Former UFC light heavyweight champ Tito Ortiz, a 36 year old man who hasn't won a professional fight since 2006, faces Ryan Bader, a 28 year old man whose 12 mma victories all post-date Tito's last win.
UFC 132 Fight Card Breakdown: Ryan Bader Vs. Tito Ortiz
Ortiz claims that UFC brass told him to retire after his last loss to Matt Hamill at UFC 121, but he begged for one more change. This is it.
In Ortiz' defense, 4/5 of the men he failed to beat were on their way to holding the UFC belt and he acquitted himself well in each fight -- fighting Rashad Evans to a draw, nearly submitting Lyoto Machida, convincing one of the judges he besat Forrest Griffin.
But that won't mean much to Ryan Bader, a rising young star whose sole loss was in a title eliminator bout to current champ Jon Jones. Bader is everything Ortiz was 10 years ago. A young, powerful wrestler who relies on his ability to determine where the fight will take place but has added some powerful striking to his arsenal as well.
If you’re a Tito fan, you might want to get your hanky out for this one.
He has virtually no chance of putting Bader on his back and doesn’t have the power to get a KO standing. He may outpoint Bader on the feet for stretches of the fight, but Bader’s power will make itself felt.
| Aspect | Ortiz | Points | Bader | Advantage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Range Fighting | ||||
| Boxing | No Power | 1 | Power | Bader |
| Kickboxing | Not Bad | 1 | Improving | Tie |
| Wrestling | Not What It Was | 1 | Excellent | Bader |
| Clinch Fighting | ||||
| Dirty Boxing | Decent | 1 | Good | Bader |
| Thai Clinch | Good | 1 | Ok | Ortiz |
| Throws/Trips | Not What They Were | 1 | Good | Bader |
| Ground Fighting | ||||
| Positional Control | Ok | 1 | Good | Bader |
| Top Game | Not What It Was | 1 | Good | Bader |
| Bottom Game | Surprising | 1 | Hapless | Ortiz |
| Submissions | Surprising | 1 | ? | Ortiz |
| Intangibles | Almost Done | 1 | Rising | Bader |
| Overall | Old Lion | 3/7 | Young Lion | Bader |
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