Interview: Ryan "Darth" Bader

Ryan "Darth" Bader is a mixed martial arts sensation fighting out of Arizona Combat Sports in Tempe. A 2001 graduate of McQueen High School in Reno, Bader won two Nevada state wrestling championships and was named Nevada wrestler of the year before becoming a two-time All American wrestler at Arizona State University. Bader was a cast member on The Ultimate Fighter season 8, where he defeated Kyle Kingsbury by submission and knocked out Tom Lawlor to make it to the semi-finals. Bader then used his wrestling skills to squeak out a decision win against former Ring of Fire champion Eliot Marshall. Bader will be fighting Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt Vinicius "Vinny" Magalhães in the Ultimate Fighter (R) Finale this Saturday.

Yael - Your opponent Vinny Magalhaes has a really active guard, great rubber guard, and his stand-up's not so bad either. What's your game plan to counter his Jiu Jitsu?

Ryan Bader - I am going into this fight and am going to try and keep it standing. I respect Vinny's Jiu Jitsu and am not trying to give him many chances to be successful. I will use my wrestling to counter any of his takedowns or his guard pulls. If we end up on the ground, I will be very active from the top, landing blows to his face so he is not thinking about his Jiu Jitsu.

Yael- You’re planning on keeping things standing?

Ryan Bader- Yes, that is the game plan. He has mentioned that he also wants to keep it standing so we definitely invite him to do so. I have been working hard on my kickboxing at Arizona Combat Sports with the Lally brothers. I will be fine wherever the fight goes. I am not going to be too worried about his game; I will be trying to implement mine.

Yael- In your MMA career, you've won all but one of your fights by way of submission or knockout. What happened last time?

Ryan Bader- My last fight with Eliot was just an off day for me. I felt flat and respected his Jiu Jitsu way too much and just needed to open up and impose my will on him. Sometimes it happens. You can’t always be there 100%, and I had to grind out the win. I am looking to really open up this fight and show some of the results of the hard work I put in after the show.

Yael- As was made patently obvious by the latest Elite XC debacle but was already common knowledge in MMA circles, a lot of good wrestlers and grapplers have been passed over for fights because promoters are convinced fans only want to see a lot of stand-up. Do you feel any pressure to fight a certain way for the crowd or the promoters? How do you think this affects the sport?

Ryan Bader- You always have pressure to be exciting, but it is not a kickboxing fight. It is mixed martial arts and "mixed" meaning there is so much more than just stand up. There are other ways to be exciting than just being a good stand up fighter. Hypothetically with me being a Division 1 All American wrestler, why would I try to stand with an accomplished striker? It would not be in my best interest to do that. I hear a lot of fighters say, "I just want to stand and bang with him," when that is the worst thing that they could possibly do to win. There is a fine line with being exciting and also making sure you get the win, and I work to achieve both every day.

Yael- Are you feeling more focused coming into this fight now that you've gotten to train outside of the TUF house drama?

Ryan Bader- Yes, definitely; it’s nice to be home and with my gym at Arizona Combat Sports. Also a lot of the unnecessary house drama is gone from the situation, so that allows me to focus 100% on my fight. It’s also nice just being in your normal routine, sleeping in your own bed…

Yael- Tell us a little about Arizona Combat Sports. How did training there help you transition from wrestling to MMA?

Ryan Bader- Arizona Combat Sports is a great gym for fighters. We came in with our wrestling credentials and they really submerged us in the stand up game. We worked a ton on just straight stand up and Jiu Jitsu. When we were somewhat proficient, we put it all together. Arizona Combat Sports is first and foremost a striking gym. Myself, CB Dollaway, Aaron Simpson, and a couple others brought the wrestling in. So it is nice having that focus on striking to round out our game. We spar more than any other gym I have been to and that has really helped with our progress.

Yael- How do you keep your head clear amidst a lot of drama, as you did in all the TUF 8 episodes?

Ryan Bader- I just focused on my goals, and those were to win each fight in front of me and make it to the finale. I didn't let the petty house drama get in the way of that. I also was not going to get sucked into a confrontation in where I could be sent home (much like the pool incident with Juni). I am a pretty laid back guy to begin with, so it wasn't too hard for me to go with the flow and focus on what I came there to do.

Yael- Thank you very much for the interview!