UFC 144 Fight Card: Rampage Jackson Will Prove He Still Has Power in Bader Bout

Ryan Bader is not the only one trying to prove himself at UFC 144. The bout from Japan also features a Rampage Jackson hell bent on reasserting himself on the main stage, and he will do just that. 

There is a lot to like from Bader coming into this fight. I am not about to dismiss him as others have as a not ready for prime-time fighter, because largely, I think he is. 

You can show the goods in defeat and that is precisely why I have Jackson commanding this fight and moving on in his career with yet another show of power. 

Jackson has been in much better form recently. Consider wins over Lyoto Machida and Matt Hamill that tested Jackson's endurance as much as it tested his take-down defense. 

The loss to Jon Jones told us something we knew all along, and that was Jones was a better fighter, and something we didn't, Jackson can get to another level. 

Bader may be the young buck trying to prove he can dance with the big boys, but Jackson is that big boy that will put a gauntlet of haymakers in his way this weekend. 

Rampage is a big hitter and Bader knows this. Jackson will again be taken to task by a wrestler that will attempt to take him down to the mat, where an upset is entirely possible. 

This is not Jackson's first rodeo and his deficiencies on his back have produced some of the best defensive maneuvers in the sport. 

More than that is the fear Bader will have from going inside, lest he get punished with the famed punching power of Quinton Jackson. 

This is going to be a fight featuring one hungry fighter in Bader and one that still has a ton to prove in Jackson. 

Jackson is precise in his hits and methodical in how he pounces on his opponents. Bader may have great talent in wrestling and can be just as powerful on the ground as any light-heavy, he is not a technical fighter. 

I will take expertise and wisdom in UFC 144. 

Follow @gabezal