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Liam McGeary Bellator 173
Liam Mcgeary - Photo Credit: Bellator MMA Twitter

After Friday night’s win over veteran Brett McDermott at Bellator 173, Liam McGeary hoped that the road to redemption after his loss to Phil Davis would have only one more obstacle in the shape of fellow countryman Linton Vassell.

However, Bellator President Scott Coker refused to confirm this and brought the pending free agency signing of Ryan Bader into consideration.

McGeary feels he’s next in line for the title if he beats Vassell

Linton Vassell Photo Credit: Bellator MMA

Backstage at the SSE Arena in Belfast, Northern Ireland, McGeary was quick to talk about how he feels his big encounter with “The Swarm” on home soil should be the victory he needs to earn his rematch with light-heavyweight champion “Mr Wonderful”.

“I’m not interested in fighting anybody else. Linton Vassell, then I want my belt back,” stated McGeary post-fight. “That long layoff, the 14-month layoff, I’m catching up for this so I’ve got some making up to do.

“Who is there to fight? He’s not booked up for anyone else so let’s get this one on.”

No beef between English duo ahead of Bellator London clash

Asked if there was any animosity between himself and his English counterpart, McGeary was happy to report that there is currently no beef. He wouldn’t rule out that changing if tempers were to flare ahead of Bellator London in May.

“Vassell’s been on a tear and there’s no denying it, he’s 3-0 in his last few fights and he’s been doing his thing,” admitted McGeary.

“Nothing against the guy but I always knew this was going to happen. We’re in the same division, and friend or no friend, we can still punch each other in the face. I’ll still buy him a beer afterwards and there’s no animosity here.

“It’s competition and sometimes things can boil over, tempers flare. Who knows? Three weeks out from the fight, he might call me a prick and I might call him a prick so who knows. At this very second though, I’ve no animosity against the dude.”

Scott Coker confirms signing of Ryan Bader could change LHW division

Ryan Bader. Photo MMA Plus

One problem that could arise for the British pair is that head honcho Coker may just have found someone else. His increasingly likely acquisition of UFC veteran Bader will add more name value to the Bellator light-heavyweight division and the temptation to place the UFC’s No.4 ranked 205 pounder straight into the title picture may just prove too hard to resist.

“I think it definitely put’s him back in the running,” said Coker when talking about McGeary’s title aspirations if he beats Vassell. “It puts both those guys in there but there’s no mistake about us trying to get Ryan Bader on board.”

The signing of the 33-year-old seems closer than it’s ever been as Coker was only too happy to discuss the status of the ongoing negotiation process.

“We’ve made an offer to Ryan and we are just waiting to see if the UFC match our offer now,” gushed the ex-Strikeforce supremo.

“If they don’t, we’ll have Bader here in the next couple of months getting busy so for me, that just beefs up our 205lb weight division and we will see what happens with that.”

The instant addition of the American to the conversation may have been a Freudian slip by Coker that revealed his true intentions for when the Bader deal is finalised. It would certainly be hard to argue against The Ultimate Fighter 8 winner’s credentials after a long successful career facing the best the sport has to offer.

McGeary not best pleased with addition of “boring wrestler” Bader to roster

McGeary has a completely different opinion on it and it’s a criticism shared by many on social media since the Bader negotiations were first reported.

“Another f–king boring wrestler! Whatever, it’s a top name and ranked contender so bring him in. It’s all more than welcome. It’s the same game that Davis plays.”

Possessing the same game that Davis brings to the table could prove troublesome for the Norfolk native. After struggling in his title loss to do anything to counter the smothering style of Davis, the prospect of a similar style fighter being put in his way could severely affect McGeary’s path to the title.

Although it was important for him to work on his wrestling game before and reversing the trend of the previous fight, McGeary will now have to urgently work on the deficiencies in his game as he faces the real possibility of having to face his kryptonite not once, but twice in order to reclaim his light-heavyweight crown.