UFC 144 Fight Card: Is Ryan Bader Ready to Face Rampage Jackson?

Ryan Bader is scheduled to fight former UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, but is he ready?

Bader is coming off a win over the perennial journeyman, Jason Brilz.  Brilz was once hyped as a contender after a very strong showing over Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, but has since lost two straight.

Bader's victory over Brilz may have given the former collegiate wrestler's hype train some steam, but this is unwarranted.

Why?

The biggest win in Bader's career was over a Noguiera who didn't live up to expectations.  Aside from that, Bader has lost to every step-up in competition he has faced.

Yes, he's beaten guys like Kieth Jardine and Carmelo Marrero, but he's lost to fighters like UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones (which is forgivable) and an aged Tito Ortiz (which is not).

Jackson is certainly a higher caliber fighter than the only kind of fighters that Bader has beat; he won't have an easy time with "Rampage."

Both Bader and Jackson have wrestling backgrounds, so their wrestling skills will negate each other.  This means it'll be hard for Bader to take Jackson down, or even press Jackson against the cage a la Rashad Evans at UFC 114.

The real reason this fight is a mismatch is the wide skill difference in striking.

Even though Bader has six (T)KO victories to his credit, his stand-up is still stiff and a bit awkward; he looks like a wrestler trying too hard to throw bombs, rather than a refined mixed martial artists.

Jackson's striking, on the other hand, is far more fluid.  He has excellent head movement and great power.

This will present a nightmare matchup for a Bader with a questionable chin (what decent fighter did Ortiz drop with a punch before Bader?) and subpar striking.

Jackson will earn a (T)KO victory in the first round as the match-makers anticipate.  Jackson is a bigger draw and he needs to get back in the win column after his loss to Jones.

Putting the fight in Japan is just an added bonus.

The UFC will get "Rampage" back in the mix and instill Japanese fans with a sense of nostalgia, seeing a victorious Jackson.