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The fourth name on the list of fighters produced by the ASU wrestling program, and certainly not the last, is Ryan "Darth" Bader, the fifth-ranked UFC light heavyweight contender in the world.
Before stepping foot on campus, Bader was dominant high school wrestler and football player in the state of Nevada earning two state wrestling championships, a football state championship, Defensive Player of the Year in football, and was Nevada's Wrestler of the Year.
The success didn't stop for Bader after becoming a Sun Devil. At 197-pounds, Bader would go on to have a decorated career as a Sun Devil and win the Pac-10 championship in his weight division in 2002, 2004, and 2006. Those achievements lead Bader to be named a DI All-American in 2004 and 2006.
As a professional, Bader rose up the ranks in mixed martial arts quickly and competed in and eventually won the eighth season of the UFC's reality show, 'The Ultimate Fighter.' As a winner of the show, Bader guaranteed himself a contract with the promotion.
In the UFC, Bader has gone 13-5 including winning five of his past six bouts. His five losses have come against Jon Jones, Tito Ortiz, Lyoto Machida, Glover Teixeira, and Anthony Johnson, names familiar to fight fans as some of the best to ever step into the Octagon at 205 pounds.
Bader's highlight wins include legends in the game such as Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, Antonio Rogerio Nogueuira, and Rashad Evans.
After having his five-fight win streak stopped by Anthony Johnson, it's been announced that Bader will look to climb the championship ladder again and he'll start with Ilir Latifi, the 13th ranked light-heavyweight fighter in the UFC. That fight will take place on September 3 in Hamburg, Germany.