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#3 Bader might underestimate Fedor
It sounds insane to say it, but given Fedor’s advanced age, his apparently waning skills and durability, and the fact that he was knocked out by a limited Matt Mitrione in 2017, there’s every chance that Bader could underestimate ‘The Last Emperor’ when the two men step into the cage in Inglewood. A decade ago that kind of talk would’ve been sacrilegious, but Father Time waits for no man, not even Fedor.
Throughout his career – including a testing run on The Ultimate Fighter – Bader has never come across as anything less than a humble, down-to-earth and respectful athlete, but you’d have to forgive him for being very confident in this situation. Fedor hasn’t looked truly great in years now and this is arguably the biggest opportunity in Bader’s career.
Already the holder of Bellator’s Light-Heavyweight title, ‘Darth’ now has a chance to not only win their Heavyweight title too, but defeat the legend of the division in the process. All in all, it adds up to a lot of pressure on Bader’s shoulders, but it’s the kind of pressure that might cause him to underestimate his aged opponent.
Victories by ageing legends against much younger foes are relatively rare in MMA, but they’re not without precedent – Randy Couture’s 2007 win over Tim Sylvia at the age of 43 immediately comes to mind for instance – and so if Bader comes into this fight with Fedor expecting a walkover, it could be a massive error for him – and lead to his doom.
