UFC Fight Night 100's Ryan Bader: I've evolved more than Antonio Rogerio Noguiera

Six years ago, light heavyweight Ryan Bader beat former PRIDE standout Antonio Rogerio Nogueira at UFC 119, a card largely forgotten for its punishingly slow pace.

So why is the UFC running back an old matchup at UFC Fight Night 100? For Bader, it’s what happens when injuries surface, you’ve already fought most of the division, and there’s precious few guys ahead of you.

“I’m ranked No. 4 (in the UFC’s rankings), but rankings don’t really mean all that much,” Bader, who holds the No. 5 spot on the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA light heavyweight rankings, told MMAjunkie. “I believe I’m one fight away at all times from getting a title shot and being up there. I have to beat one of those top three guys.”

After current contender Anthony Johnson brought a violent end to Bader’s five-fight winning streak, he rebooted this past month with a vicious knockout of Ilir Latifi and decided to let it ride against Nogueira, doing the UFC a favor that potentially could be repaid with a future title shot.

With Johnson now set to vie for the light heavyweight title against champ Daniel Cormier, and the winner of that bout expected to meet interim champ Jon Jones, Bader(21-5 MMA, 14-5 UFC) needs to keep himself at the forefront of his promoter’s mind when big opportunities are doled out. A rematch with Nogueira (22-7 MMA, 5-4 UFC), on a FS1-televised card in the Brazilian’s backyard no less, might not be the most high-profile one. But given the way the last fight turned out, and what he sees are natural advantages leading into the rematch, he’ll take on the challenge on Nov. 19 at Ibirapuera Gymnasium in Sao Paulo.

No longer does Bader consider himself a wrestler first in the octagon. Six years ago, that’s pretty much all he was, with the notable addition of a heavy right hand.

“The thing is, I’ve evolved since then,” he said. “I’m not even close to the fighter I was six years ago. I’m proficient on my feet and on the ground; I’m experienced having fought everybody. I’ve fought the who’s who of MMA. (The first fight) was a fight where I had to take him down, because I didn’t know what to do on my feet.

“I think there was more change in me than him. I think I’ve evolved more than he has in our first fight.”

After reshaping his focus to embrace risk and enjoying himself in the moment while fighting, Bader certainly appears to have reversed a downward trend. The only question now is if he can keep it up.

“I feel like I’m finally showing people what I can do,” he said. “Getting that KO, it was momentum. I want to carry it on in this fight.”

For more on UFC Fight Night 100, check out the UFC Rumors section of MMAjunkie.