yes, OSP was top 10 in the UFC rankings, he was on a 5 fight win streak as well before Bader beat him. Davis was also on the verge of fighting for a title if he would've beat Bader. 205 is very shallow before and after Jones departure, hes cleaned it out. I'm not saying Bader could beat DC what I am saying is that whats the point of having UFC rankings and winning streaks matter if you're not going to get the next cracc at the belt? DC got ANOTHER shot at the belt coming off a loss, Gus is getting a shot after getting DESTROYED by Rumble.
I stand corrected, OSP entered the top 10 at number 10 one month before he fought Bader, and was immediately bumped back out until he TKO'd Shogun. So props to Bader, he beat month long number 10 lol
The UFC has rankings because people on sherdog and the ug cried and complained, plain and simple. You can even go back and see Dana White doing interviews when they instilled the new rankings system that gets voted on by the media, he basically treated the shit like a joke, because it is a joke, rankings in the UFC are pointless and always have been. Fox wanted to put numbers next to fighters names and internet keyboard warriors cried, hence "official" rankings.
Where did you get Phil Davis was on the verge of a title shot from? Dana White clowned Phil Davis repeatedly and it was well known he was going to negotiate with Bellator well before the Bader fight. Phil Davis was no where near a title shot by beating Bader.
You're talking about combat sports like it's black and white when in reality it's a gray area, always has been. Fights that sell go above fights that don't no matter what, been that way with boxing for decades, been that way in the UFC since the UFC has been a thing.
Gus is getting a title shot because when he fought Jon Jones, Jones had to be carried out of the cage by his trainers and carried out of the arena on a stretcher. More media outlets gave that fight to Gus than Jones, Gus was heralded as the uncrowned Champion. Ryan Bader on the other hand got mauled by Jones, tapped out by Tito fucking Ortiz, KO'd by Machida, KO'd by Glover etc. etc. the guy has never shown himself to be somebody that could win a fight that matters. How the fuck are they supposed to sell him as a challenger for the title? DC vs. Bader would probably do Mighty Mouse numbers on Pay Per View.
If Gus gets injured before the fight, by all means tag in Bader, but we have Rashad Evans calling out Bader right now, if Bader can beat Rashad he can finally prove he can win a fight that matters.