UFC Fight Night 28's Ryan Bader looks forward to facing Brazil's infamous chants

UFC Fight Night 28 headliner Ryan Bader‘s secret weapon for his upcoming fight with Glover Teixeira (21-2 MMA, 4-0 UFC) may just be a pair of speakers.

“Going to Brazil, I’m going into a hostile crowd,” Bader told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). “It’s his hometown. But I enjoy that. I like being that underdog.

“I have friends that fought down there, and the crowd was doing the, ‘You’re going to die,’ chant as they were walking out and all that. I’m going to be prepared for it. I might have to bring in some speakers in the gym and get that, ‘You’re going to die’ chant going on while I’m sparring. But I’m looking forward to it.”

Bader (15-3 MMA, 8-3 UFC) travels to Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil for the Sept. 4 event, which airs on FOX Sports 1. Bader knows the first challenge will be the environment, as Brazilian fans have proven themselves to be among the most passionate in the sport. Merciless in their attempts to rile foreign competitors, the crowds frequently shout “Uh, vai morrer!” during the fights, a yell which does indeed translate to, “You’re going to die.”

Bader knows what to expect and insists he won’t let the chants become an issue. After all, he certainly wasn’t the crowd favorite in his UFC 144 fight with Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, so he knows what it’s like to be booed.

“It’s not to the same extent, but I fought ‘Rampage’ in Japan, and the Japanese are very respectful, but they were booing me while I was coming out, and the first five seconds, ‘Rampage’ put his hands up, and they were booing me again,” Bader said. “It just gives me more motivation to prove people wrong. It kind of takes all the pressure off you.

“I respect the Brazilian crowd because of their passion. But if everybody not necessarily hates you but wants to see you lose and you go in there and win, that’s the best feeling.”

Of course, it’s not just the crowd Bader is up against. Teixeira is a formidable opponent who boasts an incredible 19-fight win streak that includes four UFC victories. Bader said he actually thought the two would meet when they were both still competing on the regional stage.

“I knew of him when I was fighting in the smaller shows,” Bader said. “I was kind of looking to run into him there and fight him there, so I’ve known of him for a long time and know he’s a great fighter. He goes in there, and he throws to get you out of there. He throws big hooks and looks to knock you out, basically. But he kind of slows sown after a while. He’s got good jiu-jitsu, but we haven’t really seen him on his back. He hasn’t fought a good wrestler that’s been able to put him on his back.”

Oddsmakers currently have Teixeira installed as a 3-to-1 favorite, and Teixeira is widely considered to be a future title contender. But Bader thinks his most recent performances haven’t necessarily been a fair indicator of his progress as a fighter. As underdogs go, Bader feels pretty strong about his chances.

“People looking at film from my last fight, it was 54 seconds,” Bader said. “They didn’t get to see anything. The fight before that wasn’t my best performance at all. I fought ‘Rampage,’ and I had to use a different plan of attack, so they haven’t really gotten to see what I can do in the octagon as far as my hands and whatnot. I haven’t shown the fighter I can be.

“I think people, if they’re watching videos of me, are going to be surprised when they get into the octagon with me. I’m just looking to go in there and really use my wrestling to set up everything else and also, if I can go out there and get a takedown right off the bat and out him on his back, then so be it. But it’s easier said than done. I just have to make him respect it and set up everything else.”

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