"I was going to stand with him regardless. It just gave me some more motivation to really go after him. In my training camp for this fight, we didn't even think about taking Vinny down. I would stay on my feet with fresh guys coming in. No matter how bad they were beating me down, I switched off the part of my brain that told me to go for the takedown. I felt I had the advantage for sure. He is no slouch, but I felt I was a little more technical and had a lot more power," stated UFC light heavyweight and Ultimate Fighter 8 winner Ryan Bader as he talked about his impressive win over Vinny Magalhaes, his future plans and more. Check it out!
PC: Congratulations on becoming The Ultimate Fighter in the light heavyweight division.
RB: Thank you very much. Feels great to accomplish that goal; it was close to nine months beginning to end.
PC: Is it still a bit surreal to you?
RB: Definitely! Winning the contract was all I thought about since the show so I am just floating on cloud nine right now.
PC: Like any other job, with the way times are right now, job security is always a plus. How does it feel to get the six-figure contract in the most established organization in MMA?
RB It's a dream come true. A lot of fighters are fighting tooth and nail to stay in the UFC. It's our major leagues and to have that contract is a huge pressure release. Now I just have to get back in the gym and work on some things so I can stay and have a successful career.
PC: Did Vinny saying he was going to knock you out make you want to stand with him more than you typically would have or did you feel you had a distinct advantage in striking?
RB: I was going to stand with him regardless. It just gave me some more motivation to really go after him. In my training camp for this fight, we didn't even think about taking Vinny down. I would stay on my feet with fresh guys coming in. No matter how bad they were beating me down, I switched off the part of my brain that told me to go for the takedown. I felt I had the advantage for sure. He is no slouch, but I felt I was a little more technical and had a lot more power.
PC: Vinny has world class Jiu Jitsu. What was your gameplan coming into this fight to offset his Jiu Jitsu?
RB: Like I said before, the gameplan was to keep it standing at all costs. I would use my wrestling to stuff the takedown and/or guard pull. I think I still would have been fine down there though.
PC: It appeared to me that you stripped a little bit of muscle off before this fight. Was that the case?
RB: It wasn't my plan; it just worked out that way. I trained very intensely for three months so it was probably due to that. I felt better in there though. I felt I was a little more agile being lighter.
PC: Your striking looked to be much improved. Who were you working with on your striking in preparation for this fight and how often were you working it?
RB: I worked on it five days a week with the Lally brothers and a lot of sparring with guys like CB, Steinbies brothers, Simpson, Forbes and a ton of other guys. Sparring really helps me out and helps me with my timing, footwork, etc.
PC: We see a lot of wrestlers getting into mixed martial arts right now. Where do you fit wrestling in as of importance to a fighter's game?
RB: I believe it is the best base. A wrestler can dictate where the fight takes place and they have a natural feel of where an opponent's body is, how it reacts, etc. Plus, wrestlers have put in that hardcore training that MMA requires.
PC: The punch that eventually caught Vinny and dropped him was partially blocked. Either you caught him in the right spot my man or you are swinging with amazing power.
RB: Hopefully the latter (laughing). After watching the fight, my hook needs a lot of work but my right hand has always had a lot of power behind it. I feel if I can connect with it, it will be a hard night for any opponent.
PC: You were one of the favorites to win the light heavyweight spot. Did that put additional pressure on you?
RB: Absolutely not. It gave me more incentive to live up to that and go win that contract. I don't let things like that bother me. I try to use them as my advantage.
PC: What was the experience like for you to train under Antonio Nogueira?
RB: Nogueira is an amazing person and fighter so to be able to be around him for six weeks, let alone train with him, was incredible. I feel we will continue our relationship and he has always welcomed us into his world. Watching how he trained, his attitude and obviously his skills, I took a lot away when it was all said and done.
PC: Was it tough for you not to get sucked into everything that was going on in the house?
RB: No, not really. I had a goal and was focused on that. I kept that in the forefront of my mind and was not going to get sucked into any BS such as swinging back at Junie, etc. I had a place to go if I wanted to get away from it all.
PC: What was the toughest part of being in the house for you?
RB: Just the boredom. You start to get a little stir crazy in there, which makes it hard to really concentrate on the fights and not just getting out of there. Some guys in the semi-finals mentioned they didn't even care how their semi-final fight went because they just wanted to get out of there.
PC: The UFC has an outstanding 205-pound weight class. Are there any fighters in the division that you would like to test your skills against?
RB: Not any person in particular. I will fight who they put in front of me and from there, I will try to chip away at the division one at a time.
PC: I'll get you out of here with a couple of predictions. UFC 92 is a very stacked card. Who do you like in the big 3: Nogueira-Mir, Rampage-Silva and Rashad-Forrest?
RB: It's an amazing card. I have my man Nogueira by stoppage, Silva by TKO and Forrest winning a decision.
PC: Thanks for your time my man. Congratulations again. Is there anything you want to say in closing? Anybody you would like to thank?
RB: Thank you very much! Just want to thank Arizona Combat Sports, LG Sports Marketing, MTX Audio and all my training partners.
[ Follow Percy Crawford on Twitter @MrLouis1ana ]