Reno native looks to rebound against Ortiz after loss to Jones

Reno native Ryan Bader's run through the Ultimate Fighting Championship's light heavyweight division hit a brick wall in February in the form of current champion Jon Jones.

Instead of letting his first career loss stop him cold, Bader says it has led him to a much-needed detour.

"When you just get by and you win on (raw ability), it's that whole 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it' kind of deal," he said. "That's maybe what I was kind of riding on. I got by just doing what I do. Taking a loss just gave me the motivation to reinvent myself as a fighter."

Bader went into most fights thinking his wrestling ability and powerful right hand would carry him to victory.

Jones ended that notion, but Bader said he has worked on being more patient and focusing on technique.

He is ready to showcase a more streamlined style when he takes on Tito Ortiz at UFC 132 on Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden.

"I went back to the drawing board, and I had that rejuvenation to get back in the gym and get better and work toward being better in all aspects. I just use it as a plus," Bader said of his first loss after 12 victories. "It just gave me more fire. I felt sorry for myself in training camp, as we all do at some point, but I thought about how I didn't want to feel how I did after that loss ever again and get back to winning."

It took Bader, a two-time state champion wrestler and star football player at McQueen High School, some time to view the loss to Jones in a positive light.

The 28-year-old former winner of "The Ultimate Fighter" was angry in the locker room after the February loss and wanted to step back into the cage immediately.

Ortiz, one of the earliest stars of the UFC, cautioned that it won't be so easy for Bader to put the loss behind him once the bell rings Saturday.

He said all the talk about Bader moving on from his first defeat could turn quickly into doubt if he doesn't have early success.

"Maybe we're not all invincible. Maybe we're not going to get every takedown," Ortiz said. "I'm not going to let him take me down. Do I break his spirit by doing that?"

Ortiz has become well-versed in dealing with defeat. Still the longest-reigning light heavyweight champion in UFC history with five successful defenses, Ortiz has not won a fight since 2006. He is 0-4-1 since that time and missed an extended period while recovering from back surgery.

Bader could be in a no-win situation facing a clearly past-his-prime Ortiz, but he insists that is not the case.

"Of course there's something to gain," Bader said. "Tito's a huge name and a great fighter. I still believe he's a top-tier fighter. He's strung together some losses in the last few years, but it's been against top competition. It pisses me off because people ask me who I'm fighting and I say Tito Ortiz and they say, 'Oh, you got this. You don't even have to train.'

''Are you kidding me? He's going to come after me and it's do or die for him"

Ortiz, about a 5-to-1 underdog, probably is facing his last chance against Bader.

After the retirements of Chuck Liddell and Randy Couture, Ortiz is essentially the last of the early UFC megastars still competing. The organization is believed to have been in favor of Ortiz following his contemporaries into retirement, but he pleaded for one more chance.

He didn't draw an easy task, but Bader thinks Ortiz will be all the more dangerous fighting for his career.

"His back's against the wall," Bader said. "He's going to come out and throw everything he's got at me. I'm not looking at this fight as an easy fight at all, and I'm ready for that. It's an honor to fight Tito. I've been watching him forever. I can't wait."

Contact reporter Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or 702-224-5509.