Where would you rank Ryan Bader in the current UFC HW division?

[tat2man5k]

I'd say Bader is top 10. That said, he loses to Big Frank and BB the same way he lost to Rumble, and probably loses to Blaydes and Volkov.

 

[Jewish Lightning]

Bader is exactly the type of fighter Derrick Lewis knocks out. Grapplers and wrestlers struggle against Lewis.

This is cap. Lewis has nothing for the 5'8 Latiffi and heart stab victim Ivanov who out wrestled Lewis with ease and both are weaker wrestlers than Bader. Lewis got gift decisions in both of those fights never coming close to knocking either man out. Lewis/ UFC fan boys are hilarious.

 

[KingBeef]

Not sure about BB, he keeps getting back up and if he tags Bader then he's in trouble.

I was thinking the same thing. Not sure how many bombs be could take from BB.

 

[SokoudjouFanboy]

He'd win some fights against guys from #2 on and lose others. Such is the dynamic in MMA. Assigning someone a hypothetical, static ranking is somewhat futile as the sport is so style dependent and volatile. The one guy I think he stands next to zero chance against is Francis. I might have said Gane too until the last PPV but I think he actually has a good recipe to beat Gane specifically.

He'd be a viable title contender though maybe not someone who would win it. This is typically the case with Bellator champions though there are exceptions in both directions.

 

[KingBeef]

This is cap.

Is it Cap though? Because if I had to bet on Bader, who moved up from LHW to fight the ghosts of UFC/Pride/Strikeforce past vs Black Beast, who has the most KO's in UFC history, I'm definitely betting the house on the beast.

 

[jeff7b9]

See how Blades does?

Effectively controlling numerous fighters who lack elite wrestling but getting brutally KOed when wrestling doesn't work...


Like that.

 

[Jewish Lightning]

Is it Cap though? Because if I had to bet on Bader, who moved up from LHW to fight the ghosts of UFC/Pride/Strikeforce past vs Black Beast, who has the most KO's in UFC history, I'm definitely betting the house on the beast.

You would lose your house then. Bader would wrestle him down and pound on him with relative ease in 8/10 fights.

 

[kflo]

What performance from bader are people looking at to suggest he would beat some of these guys? Mitrione in 2018?

 

[kflo]

You would lose your house then. Bader would wrestle him down and pound on him with relative ease in 8/10 fights.

Who has he done this to?

 

[DoctorStoppage]

He actually has a good chin at heavyweight (compared to how he looks at 205), good cardio and can wrestle. I’d say borderline top 5.

Although with USADA, I don’t know if his cardio holds up in the ufc

 

[ryun253]

No idea, he could be anywhere from 5-15. Can't imagine him as champ or contending for a belt though.

 

[markg171]

Corey Anderson of all people KO'd him 4 months ago lol. He's not beating any of the good UFC HWs.

He'd be somewhere in the 7-10 spot likely, but only because of how shitty those guys are (Aspinall possibly notwithstanding).

 

[Billthebutcher]

Bader is right up there in the top 10.
A really nice guy in person, you dont realize how much of a badass monster he is, until you meet him.

 

[markg171]

I’d give him a shot against Derrick Lewis

Definitely top 10, and I think top 5 is achievable depending on the matchups in question. I don’t think he’d be a permanent fixture in the top 5, but I could see him beating some ppl there. He beats Lewis I think. Gane would be tough but Bader does have a path to victory with his wrestling.

Stop it. Corey Anderson KO'd him 4 months ago.

 

[D 1 Wrestler]

I've been saying it for ages that UFC HW 2022 badly lacks grapplers, I don't think most of them even have a clue how to do a takedown, that so called wrestling in the Ngannou/Gane fight was so amateurish and sloppy, 2 rookies right there. Most of the UFC HW fights are all striking only, its not like the other divisions where there are much more takedowns.

Someone with good subs and ground 'n' pound and good wrestling would do very well in my opinion, as long as they don't get involved with the sloppy slugging that UFC modern HWs are.

Lesnar could be a top 5 still to this day. Sake with Cain if he was able to fix his body

 

[textwarrior]

Bellator is his home, He would always be that guy beating others guys who wont make it to top 5. When he was rising I thought he was going to do much better.

 

[sonhow]

He'd be top 15 at least I'm quite sure. He is in better shape than most.

 

[markg171]

Bader is exactly the type of fighter Derrick Lewis knocks out. Grapplers and wrestlers struggle against Lewis.

It's really crazy how many people don't realize that DC is the only grappler Lewis has lost to in the UFC. Every other loss is to strikers, not grapplers.

And mind you too, DC was on 3 weeks notice where Lewis was coming off the Volkov beating, hadn't at all trained for grappling or 5 rounds, and openly admitted he had no business taking the fight but couldn't say no to the money the UFC was throwing around trying to save their MSG card. DC had it on short notice too, but he was in a far better position to succeed than Lewis was. I'm not saying Lewis would've otherwise won, but it's not indicative of how their fight should've gone had it been a properly set up title defence where Lewis wasn't beat up, had properly trained, and wasn't just showing up for the money.

Regardless, it's crazy how much of Sherdog doesn't realize that Lewis gets beat by superior strikers, not on the ground. Which has been great for my betting record with him lol.

 

[Ken Fresno]

It's funny how nothing Black Beast does can ever convince the manlets of our realm of the different physics involved with taking down and holding down full-sized men.

 

[BFoe]

Stop it. Corey Anderson KO'd him 4 months ago.

Yeah I saw that. I also picked Corey Anderson to win that fight.
This may shock you, but Corey Anderson and Derrick Lewis are not the same person, and in fact, don’t even have a similar fighting style. Anderson is a fast LHW. Derrick Lewis is a slow, lumbering HW. Bader is declining and his chin is questionable, but Lewis is just too slow to exploit that I think.