Sherdog’s Top 10: The Ultimate Fighters

6. Ryan Bader

Unless he lays claim to an Ultimate Fighting Championship title, Bader may never get the credit he deserves. “The Ultimate Fighter 8” winner can be summed up in one word: consistent.

A two-time NCAA All-American wrestler and three-time Pac-10 Conference champion at Arizona State University, Bader has bested some of MMA’s most accomplished fighters, from Rashad Evans and Quinton Jackson to Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (twice), reigning Bellator MMA light heavyweight champion Phil Davis and former Strikeforce titleholder Rafael Cavalcante. Of the Reno, Nevada, native’s five career defeats, four have come against elite competition at 205 pounds: Anthony Johnson, Glover Teixeira, Lyoto Machida and Jon Jones. With the exception of his ill-fated July 2011 encounter with Tito Ortiz, he has beaten everyone he was supposed to have beaten.

Bader appears to be peaking as he approaches his mid-30s, as he has recorded seven wins across his past eight outings and put himself in position to finally challenge for the UFC light heavyweight crown.

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