Ryan Bader (photo via ryanbader.com / Ultimate Pros)

Trainer Says Bader “Still Growing”; “A Lot Of Unknowns” Remain About Teixeira

By FCF Staff

While many have tapped Glover Teixeira as the next man who will truly test the remarkable abilities of UFC light-heavyweight champ Jon Jones, renowned trainer Tom Vaughn believes a significant hurdle remains in his path. Aside from the fact that Jones is set to fight Chael Sonnen in April, others may be looking past Teixeira’s next opponent, Ryan “Darth” Bader. The fighter’s head instructor, however, certainly isn’t one of them.

“I think people may be surprised,” Vaughn said in a recent appearance on Full Contact Fighter Radio, while discussing the upcoming, May 25th bout between Power MMA’s Bader (15-3) and Brazil’s Teixeira (20-2). “Again it’s a fight, but I’m also looking at his opponent; he’s still pretty new in the UFC. There are still a lot of unknowns about him as well, so I think it’s going to be a better fight than some people may think.”

Of course, even before Glover Teixeira arrived in the UFC, many observers predicted that the veteran fighter would have a significant impact on the promotion’s light-heavyweight division once he arrived. Since the Brazilian fighter made his Octagon debut last year, Teixeira has done his part to match the hype that accompanied his arrival, by scoring wins over Kyle Kingsbury, Fabio Maldonado and most recently, former champion “Rampage” Jackson.

Vaughn (photo via fitnhb.com)

Bader, on the other hand, is coming off a prompt submission win over veteran Vladimir Matyushenko in January, to rebound from the KO defeat he suffered versus Lyoto Machida last August. Although the Arizona fighter has suffered other setbacks since he won the eighth season of TUF, via submission losses to Jones and Tito Ortiz, Bader has remained a strong presence in the division by defeating the likes of Jason Brilz, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and Jackson.

A win over a rising star like Teixeira, in other words, could position Baderin the title contender mix once more.

“I think, to a certain extent, I’m in on the decision making process with the fights,” said Vaughn, who is also the head instructor at FIT NHB in Albuquerque, New Mexico. “Ryan’s got a great manager, Dave Martin,..he’s got a good roster of fighters; he called me and we talked about it. You know, I think we go in as a pretty heavy underdog, but that’s not a bad place to be sometimes.”

While Teixeira has certainly impressed thus far in the UFC, in Bader, he will face an opponent that brings a different set of skills and threats to the Octagon. The 29 year-old-fighter is equipped with a wrestling game that was honed in the NCAA’s first division, as well as one-punch knockout power.

“Absolutely,” said Vaughn, when asked whether he believes Bader’s wrestling and grappling skills will play a factor in the upcoming bout. “And don’t forget that he’s coming off a “Submission of the Night,” so you might want to consider the possibility that he has subs too.”

“It’s a name that people recognize and he’s been in the business for a bit, but he still has some room to grow,” Vaughn furthered about Bader. “He’s still growing…Bader, and all those guys at Power are hard working type guys; they’re putting the time in that it takes to change and improve.”

The Bader, Teixeira bout will be part of UFC 160 on May 25th, which will be hosted by the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.