Tough Loss for Bader

Jul 18, 2011 by

To say that long time UFC 133 dominator Ryan Bader is going through a rough spot is a bit of an understatement. After losing his last three matches in a row, Bader is in a spot he isn’t very familiar with at all: the risk of getting cut. Not that anyone actually thinks he will, but many fighters have been cut for less than that, so now he’s riding on his past accolades to get him through to his next match and push him back up on top where he belongs. The 28 year old fighter, who is now 12-3, now recognizes his need to step out of his comfort zone after back to back stoppage losses to Jon Jones and Tito Ortiz. But stepping out of his comfort zone doesn’t necessarily mean working harder, but just improving different areas of his game plan and improving on his boxing. “I need to get out of my comfort zone. I want to be nervous because I’m sparring with a new guy,” Bader said. “I’m going to be getting different looks. I really can’t work any harder because I was already going so hard, but I can change things.”

The Arizona State University wrestler admittedly relies too much on his wrestling experience and hasn’t fully embraced boxing technique as much as he should, which would make him a much bigger threat to guys with boxing backgrounds. He needs to be on their level when it comes to throwing and blocking punches: “I’ve got to work on my defense and my movement,” Bader said. “That’s one of my problems. I don’t move my feet. Those mistakes cost me the fight.” Which was a very costly fight indeed, as Bader came in as the heavy favorite against Ortiz, with most expecting this to be Tito’s last fight and for him to retire after a striking loss to Bader. But instead, Tito’s upset has breathed new life into his career, as he has now accepted a main event fight for UFC 133 against Rashad Evans.

But Bader hopes that he can hunker down and diversify his training to come back stronger than ever before, looking to make a serious comeback that reflects his fighter’s nature and his reputation, building on his successes and learning from his mistakes to make him a better fighter than he’s ever been before. Bader says that after the loss to Jones, he didn’t necessarily feel the pressure. But now, after losing a fight to a serious underdog that tripled his losing streak, the pressure is now getting to him. Pressure, however, isn’t necessarily a bad thing, and Bader recognizes this, giving him a do or die drive to perfect his technique and come back more skilled than ever before. Bur for now, we’ll have to wait and see whether Ortiz’s hige upset is just going to be a fluke, or if he can really hang with the big names when he takes on Rashad Evans. A win against Evans would be validating for Bader, but that absolutely can’t be the focus. To get back to his prime, it shouldn’t matter who he goes up against, and that’s what he’s looking for.