During the post-fight press conference, Bader discussed his decision to not renew his contract with the UFC prior to the fight, but also reiterated his love for the company. “When it came time to re-up for that fight, it was just like, why not fight it out? So now here we are,” he said. “Look, I love the UFC. I want to fight in the UFC.”
Bader also said he feels like he has put together a string of victories that warrant a title shot and that he’d like to fight the winner of Daniel Cormier vs. Anthony “Rumble” Johnson. “That’s who I want to fight,” he said. “I’ve fought everybody in this division and been consistent. I think I’ve won seven of my last eight fights, so I feel like I’m hitting my stride now. I’ve been top-five for a while, and I want those big fights,”
Bader is currently ranked fourth in the UFC Light Heavyweight division and improves to 22-5 with the win.
Cervantes Analysis: Yes, it’s a win, but Nogueira is way past his prime and is 1-3 in his last four fights so I don’t think this means much for Bader. He already lost to Johnson in devastating fashion and I don’t see him posing much of a threat to Cormier, either. I think he needs to fight Alexander Gustafsson or Glover Texeira before he starts asking for title shots because, as it stands, he looks like he’ll have to settle for a spot as a gatekeeper at this point.
WHERE DOES BADER STAND IN THE DIVISION? CHECK OUT THE LATEST KING’S TAKE: The UFC Light Heavyweight Division and where Ryan Bader fits in headed into 2017
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