What can “Darth” Bader do to survive “Rumble”?

Now that title may seem a bit condescending, but the reality is that in order for Ryan Bader to walk away with a victory come Saturday night he’s going to have to stick to a smart game plan. The man he faces on January 30 is a man who has a tendency to knock people unconscious with even a glancing blow. Anthony “Rumble” Johnson is a dangerous striking threat for anyone in the light heavyweight division as he proved in his destruction of Jimi Manuwa last September. Though Bader is certainly a talented fighter, the story of this match is all about who can implement their game plan first and most often. Ryan Bader has developed competent striking over the years and certainly has some big power in his punches, but he’s never been a wizard when it comes to stand up. Bader is truly a wrestler at heart and that’s the skill he’ll need to use in order to get the upper hand over his foe come Saturday. Johnson has shown suspect wrestling in past bouts and that’s exactly what Bader will have to exploit in his fight. Bader does have a tendency to stay within the striking realm for a bit too long at times and has paid dearly for it in the past. The problem with this specific match up is that Johnson is perhaps one of the hardest hitting fighters that Bader will ever have faced inside the cage. If he hopes to keep Johnson’s striking at bay then he’ll have to mix in his takedowns and put his opponent on the mat early and often. On the flip side “Rumble” has an immense and devastating number of attacks in his arsenal that should worry Bader deeply. Johnson is extremely explosive and throws great punches and kicks. Though he may have lost to Daniel Cormier in his lone title fight, Johnson hurt the current champ pretty badly in the first round of their contest. There in lies Johnson’s issues. He can get a bit emotional in there especially when he has his man hurt. It’s what helped to tire him out in the Cormier fight and ultimately led to his defeat. However, in his last trip to the octagon against Jimi Manuwa, Johnson showed off his wrestling game before finishing the fight by KO in the second frame. Johnson does have suspect wrestling when he overextends himself. When he chooses to use his wrestling with patience and precision, he’s both hard to take down and hard to fend off when he chooses to take the fight to the floor. He’ll need to show different looks if he hopes to finish off Bader with ease, particularly since Bader will be expecting a striking match. This fight could play out in a few ways. It could be an early KO for Johnson, a five round decision for Bader, and anything else in between. I’m thinking things will end early though as Bader chooses to remain in the pocket for too long at times. That’s when “Darth” will get clipped. The pick is Anthony Johnson by KO in the second round. Who do you think will win the bout between Ryan Bader and Anthony Johnson? Let us know in the comments and forums. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron MMA on Facebook and Twitter. Jonathan Salmon is a writer, martial arts instructor and geek culture enthusiast. Follow him on Twitter and keep up with his latest exploits.