In a pivotal light heavyweight bout on the main card of Saturday afternoon’s UFC Fight Night 93, Ryan Bader picked up his first stoppage victory since January 2013 against Ilir Latifi.
The opening round was very close; Bader landed more strikes but Latifi wobbled “Darth” with a powerful punch at the end of the first five minutes, possibly earning himself a 10-9. Latifi was ahead in the first minute of the second round, as well, but it all went wrong when he attempted a level change. As “The Sledgehammer” ducked his head, Bader landed a vicious knee right on the button that completely put Latifi’s lights out.
What was the highlight of the fight?
I’ll go with Bader’s finishing sequence (obviously). Bader’s last fight against Anthony Johnson snapped a five-fight winning streak, which consisted of all decisions. Bader knocking out Latifi was subsequently quite the surprise, and the longtime contender did so in devastating, devastating fashion.
Where do these two go from here?
Bader got back into the winning column with this victory and is right back in title contention. He won’t fight for the belt next — he’ll need at least one more victory — but he is definitely close. Alexander Gustafsson picked up a win on the same card; a fight against the Swede makes too much sense at this point in time.
It’s time to go back to the drawing board for Latifi. He’s been in this situation in his UFC career before, however. After a TKO loss to Jan Blachowicz in 2014, the 33-year-old picked up three straight wins. Latifi’s still a ranked light heavyweight and will find a way to get back into the winning column. It’s Ilir Latifi, after all.
Watch now, later, or never?
You have to watch Bader’s shocking finish of Latifi right now. We don’t get Bader finishes too often, so enjoy it. (Or cry yourself to sleep because you’re a Latifi fan. That’s OK, too).
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