Is Ryan Bader Deaf?

Ryan Bader began wrestling at the age of seven. He was born in Reno, Nevada. He had a good amateur wrestling career before switching to mixed martial arts. He went to Robert McQueen High School, where he won two state wrestling titles and had a national wrestling ranking of number four.

image credit; UCF.com

As the state’s top defensive player in football in 2001, Bader helped the McQueen Lancers capture the state championship in Nevada. The former UFC Heavyweight Champion Cain Velasquez and CB Dollaway were Bader’s college partners while he was attending Arizona State University on a wrestling scholarship.

Bader was a three-time Pac-10 champion while at ASU, winning titles in 2003, 2004, and 2006. He was also a two-time All-American, finishing fourth as a sophomore in 2004 and seventh as a senior in the NCAA national tournament. In early 2007, he began training at Arizona Combat Sports.

Bader began his MMA career as a contestant on season 8 of The Ultimate Fighter. Bader, the first light heavyweight chosen by coach Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira, went on to win his first three fights on the show before facing Vinicius Magalhaes in the Ultimate Fighter 8 Finale on December 13, 2008.

Bader won the title of “The Ultimate Fighter” and the traditional “six-figure UFC contract” in the finale when he knocked out Magalhes in the first round. Magalhaes was dropped by an overhand right, and Bader followed up with strikes on the ground to win less than halfway through the first round.