By Tony Reid

FloCombat: You have a number of business ventures going on outside the Octagon. What made you jump into an entrepreneurial lifestyle now?

Ryan Bader: We as fighters have a finite time in this sport. I didn’t want to be that guy that when he was done fighting ask myself “What do I do now?” I want to be done fighting when I’m done having fun. I don’t want to say “Oh, I need a paycheck.”

FC: If you could choose one fight from your career that you are most happy with to this point which fight would it be?

Bader: All of the fights where you have a knockout or stoppage are all good but I would have to go with the Rampage fight in Tokyo, Japan. Fighting Rampage in his home away from home. I’ve had big fights but this was one of those fights that was like, man, I grew up watching this guy fight.

Just standing across the Octagon from him was pretty surreal let alone go out there and beat him. It was a great feeling for me. He is a recognizable guy and I was a big underdog. Nobody gave me a chance to beat him. That was one of my favorite fights. It was in a cool, unique place, I had my cornermen and friends there, fighting a guy like Rampage, with my back against the wall and going out there and beating him.

FC: You are tied closely to Power MMA with CB Dollaway, Aaron Simpson and the rest of the crew. Open the gym doors and share with us your most memorable gym story.

Bader: There are all kinds of stories. Every day is something new. About a year ago I was in there and just kind of walking by a dad and his son messing around in the cage, where we roll around, where our faces are on the mat, the whole deal. All of a sudden I see poop coming out of the kid’s shorts, all over the cage. The dad is frantic. He’s trying to figure out what to do. He goes and gets a paper towel and just smears it around as much as he can.

He gets all flustered and just leaves with the kid. I’m the only one in the gym then so I have to get paper towels and spray and I’m in there soaking up the poop that this kid left. I think it was Aaron (Simpson) that walked in and asked what I was doing, oh, you know, just cleaning up this poop here.There are so many great stories from the gym and the guys in the gym. Back in the day C.B., Cain Velasquez and I all fought on the same card in Mexico in a bullfighting ring.

Cain’s opponent pulled out because he saw him kicking pads. This luchador said he would go find him and he went back and saw Cain kick pads again and said “Hell no. That’s not happening.” There are all kinds of stories and its fun to relive some of them.

FC: You had some heated interactions and beef with Daniel Cormier as you worked for a title shot. What are your thoughts on guys being much more vocal and selling themselves so hard, so unnaturally in some cases, just to get into or stay in the title picture?

Bader: It’s tough. I don’t like to talk. With DC and I, he kind of brought it out of me because he likes to talk every single fight. If you look at my other fights I have never done that. I am going to be true to myself and not come out fake and do the whole talk it up thing.

We have seen McGregor and Rousey and others do that and try to emulate that. To me, if it’s not true it comes off that you are just trying to do that now, that you are just starting to do that now. It sucks that you have to do that. Frankie Edgar deserves to fight for the title.

FC: The new phenomenon, the interesting angle now in MMA and the UFC specifically is the automatic rematch in title fight situations. They run it right back almost every time out. What are your thought on the automatic rematch in the position you currently sit in?

Bader: With the rematch thing, there are some fights you look at where you think “Man, I would love to see that again.” I am a firm believer that these other guys have worked their way up and they are ready and right there and they have earned their shot but now they have to potentially wait a year or a year and a half and then what happens if the champion is hurt?

Do they fight in the meantime and risk losing and not getting that title shot? I’m not for the automatic rematch. Lately we have seen every single fight as a rematch, every single one. Any of those top five guys can get the other on any given night. Some of the title fights are good rematches where we want to see it again and really see who is best.

MMA is a fickle thing. Sometimes you have a bad night and not show up. In other sports you get to do it the next night but in MMA you are waiting six months or more.

FC: You recently suffered a devastating loss at the hands of Anthony “Rumble” Johnson. Where are you mentally, physically and emotionally coming out of the tough night?

Bader: Rumble went out there and he beat me. End of story. For me, it sucks for me because I feel like I didn’t even live up to any kind of potential because I don’t feel like I got to fight. It was so quick. I went out there and took a shot, I wasn’t meaning to take the shot. I wanted to fake the shot and come up but my brain stuttered for a second and I took the shot and before I knew it I was in a bad position.

I take from it knowing that I am better than that. I just go back to the drawing board and scratch it off as a bad night. I didn’t show up. I’m not going to dwell on it. I will move forward. It is what it is. The good thing about this sport is that I can get back in there get a win and be right back there at the top. That’s where I am at. I don’t sit and dwell on losses. I have been there before. I came and worked my way back every single time. This will be no different.