He looks at that reality in a matter-of-fact manner. To improve, he needs reps, which he got with Borshchev as well as the red-hot middleweight Anthony Hernandez.
When it comes to his opponent, he’s less concerned with what Naurdiev is going to bring to the Octagon and more focused on implementing his game. That game circulates around his wrestling background, but with the work done in camp, he also hopes it includes the improvements made on the feet.
He’ll find those skills pushed against Naurdiev, who has split his two fights in the Octagon, scoring a decision win over Bruno Silva at UFC 308 before falling on the scorecards to JunYong Park in June.
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For Loder, it’s all about moving forward, getting that next live rep, accumulating more time in the Octagon and getting that first official UFC win.
“I can’t change anything that happened,” he said. “It’s a learning experience. It’s growing from that experience. Now I get to showcase like, OK, now it’s a different fighter. And each time I come out, I’m a different fighter. I’m just getting better, which is scary for a lot of people being a little bit older for the game, but coming into it relatively new and just kind of jumping straight into it, [and] I have amazing people around me that helped me so much… I’m excited to show it.”
