

Glover Teixeira vs. Ryan Bader

Round 1: Bader shoots for a single right away and Teixeira defends it. Bader tries for a guillotine on the mat when Teixeira engages in close. Teixeira defends. They get back to their feet and clinch against the fence. Teixeira considers a guillotine of his own. They separate. Bader fires off some punches, and a high kick as Teixeira tries to close distance on him. Teixeira slips to the mat (or is he staggered?) after Bader launches a punch volley at him. Teixeira gets to his feet but he looks shaky as Bader continues his striking attack. But then Teixeira catches Bader on the chin with a right straight/left hook combo and Bader falls to the mat! Teixeira follows it up with punches from the top and it’s all over. Damn…all three fights ended the exact same way.

Glover Teixeira def. Ryan Bader via TKO, 2:55 of round 1.

“I’m telling you, this belt is gonna be mine,” Glover says. “It doesn’t matter if it’s Jon Jones or Gustafsson, it’s gonna be mine.” He admits to being knocked down by Bader, and says it was due to being overconfident.

Did that performance change your opinion of Teixeira in any way? Is he a future title threat or not? Let us know in the comments, and enjoy the rest of your night…

UFC Fight Night 28 Live Blog for Glover Teixeira vs. Ryan Bader

UFC Fight Night 28 is capped off with a light heavyweight main event. No. 2-ranked Glover Teixeira takes on Ryan Bader with a potential title shot on the line.
With UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones set to defend the gold against No. 1-ranked Al…

UFC Fight Night 28 is capped off with a light heavyweight main event. No. 2-ranked Glover Teixeira takes on Ryan Bader with a potential title shot on the line.

With UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones set to defend the gold against No. 1-ranked Alexander Gustafsson, Teixeira will position himself as the fighter next in line with a win. Bader will be trying his hardest to steal his hype.

UFC Fight Night 28 kicks off at 5 p.m. ET on Fox Sports 1.

Bleacher Report will be here to deliver live play-by-play and analysis for the main event. 

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Fight Night 28: A Change in Perspective Has Ryan Bader Ready to Make His Mark

Everyone defines success differently, and Ryan Bader is raising the bar for himself.
Winning the 8th season of The Ultimate Fighter and defeating a handful of the best light heavyweight fighters in the UFC fold would be enough for some, but the 30-year…

Everyone defines success differently, and Ryan Bader is raising the bar for himself.

Winning the 8th season of The Ultimate Fighter and defeating a handful of the best light heavyweight fighters in the UFC fold would be enough for some, but the 30-year-old Power MMA product isn’t anywhere near satisfied. And for good reason.

While Bader has remained in the upper-tier of fighters competing at 205-pounds, steps back at crucial junctures have halted his progression. On two occasions the former Arizona State University standout appeared poised to make a run at a potential title shot, but ended up coming out on the business end of high-profile bouts with Jon Jones and former champion Lyoto Machida respectively.

When an unthinkable loss to Tito Ortiz is factored into the equation (and his ability to rebound from adversity in the aftermath), the resiliency of Bader shines through clearly.

For Bader, those losses were difficult to deal with, but ultimately provided the heavy-handed powerhouse with a unique education. Going into The Ultimate Fighter, he was a 24-year-old kid with just one year of competition under his belt.

Granted, he managed to pack seven fights into a 13-month wrecking spree on the southwest regional circuit, but was yet to face the level of adversity he was about to face competing on the sport’s biggest stage.

In the five years he’s been competing inside the Octagon, Bader has not only faced some of the best fighters on the planet, but marriage and a growing family have also shifted his perspectives on fighting and personal maturity.

“I do look at this as a career now and focus on it a lot more than I did in the past,” Bader told Bleacher Report. “I have a family to cater to and they are very supportive. That changes things for sure. I’m focused on those two things, where in the past, I could have been thinking about a million other things. I’m thinking about progressing my career and taking care of my family and that focus has allowed me to really buckle down a lot more and become better in all aspects.” 

These circumstances and conditions have brought Bader to the place where he is ready to make his mark on the light heavyweight front, and that mission will begin in earnest on Wednesday night when he faces highly-touted contender Glover Teixeira at UFC Fight Night 28 in Belo Horizonte, Brazil.

Bader acknowledges he’s about to face an opponent on a 19-fight winning streak in the hostile territory of Teixeira’s native country, but he believes it is the perfect atmosphere to make his biggest statement to date. 

“It doesn’t matter where I fight,” Bader said. “I’ve fought in Japan, Australia, and a few other places outside of the country. I’m undefeated fighting outside of the states and I’m looking to keep it that way. This is a big fight, a main event, and even though it is in Brazil, it really makes no difference to me. I’m just going to keep my head down and stay focused.

“Coming into this fight, [Teixeira] is definitely the favorite. I’m not supposed to beat him but I’m going to prove everyone wrong, and jump up into one of those top spots where he is at right now. A victory could lead to a potential title shot and all that good stuff, but I’m going to take that away from him and jump up into a top spot.

“This is one of the biggest fights in my career and it’s going to put me where I want to be,” Bader added. “He has a lot of hype around him, and beating him can show everyone I’m a new fighter and that I deserve to be up there.”

 

Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.

 

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MMA’s Great Debate Radio: Ryan Bader, Joseph Benavidez & the Best Debate in MMA

Following an action packed weekend at UFC 164, MMA’s Great Debate Radio returns with a stacked show for Tuesday with guests including Ryan Bader and Joseph Benavidez.
Bader will stop by to discuss his main event bout against Glover Teixeira at UFC Figh…

Following an action packed weekend at UFC 164, MMA’s Great Debate Radio returns with a stacked show for Tuesday with guests including Ryan Bader and Joseph Benavidez.

Bader will stop by to discuss his main event bout against Glover Teixeira at UFC Fight Night 28, and what a win will do for him in the ever-competitive 205-pound division. He will also discuss the hype surrounding Teixeira, and if the ranking he’s received recently is justified.

Also on the show, Joseph Benavidez will preview his fight this week against Jussier Formiga and how obsessing over winning a title may have cost him a belt on two different occasions.

Finally on today’s show, the debate heats up as we break down the events that happened last week at UFC 164 as well as look ahead at some of the key fights for UFC Fight Night 28 on Wednesday.

Today’s debate topics include:

—Following Anthony Pettis‘ win at UFC 164, Dana White says he doesn’t see a third fight with Benson Henderson happening. Fair or foul?

—Now that Anthony Pettis is champion, who should be his next opponent—Jose Aldo or T.J. Grant?

—Was the stoppage in the Josh Barnett vs. Frank Mir fight too early?

—Fight Pick: Joseph Benavidez vs. Jussier Formiga

—Fight Pick: Yushin Okami vs. Jacare Souza

—Fight Pick: Glover Teixeira vs. Ryan Bader

This is MMA’s Great Debate Radio for Tuesday, September 3, 2013

(If the embeddable player does not work, click HERE to listen to the show. Don’t forget to subscribe via iTunes or listen via Stitcher Radio)

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