UFC 144 Fight Card: Where Does Ryan Bader Rank with a Win?

Ryan Bader faces yet another tough opponent when he steps into the cage at UFC 144 in Japan.

For Bader this fight with Quinton "Rampage" Jackson is a huge fight and has big implications for Bader.

Bader is a top 15 light heavyweight in the UFC and before Jon Jones beat him, he was progressing to the top of the division.

Then he lost to Jones and then again lost to Tito Ortiz in surprising fashion. Now though after a quick knockout victory over Jason Brilz, Bader finds himself on the right path back to the top.

With a win over Rampage it will do huge things to progress Bader's title hopes. If the win is impressive enough, Bader can find himself in the top 10 light heavyweights.

Rampage is a big name for Bader's resume that already includes names like Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and Keith Jardine.

Even with the win though, Bader would need a couple more wins to get up to title contention.

Bader is a bright young star in the sport and has some serious skills that are still developing. This fight is a very winnable fight for Bader too.

Rampage came in overweight and on top of that there is an undisclosed injury that Bader could possibly figure out and exploit to chop down his big named adversary.

If Bader can pull off the upset and beat the hometown hero, he could find himself just on the cusp of the top 10 and with an impressive enough performance, inside the top 10.

The sky is the limit for the 28-year-old Bader, its just up to him to reach for it.