Ryan "Darth" Bader had hoped that his four-fight winning streak would have been enough to get him a title shot against the reigning champion Daniel Cormier. Unfortunately that wasn't the case and Alexander Gustafsson was picked ahead of the 32-year-old American mixed martial artist.
The bit, of course came, as a disappointment for Bader but just the same, facing Rashad Evans instead wasn't deemed that bad on his part. In fact, he believes that he just has to prove he deserves a shot at the title of Cormier; and that can be accomplished if he continues his winning streak.
"You know, I'm not one to kind of dwell and cry about it. I got over it pretty quickly when I learned I had a fight and I was fighting a name like Rashad. It does suck to have the last two guys get title shots off a loss. But if I look at it on the positive side going into this fight, win or lose I still have a shot at getting a title shot," says Bader in an interview with MMA Junkie Radio.
For Bader to get noticed, he believes that he has to come up with something spectacular. Bader has yet to win a fight through stoppage despite the fact that he ended up the winner of The Ultimate Fighter Season 8.
So the battle cry right now is for Bader not just to win but come out victorious and with a bang. And maybe once he does, a shot at the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) title may not be that far behind.
Bader does have that option to look beyond the UFC and take on greener pastures; but the thing is Bader loves fighting and it looks like he is here to stay.
"I still enjoy fighting the elite of the elite in the top organization. I want to be a UFC fighter. At times like that, where you get passed over, you definitely think of other options. Will I ever get there? I'm doing the right things, I'm going out there and winning. Are they going to hold up their end of the bargain? For me, that's gone through my mind," Bader said in the same interview.
