There’s proof of what the title suggests at the bottom of post, so go read it. But really, is it any surprise to hear even the UFC light heavyweight champion isn’t completely sure why he’s going to fight the winner of Rua vs. Vera (assuming he gets past Dan Henderson)? It’s one thing for all of us to say ‘Jon Jones destroyed Brandon Vera/Mauricio Rua’. It’s quite another to be the guy who did it. I’m sure he still respects them both as competitors, but he also knows he has and can beat the tar out of them.
Which is why it’s pretty frustrating to hear Jones could fight either one of them again. Not that Saturday’s fight or an eventual fight with Jones will be boring. I imagine they’ll all end in finishes, but we sort of have an idea about who is getting finished. Hey, maybe that’s a great reason to root for Henderson. To put it mildly, a win by him changes things up pretty dramatically. That’s better than a replay of what we’ve already seen.
So, dive on in to today’s Morning Report. We’ve got Jones’ Tweets, video of Pat Barry’s girlfriend earning a nice KO, top headlines and news stories in MMA and so much more.
FIVE MUST-READ STORIES
Jon Fitch vs. Erick Silva at UFC 153. One’s coming off of a loss, the other off of a compelling win. Still, it’s a helluva test for either fighter and nothing to complain about.
Mario Sperry to coach Blackzilians. Mike Van Arsdale is out and Ze Mario Sperry is in. Catch up on why the change is being made and what it means for MMA’s newest super team.
Winner of Brandon Vera vs. Shogun Rua gets title shot. No one really understands how either guy deserves a title shot with a win on Saturday, but hey, we’re not the ones who book the fights, are we?
Eddie Alvarez has his next fight in Bellator. And it could be his last. He’ll face Patricky Freire on August 23rd at Bellator 73.
Roger Gracie challenges Tim Kennedy and Kennedy accepts. Not much else to say here except read more at Tatame.
MEDIA STEW
In case you missed yesterday’s UFC on Fox 4 media conference call – and unless you’re media you probably did – you can hear the entire thing below:
Showtime has released a short promotional video to get everyone ready for Strikeforce women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey’s first title defense next month against Sarah Kaufmann. Feast your eyes:
Aisha Tyler, occasional TV host and comedian, has a lengthy interview with UFC President Dana White. It’s actually really good with a lot of new information:
Pat Barry’s got a girlfriend. I know, right? Surprised me, too. Like Barry, she fights MMA, too. And judging by this video below, she’s got some skills:
WE DON’T GET IT EITHER, BONES
Scratching my head “
@fightcovemike:@jonnybones The winner of Shogun vs. Vera is guaranteed #1 contender at 205.”— Jon Bones Jones (@JonnyBones) July 30, 2012
Well that wasn’t very smart “
@dave_hobbit:@jonnybones vera said he didnt train hard to fight u bc he thought u were a punk, what a bum”— Jon Bones Jones (@JonnyBones) July 30, 2012
PEOPLE GOT JOKES
Well played… LoL it’s so classic it kills me
@teamnogueirario@wagnercaldeiraoyfrog.com/h6352uuj“— Phil Davis (@PhilMrWonderful) July 30, 2012
#IMPORTANT
Not too impressed by Brazilian women’s volleyball teams butts.USA won match and butt battle which is obviously more important:)
#Olympics— Joseph Benavidez (@JoeJitsu) July 30, 2012
SPARRING WITH HENDO = PAIN
Sorry. RT
@cyrillediabate: Sparring with@danhendo is a unique experience! You people should try (cont) tl.gd/ijl33a— Dan Henderson (@danhendo) July 30, 2012
BUMPER STICKER WISDOM
I work mine off so I can kick yours.
#ass— Josh Koscheck (@JoshKoscheck) July 30, 2012
NOW THAT’S SPORTSMANSHIP
Thank you
@qosbaszler for providing the new shiner that will live on in my new SC driver’s license for the next four years.@invictafights— Sara McMann (@Sara_McMann) July 30, 2012
FANPOST OF THE DAY
Today’s FanPost of the Day comes courtesy Notorious G.I.B. over at MMA Mania who believes what mixed martial arts needs right now is a new rivalry:
The UFC helped gain and attain attention to MMA by not only having vicious fighters on their roster, but having what every sports fan yearns for: good, heated rivalries. Early days saw Tito’s feud with the Lion’s Den, poking at several fighters and creating a buzz around potential fights. Even though it became embarrassing towards the end, the initial rivalry of Ortiz vs Ken Shamrock was very entertaining. From Ken threatening to beat Tito into a living death and tossing a chair, to seeing the two restrain from killing each other on arguably the best season of TUF, it was thrilling to see two fierce competitors chomping at the bit to tear each other apart in the octagon.
…
So who do we have now? I was hoping to see maybe rivalry brew between Cruz and Faber seeing how they don’t particularly like each other, but that was tossed out the window due to the injury. I’m still hoping a Bisping vs any capable MW, because he would be the perfect guy to root against, but most elite MW’s brush off his trash talk and just give him a beating. Diaz and GSP could provide a very nice feud since GSP looks to be actually upset for the first time in his career, but we’re still unsure if that fight will ever happen.
We need a new rivalry I think to help with some of the cards that are lacking star power, and to even get some fresh eyes on our sport. What will make a new rivalry/feud worthy though? We need fighters that are evenly matched, I do not want to see one guy yapping about how great he is, just to see a one-sided beating (ex Miller vs Bisping). If two fighters are equally matched, it makes it much more interesting to see the outcome. We need to see some emotion, some heat! It would be nice to see guys that genuinely want to fight one another, a fight in which they just don’t like each other’s faces and want to pound the look off of it. With fans unhappy about the volume of PPV’s and the underwhelming fight cards, this would be the perfect opportunity to get people excited again and create a stir in the sport that it’s lacked for some time now. The question is, who’s it going to be?