All evidence pointed toward a boring fight when Ryan Bader and Phil Davis first shared the cage together more than two years ago. It played out as such in practice, but Bader promises the rematch is going to be different story.

When Bader (22-5 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) and Davis (17-3 MMA, 4-0 BMMA) competed against each other at UFC on FOX 14 in January 2015, there were many factors at play: two wrestlers with underdeveloped striking skills colliding at 3 a.m. local time in Stockholm in a fight which pitted, at the time, the two best defensively rated light heavyweights on the UFC roster against each other. It was a slog of a three-round affair, with Bader taking a narrow split-decision win.

The rematch goes down June 24 at Bellator 180, which airs on Spike from Madison Square Garden in New York prior to the “Bellator: NYC” pay-per-view lineup. The circumstances are different now, though. With Davis being Bellator’s current 205-pound champion, five rounds are scheduled. Moreover, both fighters have evolved skill-wise in the 29 months since their first meeting.

Bader said he’s evolved more, though, and believes that’s going to the difference in what he said will be a much more entertaining performance at Bellator 180.

“I felt kind of flat in that first fight,” Bader told MMAjunkie. “Whether it was fighting at 3 a.m. or whatever – you walk away from fights knowing, ‘I felt good’ or knowing you just didn’t have it. It was one of those fights. But I feel like I’ve grown tremendously in my stand-up, my ground game and everywhere, really. My mental game is just so far beyond where I was then also. I think that’s going to carry some weight in this new fight. I think I’ve progressed more than he has.

“He still doesn’t like to get hit. He throws a lot of kicks because he likes to use distance and doesn’t want to be in that hand fighting range. If you get him frustrated, he gets more gun shy and what not. I just feel like I’ve grown, and I’m going to go in there and make a statement and go finish him and win the belt while doing it.”

After signing with Bellator earlier this year, Bader, No. 4 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA light heavyweight rankings, was originally booked against Muhammed Lawal for his debut. “King Mo” suffered an injury, though, and Bellator made the uncommon decision of sending its champion in as the replacement. Bader said it was the perfect storm, because while he was excited to fight Lawal, challenging for the title in his debut was his dream scenario.

“It’s the best of both worlds,” Bader said. “We wanted to be on this New York card in Madison Square Garden. We said, ‘Hey, we’ll fight whoever, we just want to be fight on this card.’ They said Mo looked good, so they booked that fight. But now I get that title shot, I get to fight in Madison Square Garden. It’s exciting. I’m super pumped and motivated about it.”

In the time since Bader and No. 3-ranked Davis last competed against each other, each has experienced different four-fight paths. Bader went 3-1, losing only to Anthony Johnson, with victories over Rashad Evans, Ilir Latifi and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira. “Mr. Wonderful,” on the other hand, made it to Bellator before Bader and has taken over the light heavyweight division.

Davis is 4-0 in Bellator competition with his most recent fight being a title-winning unanimous decision over Liam McGeary at Bellator 163 in November. He’s lost just three times in his career, and Bader is responsible for one. The optics of a rematch can be complicated, but with experience in that area, Bader feels he has the upper hand as he looks for a more impressive win over Davis.

“I’ve only had one other rematch in my life, and it was against Nogueira in my last fight, so here’s another one,” Bader said. “I learn quickly as far as being in there with somebody. I’ve been in there with Phil Davis, I know what to expect. I feel like I’ve gotten a lot better since our last fight, and I’ve grown more than he has. I’m looking forward to going in there and making a statement. Not just winning the belt, but making a statement at the same time.”

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