Ryan Bader vs. Carmelo Marrero
The second fight of the evening is a Light Heavyweight showdown between undefeated Ultimate Fighter 8 winner Ryan “Darth” Bader and American Top Team’s Carmelo “The Fury” Marrero.
Bader surprised most pundits when he defeated highly-regarded Vinny Magalhaes to earn the UFC contract at the Ultimate Fighter 8 finale. Marrero, a skilled fighter who has fluctuated in weight, will be looking to erase the memory of his last UFC stint, where he suffered back to back losses to Gabriel Gonzaga and Wilson Gouveia.
Ryan Bader, although still early in his career, has shown that he has what it takes to succeed. He has good standup, good submissions and submission defense, and he has a quality training camp at Arizona Combat Sports, alongside the likes of CB Dolloway and Cain Velasquez. Before beating Magalhaes, though, Bader’s seven wins came against opponents that were completely off the radar on tiny shows. Bader has all the physical tools, but the fact that a middle of the road guy like Marrero is a massive step up for him in competition says a lot about his lack of experience.
Marrero has definitely faced much better competition than Bader, but the downside for him is that he lost those fights. Despite being skilled in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, Marrero was submitted by Gabriel Gonzaga and Wilson Gouveia, who has since moved down to 185 pounds. Marrero’s most notable win is a narrow split decision over heavyweight Cheick Kongo. Marrero’s training camp is top notch, but he has a tendency to look lacksadaisical in the ring.
Even so, Marrero’s size and strength advantage should prove too much for the young Bader. Marrero should win a boring decision, maintaining top control and doing little damage.
