• UFC 126

'Excited' Bader two wins from UFC title shot

Ryan Bader's wrestling platform earned him a decision victory over Antonio Rogerio Nogueira © Getty Images

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Ryan Bader does not want to speculate, but he believes victory over Jon Jones would be so significant that it would place him within one more victory of a shot at the UFC light-heavyweight title.

Bader and Jones are two of MMA's brightest stars, but they both have their eyes set on the same goal: the 205lb title. At 27 years of age Bader is four years the senior of Jones, but he has an identical number (12) of fights on his record.

Stylistically, the fight is hugely intriguing. Both men have excellent wrestling backgrounds, Bader is more traditional - more calculated, while Jones is more aggressive with suplexes and lethal elbows part of his varied armoury.

It is the striking domain where Jones will be expected to have an advantage at UFC 126, but Bader revealed to ESPN that his own boxing technique will be unrecognisable from his last fight, when he beat Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, and believes victory over Jones will move him right into the title picture.

"He's an unorthodox fighter, a lot of people think he's unbeatable so I'm looking forward to going in there, beating him and then reaching my goal to claim the title," Bader told ESPN.

"First and foremost I've got to beat Jon Jones, I've got to focus on him, but if I do I see myself maybe one fight away [from a title shot].

"Ever since we both came on the scene, both young guys, people have been saying we should fight. Now it's here. We're two totally different fighters, different styles, but we both have wrestling backgrounds. It's gonna be a great fight, and it's going to be a fun fight for me and for Jon. I'm excited."

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