UFC 110: The Right Way Is Keith Jardine's Key To Beating Ryan Bader

If there is one fighter in the UFC that can define the phrase “ups and downs,” it has to be Keith Jardine.

The Greg Jackson trained fighter has been considered a top five light heavyweight on and off again. Without a stable pace, Keith Jardine is in a place where the outcome of his fights have become all but unpredictable.

Two former light-heavyweight champions have fallen at the hands of “The Dean of Mean”: Chuck Liddell by decision and Forrest Griffin by TKO. Defeating top ranked opponents, however, hasn’t guaranteed a solid streak for Jardine.

Loser in three of his last four fights, Keith Jardine now faces an emerging young warrior in Ryan Bader. A strong wrestler with a mack truck for a right hand, Bader possesses the strength of a heavyweight with the speed of a middleweight, a perfect and deadly combination. He's a giant task for any one man to take on.

Jardine’s awkward style has been criticized by a great amount of people. Seeming to dance around like a monkey, Jardine throws punches from odd angles while exposing himself at times. The one thing that has worked for him consistently, however, has been his right leg kick. A decent amount of them to the tree trunks that are Ryan Bader’s legs should slow down the Arizona State stand out.

Ryan Bader’s right hand is a thunderous force with the potential to destroy a small village. Well, not really, but you get my point. Jardine has played victim to some of the greatest knockouts in the UFC’s history, so, it would be in his better judgment to avoid gravitating towards Bader’s right side.

A perfect example of what can happen to Jardine is the finish of the Henderson/Bisping fight. Bisping’s corner stressed to opinion that he should continue circling to his right and stay away from Henderson’s right hand. Bisping, however caught himself not listening close enough and was put down by a monstrous right hand that was heard around the MMA world.

If Jardine keeps his chin covered and stays away from the power shots of Ryan Bader, he has a good chance of picking the UFC newcomer apart and winning by decision. In addition, Bader’s wrestling is top notch and could neutralize Jardine, so, staying on the feet, however dangerous, is Jardine’s best way of winning this fight.

Ryan Bader is looking to make an impact in this fight...literally. A knockout of Keith Jardine is a sure way to step up to the elite competition in the UFC’s light heavyweight division. As winner of the Ultimate Fighter competition, Bader carries a lot of pressure going into any fight he has following his reality show tenure.

Look to see Bader attempt to take off Jardine’s head and send him into unconsciousness. Having his previous two fights is a prelude to a massive shot to his opponents chin.

Jardine has to be the underdog in this affair, but, he still has a good chance of handing Bader the first loss of his professional career. No amount of scrapping will benefit Jardine. Sticking and moving should be Jardine’s method in the fight. As long as he does that while circling to his right, the bout won’t end as quickly as his previous encounters.

Keith Jardine and Ryan Bader have signed on to fight at UFC 110 on Feb. 21, 2010 at the Acer Arena in Sydney, Australia.