UFC 174: 10 Things To Look Forward To

4. Ryan Bader's Quest To Finding Consistency In His Career

I've always been a proponent of Bader's ability. When he dominated Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, it made me become a believer. He utilized his jab well and stuck to his wrestling, which he should always do. Now he's been on a strange road of simply being inconsistent. The loss to Jon Jones was understandable, considering that Jones is just too athletic and powerful for Bader to handle. Then for him to lose to the likes of Tito Ortiz and even Glover Teixeira in a devastating matter, it makes you reevaluate your expectations for him. These are careless mistakes he's making by rushing in and keeping his chin high. Even in his loss to Lyoto Machida, he got impatient and left himself far too open against an elite counter striker. Rafael "Feijao" Cavalcante isn't an elite striker, but he's proven to have heavy hands and can be very assertive with his striking. If Bader tries to get into a kickboxing match, it could be over quick. We'll be questioning his fight IQ once again. Feijao is known for not having great cardio, although that hasn't been tested in quite some time. Even though his striking has improved, Bader's quest need to primarily focus on his wrestling. He's lost far too many fights on trying to rely on his power and boxing.