UFC on FOX 4 – Ryan Bader excited for opportunity, doesn’t plan on giving Lyoto Machida the same level of respect
“Ultimate Fighter” season eight winner, Ryan Bader has been giving his thoughts on his UFC on FOX 4 co-main event clash with former light heavyweight champion, Lyoto Machida this weekend in Los Angeles, California, explaining he’s excited to be fighting on one of the biggest fight cards of the year against such a dangerous opponent.
Speaking via Inside MMA, Bader said:
“We definitely were excited about the opportunity. It gets me one step closer to where I wanna be. I’m getting these guys coming off of title shots, so if I beat a couple of them, hopefully I’ll get my shot. For us, it’s a huge fight. It’s on FOX. It doesn’t get any bigger.”
“Like I said, these guys just fight for the title. They’re both top guys, and if I beat those two, I’m definitely right up there. We’ll see what happens with Jon Jones and Dan Henderson. I have already fought Jones, but Henderson goes in there, and if he wins, I’ve never fought Henderson, so we’ll see what happens.”
When asked how he plans on dealing with the karate masters unique style, Bader said:
“Don’t let him get comfortable. If he gets comfortable, then he starts opening up. Obviously, some takedowns would be nice. Really, not respecting him as much as everybody else has in the past. Watch out for his tricky stuff and be prepared, know what’s coming. Know how to counter it or what to do with it.”
Bader had rocketed up the 205 pound ranks before back-to-back losses inside the octagon last year to Jon Jones and Tito Ortiz. He has since rebounded with a couple of nice wins over Jason Brilz and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. Stay tuned to MMABay for more build-up to this one as we get it.
By Michael Pepper. (Follow me on Twitter)
Why not tell us what you think about this story and get your thoughts featured in this week’s edition of MMABay Radio? Email Mailbag@mmabay.co.uk, start the subject with the word ‘RADIO MAILBAG’ and we’ll talk about our favourites on the next show.
