There's not many men that have achieved what Ryan Bader has and still not been given a UFC title shot. "Darth" has rattled off five straight wins over light-heavyweight's top contenders but still hasn't been promoted to a championship fight.
Since 2013, the 32-year-old has conquered Anthony Perosh, Rafael Calvalcante, Ovince St Preux, Phil Davis and Rashad Evans. Bader was expected to face Daniel Cormier for promotional gold after "DC" submitted Anthony Johnson at UFC 187, but Dana White and Co. had other plans.
Instead, Alexander Gustafsson was gifted with another crack at the title and Bader was pitted against Rashad Evans. Since earning a unanimous decision over "Suga" at UFC 192, Dana White hasn't sounded too enthused about Baders future: "To tell you the truth, to be honest, I think that Bader had an opportunity when Rashad looked old and slow tonight, and Bader had the opportunity to put the pressure on him and try to finish him," White said at the post-fight show.
Ryan's long-time coach Aaron Simpson doesn't understand why the UFC continue to ignore his win streak, and compared the promotion to the WWE.
"Let's see what we're training for," Simpson told MMA Junkie. "Bader was here this morning, and (Cormier) is who we're gunning for. I don't understand the other way. I'm wondering if it doesn't happen, if the fans will eventually go, why are we watching this sport? It's not the true sport where you win and advance. Sometimes losing, in Gustafsson's case, means advancing. I just don't understand that. It cheapens it, in my opinion. So maybe they'll right the ship a little bit and realize they need a true sport as opposed to just entertainment. Because we have that in the WWE."
Since his win over Evans, Anthony Johnson has called out the Power MMA Team fighter, but Bader remains focused on the title. Simpson also believes "Rumble" shouldn't be part of the discussion.
"I don't know why we're talking about Anthony Johnson," he said. "Anthony's a great fighter. He's got one win so far. He's on a one-fight win streak. Bader's on a five-fight win streak. Anthony's a great fighter; he's a pretty good dude. I know he's had some issues in the past with his life, but he's out calling Bader out, and the UFC's even wanting Bader to fight him. But we were told - Bader talked to Dana White, and Dana said, ‘If you beat Rashad Evans, nobody can deny you the next title shot.' Well, why are we talking about Anthony Johnson?"
With the return of former LHW champion Jon Jones on the horizon, it's looking increasingly likely that Bader will have to earn another win in the Octagon before he's considered for the title. It's expected that the UFC will book a Jon Jones vs. Daniel Cormier rematch in the near future.
(Transcriptions via MMA Junkie)