The main event of UFC on FOX 18 could prove to be very influential to the immediate future of the light-heavyweight title picture, a ladder that “Rumble” successfully climbed as far as his UFC 187 title fight with Daniel Cormier. In 2011, when Rashad Evans pulled out of a light heavyweight title fight with Mauricio “Shogun” Rua because of injury, the UFC tabbed the victor of the Jon Jones-Bader fight as Evans’ replacement.
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He was beaten to the vacant 205lbs title by Daniel Cormier but the monstrous KO artist thinks that one more fallen victim could result in a second chance.
After losing to Cormier, Johnson beat Jimi Manuwa by knockout in September. Naturally, Bader should want little to do with standing against Johnson and instead should want to control the fight on the canvas. “If I go out there and do my job and what I can do, if it happens that I get the next title shot, it’s just icing on the cake”. Bader will need to be the aggressor in this fight, not necessarily stalking Johnson, but not allowing Johnson to stalk him the way Johnson did Phil Davis and others. Of course, I have to consider this as a grappler vs. striker matchup. He’s going to have to set it up if he gets a takedown.
The two-time All-American wrestler was submitted by Jones – who then went on to become champion – and was knocked out by Lyoto Machida and Glover Teixeira in fights that would have put him into title contention in an ever-thinning division. If he’s comfortable he can go hard for the first round or two but I plan on making him uncomfortable and taking him down.
“For me, it’s out of my mind”, Bader said. Now Rothwell will fight Josh Barnett but can’t make sense of it all!
Simpson predicts Bader will stop “Rumble” Saturday night and extend his win streak to six win a row.
“There’s somebody else who needs his [expletive] kicked, too, and I think he’s around here”, Cormier said. While nobodies tears are going to cry a river the popular Bader, it is hard to dispute the belief that many fighters have done less than Bader and have earned a title shot. “If Vegas saw what I saw everyday, it be leaning towards Bader”. I can see him doing that in this match and winning by submission. I’m a big underdog in this fight and I love being in that position.
Indeed, Johnson, who is usually one of the softer spoken fighters in the sport has been unusually vocal leading up to this bout.
Also, in a fight that nearly didn’t happen, it will be former Strikeforce Welterweight Champion Tarec Saffiedine and Jake Ellenberger. “I just feel real confident on Ryan”. You’ve got to get him out of his comfort zone and put the pace on him, make him fight your way.
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As a former assistant wrestling coach at Arizona State University, Simpson says Johnson’s mental weakness was evident through out his junior college wrestling career and even Johnson’s wrestling coaches informed him of it when Simpson was looking to recruit new wrestlers.
