In a world still trying to fill the hole left by the absence of former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones, there are many pursuers to the throne. Most of the names are familiar to the ex-champ—casualties left in his path of Octagon destruction—and so it seems likely that if and when he returns, it will be a rematch against whoever happens to be wearing the belt he left behind. Ryan Bader, once a prospect, then an afterthought among the division elite, now finds himself square in the middle of the title picture and the hunt for a Jones do-over after stunning Rashad Evans in the UFC 192 co-main event Saturday night.
In a fight considered a toss-up by betting line, Bader swept the judges' scorecards with a trio of 30-27 scores, authoring the most technically impressive performance of his seven-year UFC run.
In capturing his fifth straight win, Bader now has the inside track on a championship fight against Daniel Cormier, with one big caveat. Jones still casts an ominous 6'4" shadow, having just settled his hit-and-run case in New Mexico with little more than probation. While he hasn't yet publicly stated any intention to return to mixed martial arts, in the immediate aftermath of UFC 192, Jones posted and then quickly deleted a video on Instagram, saying, "I think I miss it."
Jones, however, has yet to officially meet with the UFC, which suspended him and stripped him of the championship in the wake of his April car crash and arrest.
Whether or not Bader (20-4) gets an opportunity to fight for the title, he showed an elevation of skills that makes him a more formidable challenge than at any point of his career. In the past, Bader featured an overhand right and an overzealous wrestling attack almost exclusively, but against Evans, he illustrated a newfound versatility. He controlled the distance with a sharp, protective jab, showcased a sneaky right uppercut and beat Evans at his own game with superior counterstriking.
"I was feeling good and went out there and finally just felt like the fighter I knew I could be," he said in the post-fight press conference at Houston's Toyota Center. "I felt quick, felt fast with the jab. I hit him with some good shots. Rashad is a veteran of the sport. To take out someone like that, that's what I need. Make it five wins in a row with a name like that as a bookend like that, we'll see where it goes.
"Obviously I do want a title shot," he continued. "We got Jon Jones back in the picture. For me, I've got to control the things I can control. That's the fight in front of me, that was Rashad. We'll just see what happens."
There was a time when it seemed that Bader's inconsistency would preclude him from reaching the top tier of UFC light heavyweights. After a promising start to his UFC career, including The Ultimate Fighter 8 title and five straight victories, he seemed to plateau, struggling through a 3-4 stretch that included a first-round submission loss to Tito Ortiz, who at the time, had not won a fight in almost five years.
By the end of his rough patch, he was 30 years old and stuck in neutral.
For most observers, it was confirmation that he would never reach his early promise, but to his credit, Bader kept at it, put the loss behind him and kept building on his skill set. While his stand-up had once been shaped by his bulky and stiff frame, he exhibited few traces of his former self on Saturday with striking that was at times downright creative.
"Just progress, focus," he said in the press conference, explaining the leap. "Every training camp, I take the things I need to take and drop the stuff I need to drop. This is my 17th fight in the UFC. That accumulates. Having the right people around me in my camp. My personal life is great. Everything together, it just puts me in the mindset to go out there and take what I want. It's changing my mind set, really. I just made up my mind that I want to go out there and do it, and want to be the best."
Reaction to Bader's win was somewhat restrained due to the recent inactivity of Evans (19-4-1), who was competing for the first time in 687 days. The former champ had been out of the Octagon since a November 2013 technical knockout victory over Chael Sonnen. In the time since, he'd undergone multiple knee surgeries, which had put his career into some doubt.
Evans had previously come back from a long layoff, however, and performed brilliantly, returning from a 14-month hiatus to steamroll Ortiz back in 2011. While that fact may not be enough to sway some of the more vocal Bader doubters, his streak speaks for itself, with the longest string of victories of anyone in the division's top 10.
Does he have enough firepower to effectively challenge the ultra-aggressive Cormier? Can he hang with the uber-talented Jones? In truth, most would probably doubt him in either instance, but he's already beaten expectations once.
A few years ago, few would have bet on him to reach this point at all. There was a time when Bader was going nowhere. Who would have guessed his road to nowhere led all the way here?
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