At UFC Fight Night: Gustafsson vs. Johnson, Ryan Bader narrowly defeated Phil Davis in a methodical, slow-paced fight that wasn’t exactly fan-friendly.
The two negated each other’s grappling, and the fight was primarily contested on the feet. Neither fighter really got after it by trying to finish the other or throw any strikes with significant power or intent. It was a close fight, and Bader left with the victory by split-decision, notching his fourth straight win.
The UFC light heavyweight division isn’t the most talent-rich. The fighter Bader faces next depends on what path the UFC decides to take him on. There aren’t a lot of light heavyweights to start with, and there is a noticeable drop-off in the level of competition outside of the top six-to-10 fighters.
Bader can either take a fight with someone ranked above him, such as Rashad Evans or Daniel Cormier, or he could go up against some of the rising talent in the division like Patrick Cummins or the winner of the upcoming Jan Blachowicz vs. Jimi Manuwa bout in April.
Let’s take a look at four fighters that would be good options for Ryan Bader’s next fight.
