Ryan Bader and Phil Davis fought once before, with “Darth” coming out the winner via split decision back in 2015.
Now, two-plus years later, Bader will try to make it 2-0 vs. “Mr. Wonderful” when they collide at Bellator 180 – and this time, the light heavyweight title is on the line.
Bader signed with Bellator recently and agreed to meet Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal this June in New York City. But when an injury forced Lawal out, Davis agreed to step in and defend his title in the main event on Spike.
Coming off a pair of 2016 finishes of Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and Ilir Latifi to conclude his run with the UFC, Bader feels he has all the tools to finish Davis this time around.
“Yeah, I do. I feel like I’m a different fighter than when we first fought, so I think he’s gonna be surprised,” said Davis, during a recent interview with Submission Radio. “If he was surprised the first time, he’s going to be even more surprised this time. I’m more well-rounded than I was, my striking is better, everything is better, my mentality is better, and so we’re ready. I’m motivated. He won that title and he has it. I haven’t won a title. I want to go in there and take that away from him and have it for my own.
“I’m super motivated and I think it’s gonna be a different fight. I’m looking to go in there and I’m looking to finish this fight and make a statement, for sure.”
While Bader sees himself as a different fighter since that first encounter, he believes Davis remains the same. Both are former standout wrestlers, with Bader having competed for Arizona State University and Davis at Penn State University.
“Not really. It’s the same guy. You know, everybody with experience gets better with just being in there. He uses kicks well. I don’t think he likes to get hit very much. That’s why he keeps that distance, he keeps that awkward motion,” Bader said. “He obviously has a great ground game, good wrestling. I’ve felt that before already and I’ve been in there with him, so that’s a plus too. I’ve only had one other rematch in my life and that was my last fight with Nogueira, so I look forward to it. I know what he’s bringing, he kind of knows what I’m bringing. But the thing is, I’ve gotten a lot better since our first fight. So that’s where I feel it’s gonna be the difference. I feel like I’ve grown more than he has.”
