Bader, a two-time All-American and three-time Pac-10 champion at Arizona State University, has the wrestling chops to follow that recipe. But where's the fun in that?
"If I get tagged, I can take the fight down," Bader told MMAjunkie Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio). "But no, I'm not looking to go out there and take the fight down and ride out a decision."
The winner of "The Ultimate Fighter 8" said he's no longer defined by his skills on the mat. Now, wrestling is just another tool in his arsenal, albeit one of his strongest tools.
"It really took me until a couple fights ago to feel comfortable in there and not get the blinders – to start getting hit and immediately go back to what's been ingrained in me since I was 8 years old, which is wrestling," Bader said. "I feel I've gotten away from that and been able to compose myself."
And against Nogueira, he'll need his wits about him. "Little Nog," twin brother of former PRIDE and UFC heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (and Bader's coach on "TUF 8"), is the most experienced and battle-hardened opponent he's met in the two-and-a-half years since he took up fighting out of boredom with his job at a telecommunications company.
"Little Nog" was a breakout star in PRIDE and hasn't been defeated since the promotion shut down in March 2007. He signed with the UFC in late 2009 and quickly made his presence felt with a first-round knockout of fellow Brazilian Luiz Cane. Like his twin brother, Nogueira's skills in boxing and jiu-jitsu are the key weapons in his arsenal.
For many observers, Nogueira's seven-fight win streak is a distinction that only exists on paper. He met Midwest tough-guy Jason Brilz at UFC 114 and was frequently dominated on the mat. When a split decision was announced in his favor, the audience booed generously.
Still, it's the toughest fight of Bader's career, at least on paper.
While Brilz's performance would seem to follow the easy recipe, Bader is convinced there's a better way, and anyways, the fighter that shows up Saturday may be nothing like the one seen at UFC 114.
"It definitely showed me some holes and some ways to exploit him, but at the same time, I'm expecting the best Nogueira ever," he said. "Definitely his last fight I saw some things with the scrambles and all the stuff that Brilz initiated and controlled ... his wrestling with his boxing on the inside and low kicks, and all that kind of good stuff. It kind of gave me a loose game plan to go in there with.
"But I'm going to stand with him (and) see where the fight goes. If need be, I'll take him down, but really, I'm going to go in there and box with him and see what happens."
Since his split from Arizona Combat Sports, Bader has followed a recent trend toward specialized training by hiring individual coaches for boxing, Muay Thai, jiu-jitsu and the like. In particular, it's given him confidence with his stand-up work.
So while many might say his inexperience might cost him in trading punches with "Lil Nog," he feels more than ready to at least give it a try. After all, he knows what to do if things go south.
As to the aura Nogueira carries among hardcore fans of the sport, Bader said it's just another opponent standing in his way.
"I'm not fighting his past opponents (and) he's not fighting mine," Bader said. "So it's just me and him out there. Styles are different between each fighter and the way they match up. It's a huge opportunity for me, so I'm going to make the best of it."
And if Jon Jones is next, as many expect it will be, so be it.
"It could happen after this fight, or later down the road," Bader said of a potential meeting with "Bones." "All the guys in the top echelon of this division are tough as nails, and it really doesn't matter. You can swap one out for the other. It really doesn't matter to me.
"My ultimate goal is to win the title; whoever I have to beat to get there is what I've got to do. If it's beating 'Little Nog' and fighting Jon Jones next, then that's fine. Whatever.
"I'm going to win the fight in front of me, and everything else will take care of itself."
For more on UFC 119, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of MMAjunkie.com.
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