“I respect Bader. He’s on a five-fight win streak, and I came into the UFC on a three-fight win streak and I got a title shot by my fourth fight so I understand where he’s coming from. He feels like he should be the next in line for a title shot, but at the same time, I think you have to beat somebody in the top three to say something like that. I fought Alexander [Gustafsson] and he was No. 2 and I beat him to make sure I was legit to be a title contender. I feel everybody should go that route.”
-Anthony “Rumble” Johnson talks to FoxSports.com about why Ryan Bader needs to beat someone at his level to get the title fight he’s long desired.
Penick’s Analysis: It’s a fair point. It doesn’t often work out that way in the UFC, and in many divisions the top two or three remain in their spots even after failing to capture a title of their own. Because Champions won’t simply fight the same two or three opponents over and over again, sometimes fighters need to get shots before they’ve gotten past someone ahead of them. In Bader’s case, this is the fight that could finally push him over that edge to get a title fight, and we’ll see if he can pull it off tonight.
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