Bader: DC arrogant, has a big head, is least deserving UFC champ
Ryan Bader: “He’s got a big head, he’s the least deserving champion, and he’s already the most arrogant champion out there after a whole three days.”
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UFC light heavyweight contender Ryan Bader appeared recently on the Three Amigos Podcast, and discussed the new UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier. The pair were scheduled to fight at UFC Fight Night 68, but Cormier was removed and given a title shot vs, Anthony Johnson, when Jon Jones smoked his career.
Now Bader wants to do the fight, for the title.
A proud Cormier recently posted an image of his belts, but Bader says he is not the real champion.
“I kind of feel like (Cormier’s belt) is a little consolation prize,” said Bader as transcribed by Steph Daniels for BE. “There’s a guy that hasn’t been beat, that has been dominating, and is the pound for pound best fighter out there and he had that belt. It got stripped from him. We fighters have nothing to do with Jon Jones being stripped of the title. We didn’t vote him out. He brought it on himself and it is what it is.
DC has had the easiest road to the title. If you look at who he’s fought at 205lbs, it’s Patrick Cummins and Dan Henderson, who happens to be a 185lb fighter. Then, he gets thrown in there with Jon Jones and gets beat. He gets gifted another chance at it and fights Anthony Johnson – who is a beast, don’t get me wrong – but if there’s any knock on Johnson, it’s his Jiu-Jitsu and ground game, which is kind of Cormier’s best attributes. Cormier is the most arrogant champion, and the least deserving.
Bader also discussed getting into it with Cormier at the UFC 187 post fight press conference.
I’ve had 18 fights in the UFC and I’ve never been disrespected like I was by DC. I was at the press conference waiting on my manager and I was interested to see what was going to go on. I didn’t know if they were going to announce the next title fight or anything like that.
I showed up and all of a sudden I get called out. We made eye contact and then DC starts talking smack. He has a platform up there. He has a mic. I’m just down there in the back trying to shout and something just came over me and I honestly just wanted to get my hands on him there and then. It was all emotions, then and there.
I think Daniel Cormier has always had a big mouth and everything, but I’ve been around him here and there and he was good and respectful a couple of years ago. I get the whole turning heel and saying, ‘Don’t address me as Daniel, address me as champ,’ and all of that kind of douchey stuff, I see what you’re doing, you’re trying to turn heel so you’re playing it up.
But we have mutual friends that say, ‘He’s changed,’ and ‘He wasn’t there for me at this point,’ and tell me they’ve seen a change in him at the gym or whatnot. That’s somebody I don’t respect. I get playing the game and doing what you need to do to build fights, but when it comes down to personal stuff and you’re going big time and letting stuff go to your head, that’s what I don’t respect at all.
In a recent interview Cormier threatened to ‘Shut (Bader’s) mouth before he slaps the taste out of it.’
Oh, that’s real original. There he goes again, talking and being disrespectful. He calls me disrespectful, but he’s been disrespectful to everybody his whole career. He’s a talker. He has that platform. He has his Fox Sports 1 shows and everything to talk on. That’s why they have him on there.
He loves himself and he can’t shut his mouth. He’s got a big head, he’s the least deserving champion, and he’s already the most arrogant champion out there after a whole three days.