Ryan Bader believes spectators will have a chance to see a new side of him on Saturday when he makes his Bellator debut against light heavyweight champion Phil Davis at Bellator 180.
Bader credits the change to the way in which he’s financially compensated under the Bellator banner. After a 20-fight UFC career in which he was paid under the “show” and “win” money model, “Darth” will get lump sums for his bouts with Bellator, no matter the outcome.
Although his determination for victory won’t change, Bader (22-5 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) said being paid in full will make a difference in how he performs against Davis (17-3 MMA, 4-0 BMMA) in their Spike-televised title fight at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The Bellator: NYC main card airs on pay-per-view.
“There’s a couple different structures: UFC likes to use a show and a win structure where if you show up, you get a certain amount and if you win you usually get the same amount – double,” Bader told MMAjunkie. “The thinking is you’re going to go in there and fight your ass off to secure half your pay.
“Sometimes it works out the opposite to where you’re so much better at a certain discipline than somebody else, you’re going to use that. If I’m a wrestler and I’m fighting a striker, I’m going to do everything in my power to keep it on the ground. Obviously I try to finish every fight, but you’re also thinking that you have to get the half your pay by any means necessary – whether that’s taking him down and try to just ground and pound on the ground and it ends up being a boring fight.
“With a flat fee, which I have with Bellator, you go out there and you’re not fighting for that extra, so you can fight however you want. You’re not going to be reckless, but you can let loose a little more. It’s more free. You’re getting payment no matter what and you go have a great fight for the fans.”
Bader’s previous mentality led to him being one of the most successful light heavyweight fighters in UFC history. He signed with Bellator as a free agent earlier this year, and said it’s a goal to showcase the full extent of his abilities in his new promotion.
The Bellator environment might be fresh for Bader, but the matchup with Davis is not. Bader is quite familiar with “Mr. Wonderful” due to an extensive history which dates back to their days as collegiate wrestlers. They also fought under the UFC banner, which Bader winning a narrow split decision over Davis at UFC on FOX 14 in January 2015.
In Bader’s mind, the Bellator 180 bout represents a trilogy with Davis. He lost in wrestling but won in MMA, and now he wants to close things out in emphatic fashion.
“I wrestled him in one of the quarterfinals of the national tournament and he beat me in a close match,” Bader said. “That was always brought up before our last fight. He has a win over me in wrestling, I have a win over him in MMA and here we go. Here’s the third fight for a belt and the winner gets a trophy.
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Ryan Bader says new pay structure will allow him to be more free in cage at Bellator 180
