Reno’s Ryan Bader uses UFC on Fox bout as path to title shot

HOBOKEN, N.J. — Following the minutia of the title picture in the Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight division was becoming a frustrating and futile endeavor for Ryan Bader.

So he stopped.

The Reno native believes he will be in line to fight for the title should he secure his sixth straight victory Saturday when he fights Anthony Johnson in the main event of UFC on Fox 18 at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.

He also knows there's little he can do about it besides going out and continuing to win fights.

"I let go of a lot of stuff as far as the title shots and all that stuff," he said at the UFC Gym across the Hudson River from New York on Thursday. "It's always on everybody's mind, but you're never guaranteed anything. I can't control all that. What am I going to do? I could win and be next in line, then sit and wait for the shot and then another guy racks up a couple wins while you're waiting and all of a sudden they pass you by.

"I'm not worried about it. I would go crazy and obsess about it, but what good would it do? Now it's just who am I fighting and what's the date? Once you've beaten everybody, hopefully it happens."

The attitude has worked for Bader. The 32-year-old is enjoying the best stretch of his career with five straight wins against top-notch opposition.

Bader admits it has been frustrating tracking the developments in his division. He was supposed to fight Daniel Cormier in June, but Cormier was pulled from the bout when former champion Jon Jones was stripped of the title and suspended after his hit-and-run accident. Cormier was promoted into a title fight against Johnson and won the vacant belt. Bader thought he would get the first shot at Cormier's title, but instead that chance went to Alexander Gustafsson, who was coming off a first-round knockout loss to Johnson.

"That was tough," Bader said. "I think even (Gustafsson) was surprised."

Cormier successfully defended the belt and is expected to fight a returning Jones in April. Bader instead took on former champ Rashad Evans in October.

He won a unanimous decision in what he thinks is one of his most impressive performances, largely because of his decision not to be bothered by the title shot snub.

"Everything slowed down," he said. "I went out there, and I was aware, and I was bright, and I could just see everything. Everything felt open, and I didn't have tunnel vision. It all came down to not overthinking everything, not making a big deal about this stuff. Before I was just going on emotion and survival. I felt like everything was coming together, not only my technical abilities but my mind where I felt I could go out and beat anybody in the world.

"I'm just going to go do it."

Bader has found a way to do so in each of his past five fights, though it hasn't always been pretty.

He has won all five by decision, largely by returning to his roots.

Bader won two Nevada state titles while wrestling for McQueen High School. He was also a two-time All-American for Arizona State.

As his career has progressed, he has learned to rely on the foundation he worked his whole life to build.

"Trust me, I want to go and knock people out and submit them," he said. "I'm just working with what I've got. I'm trying my best to use my skillset to go out there and win. There might come a time in my career where I would go out and say, 'I'm not going to go out and use what I'm best at, my wrestling and control, and just throw bombs and have fun.

"Maybe it comes off a couple losses or I'm not in the title hunt anymore, and it's just like, 'OK, let's just do it for the fans and for the excitement.' But I've been taught since I was 5 years old wrestling to go out there and get that win at any cost. Whether you win 3-2 or go out and throw the guy and submit him in the first 30 seconds, it's the same damn thing. So, for me, winning is where it's at. Especially at this point being right on the cusp of a title shot. My whole career my goal has been to win the championship. Why would I go out there and throw caution to the wind and 'stand and bang' as they say and throw away what I'm best at and where I'm better than the other guy?"

Bader made no secret that he plans to use his wrestling to nullify Johnson's powerful striking. Johnson, who also wrestled in college, insists he's up to the challenge.

"I know he's going to try to wrestle with me because once again everybody thinks wrestling is my weakness," Johnson said. "But if he wants to wrestle, come on. Against Cormier, I got taken down twice out of seven attempts. That's not bad at all against an Olympian. Still everyone thinks that's my weakness, and if you think that's my weakness, cool. I'll let you think that. I'll just keep knocking people out.

"You know why they got knocked out? Because they couldn't take me down. We'll see what happens."

Bader will take his chances.

"He fought Cormier, great wrestler," he said. "He fought Koscheck, good wrestler. They both got him down and finished him. He's fought other guys that have wrestling, but not to that caliber. He'll take himself down a lot of times throwing right hands and going to the ground. You're not going to take anybody down. You have to set it up with your hands and put it all together. I believe that's what I've been getting very, very good at. I'll look to exploit that for sure."

Should he be able to extend the winning streak to six, Bader may finally get that elusive title shot.

"It's out of my mind," he said. "I can just go out and do my job, and if I do that and I end up getting the next shot, that's icing on the cake. I can't worry about all the other stuff."

The event, which also features a heavyweight contender bout between Josh Barnett and Ben Rothwell, airs live at 5 p.m. Saturday on Fox.

Contact reporter Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or 702-224-5509. Follow him on Twitter: @adamhilllvrj