MMAOddsBreaker’s Frank Trigg speaks with UFC 192 light heavyweight Ryan Bader about his upcoming main card fight this Saturday night (October 3, 2015) against Rashad Evans at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.
The former Ultimate Fighter season eight winner feels he has a big advantage due to his ability to stay active while Evans has been sidelined with multiple knee injuries:
“For us, I feel like we’re at different times in our careers right now. I’m hungry. I’m on a four-fight win streak and for me, there’s nothing better for me than to end that win streak with a guy like Rashad Evans, with a name like that. Maybe that’s what I need to get that next title shot. He’s a former champion, a guy people know. He’s a marker because they know how good he is. If you go out there and beat him, they’ll say, ‘Okay, you deserve that next shot.’ He’s been there. He’s done that. He’s had the championship. He’s coming off two ACL surgeries and jumping right into a training camp. We all know that a training camp is very hard on your body. We all know a training camp is very, very hard on your body. For him, coming off a knee surgery right into that training camp, he’s either going to get hurt doing what he needs to do to get ready, or he’s gonna need to pull back to make it to the fight and in your head, you’re thinking, ‘I haven’t done this in two years. Is my body ready? How am I gonna perform? Is it gonna be the same kind of deal as it was two years ago.’ There’s a lot of stuff in his head.”