Bader: I want to finish Davis, fight Tito next
Ryan Bader: “He won that title and he has it. I haven’t won a title. I want to go in there and take that away from him.”
Bellator MMA light heavyweight Ryan Bader appeared recently on Submission Radio, and discussed his fight with champion Phil Davis at Bellator 180 on June 24, 2017, at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Bader was scheduled to make his league debut vs. Muhammed Lawal, but King Mo got injured, and the title fight was made. Curiously, it will be at the top of the Spike broadcast, rather than the PPV portion of the card.
I was at the house on Sunday,” said Bader. “My manager called and said ‘Hey, King Mo’s out.’ I’m like, ‘Oh man.’ I just had all my friends and family get tickets out to New York and they’re super expensive, flying across country. And then he’s like, ‘Well but we have Phil Davis’. And I’m like, ‘Awesome, but when?’ you know, figuring they’re not gonna do it on the New York card cause they already have two title fights. And he said, ‘No, same deal. New York. Same Madison Square Garden, main eventing on Spike.’ So it’s kind of the best of everything.”
“We had the option to wait for Phil Davis later on, potentially in November, but I wanted to be on the New York card, so I said, ‘Hey I’ll take a fight, let’s do whoever.’ “
“I have a great contract with Bellator and everything. It was something I could not pass up, and I didn’t think the UFC was gonna match that. I kind of feel like it’s a one of a kind deal with them and in MMA in general. So I feel like we have one of the better deals outside of being the UFC champion and getting pay-per-view points and being able to pull numbers. I feel like I have one of the better deals in all of mixed martial arts.
The fight will be a rematch. Bader won a Split Decision over Davis at UFC on Fox 14 on January 24, 2015.
“You know, everybody with experience gets better with just being in there,” conceded Bader. “He uses kicks well. I don’t think he likes to get hit very much. That’s why he keeps that distance, he keeps that awkward motion. He obviously has a great ground game, good wrestling. I’ve felt that before already and I’ve been in there with him, so that’s a plus too. I’ve only had one other rematch in my life and that was my last fight with Nogueira, so I look forward to it. I know what he’s bringing, he kind of knows what I’m bringing. But the thing is, I’ve gotten a lot better since our first fight. So that’s where I feel it’s gonna be the difference. I feel like I’ve grown more than he has.
“I feel like I’m a different fighter than when we first fought, so I think he’s gonna be surprised. If he was surprised the first time, he’s going to be even more surprised this time. I’m more well-rounded than I was, my striking is better, everything is better, my mentality is better, and so we’re ready. I’m motivated. He won that title and he has it. I haven’t won a title. I want to go in there and take that away from him and have it for my own. So I’m super motivated and I think it’s gonna be a different fight. I’m looking to go in there and I’m looking to finish this fight and make a statement, for sure.
“I’m prepared to go five rounds hard, but if it doesn’t, great. You know, you there and finish the fight, that’s what I want to do. But I’m always prepared to go in there and grind it out. That being said, in the last couple of fights I’ve finished the fights and knocked out Ilir Latifi and then finished Lil Nog on the ground and I’d love to go in there and make it three in a row with a championship fight.
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Bader also discussed who he wants to fight after Davis.
Is Tito Ortiz still retired?” asked Bader. “Obviously, I lost a fight, and upset to Tito back in the day in 2011 or whatnot. So I’d love to get that fight. That’s the one I’ve always wanted to get back. But for me, a Fedor fight would be awesome. It was one of those things where (I’d want to fight him) purely out of respect. I’ve gotten to fight some legends in the sport and he was always one of those guys I always was a huge fan of. I’ve gotten to fight guys like Rampage, all those studs and guys I’ve watched growing up and so definitely Fedor is one of those fights I’d definitely love to have. Even if it wasn’t for the title and if it was just one of those fun catch-weight heavyweight fights, probably definitely him.