Ryan Bader ruins Rashad Evans' comeback fight with dominant decision win
On May 29, 2010, UFC fighter Rashad Evans met Quinton “Rampage” Jackson at UFC 114 in Las Vegas.
The fight against Jackson was a rousing success, reaching one million buys. With that, it catapulted Evans into select company as one of the only fighters to ever reach that coveted benchmark.
Jackson and Evans had a heated, visceral rivalry. And fans responded accordingly by making Evans one of the most popular stars in the UFC after his unanimous decision victory over “Rampage” on that summer night five years ago.
Three years later, in 2013, Evans would defeat Chael Sonnen at UFC 167. That fight against Sonnen would be the last fans would see of “Suga” for the next two years, as lingering knee and leg problems stalled his career.
The former light heavyweight champion made his long awaited returned to the Octagon on Saturday against No. 4-ranked Ryan Bader.
Unfortunately for the 36-year-old veteran, the time away from the cage was too much to overcome, as Bader earned a unanimous decision victory over Evans (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).
The story of the fight wasn’t so much Evans’ obvious ring rust, as much as it was a showcase for Bader’s continued improvement in his stand-up attack.
Bader, a former All-American at Arizona State, won "The Ultimate Fighter 8" in 2008, due in large part to his stellar wrestling background. And over that time, he has improved gradually on a fight-by-fight basis.
On Saturday, however, Bader looked like a completely different fighter, as he kept Evans at bay with a rangy jab and sneaky counter punching. Despite Evans’ off night, Bader still had to deal with a pressuring and crafty striker at UFC 192, and he dealt with him in relative ease.
By the start of the third round, Bader had battered Evans with such frequency that his right eye was swollen shut. Whenever Evans tried to muster any offense, or pin Bader against the cage to fire off his signature overhand right hook, Bader reacted beautifully, avoiding any major damage.
It was Bader’s fifth win in a row and the most impressive performance of his seven-year UFC career.
“I’m happy,” Bader said post-fight. “There’s always room to grow, but I made up my mind that I was going to come in here and be the best, and you saw that tonight.”
When questioned about his obvious improvement on the feet, Bader admitted that he did plenty of scouting before he squared off against the former champ.
“Yeah, scouting him and all that -- he keeps his hand out, circles to the left, right, or whatever. So I feigned my takedowns and put my hands together. That’s what works for me.”
Over the summer, Bader stormed a post-fight press conference at UFC 187 and challenged champion Daniel Cormier to a fight. Bader was subsequently passed over in favor of Alexander Gustafsson.
If he keeps fighting like he did against Evans on Saturday night, Bader won’t be short on golden opportunities.
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Ryan McKinnell is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports Cagewriter blog. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
