Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and Brandon Vera highlight a jam-packed card as the UFC returns to Fox on Saturday night. The winner of the main event could receive a shot at the light heavyweight title, which means there will be more than pride on the line when they face off.
Lyoto Machida and Ryan Bader will also battle in what’s basically a second main-event fight. It’s an important matchup for both guys, as they look to position themselves in the championship picture with an impressive victory.
The events on Fox hold plenty of importance for UFC as the promotion looks to widen its appeal, so expect an exciting night of action. Here’s a look at all the key information, including the fight card and predictions for the night’s biggest bouts.
Where: Staples Center in Los Angeles, Calif.
When: Saturday, August 4
Watch: Main Card starts at 8 p.m. ET on Fox; Preliminary Card starts at 5 p.m. ET on Fuel TV
Fight Card
Main Card (Fox)
Light Heavyweight Bout: Mauricio Rua vs. Brandon Vera
Light Heavyweight Bout: Lyoto Machida vs. Ryan Bader
Lightweight Bout: Joe Lauzon vs. Jamie Varner
Welterweight Bout: Mike Swick vs. DaMarques Johnson
Preliminary Card (Fuel TV)
Featherweight Bout: Cole Miller vs. Nam Phan
Light Heavyweight Bout: Phil Davis vs. Wagner Prado
Featherweight Bout: Josh Grispi vs. Rani Yahya
Heavyweight Bout: Phil De Fries vs. Oli Thompson
Featherweight Bout: Manny Gamburyan vs. Michihiro Omigawa
Flyweight Bout: Ulysses Gomez vs. John Moraga
Rua’s Keys to Victory
Being aggressive in the first round is the most important thing for Shogun in this fight. If he can gain an early edge, it will allow him to set the pace he wants and even force Vera to the ground, where Shogun should have a significant advantage.
Rua last fought in November against Dan Henderson. It was a terrific back-and-forth affair between two wily veterans. Ultimately, Shogun came up on the short end, however. Another key on Saturday will be taking lessons from that fight and implementing them against Vera.
Rua is the favorite heading into the bout, which puts added pressure on his shoulders. He must deal with that effectively if he wants to beat Vera, who has been given a golden opportunity.
Vera’s Keys to Victory
Vera has never really lived up to the hype. He has shown flashes of being a potential title contender during his UFC career, but has never been able to put it all together. That leads to the first key for the underdog, which is consistency.
In order to beat a talented fighter like Shogun, Vera can’t afford to have the same lapses in concentration he’s struggled with in the past. The ability is there, he just needs to realize and utilize it. He still has some good years ahead of him if he can figure it out.
The other thing Vera must do is defend early. Shogun will be looking to score a quick knockout. If the American can avoid that with defense and counters, he improves his chances of winning exponentially.
Undercard Fight To Watch: Lyoto Machida vs. Ryan Bader
This should be an extremely entertaining fight. Both guys understand that it will take a resounding victory in order to earn a title shot, which means they won’t be holding back anything in an attempt to upstage the main event.
Machida comes off a loss to light heavyweight champion Jon Jones, leaving a sour taste in his mouth since December. Expect him to come out with a chip on his shoulder, and that’s bad news for Bader. Machida is at his best when he’s out to prove something.
Bader won’t go down easily, though. He comes off a marquee victory over Quinton Jackson in February and should enter riding high. It’s a chance for him to prove he belongs alongside the elite fighters in the division, leading to a close bout.
Machida by decision
What They Are Saying
Dana White has attempted to increase the excitement level for Saturday night’s two big fights by giving all four stars the opportunity to earn a title shot, based on a report from USA Today.
“Whoever wins the most impressively on Saturday night gets the shot at the title,” White said.
“I put together the fights that fans want to see,” White said. “The fans didn’t like the Rua and Vera choice, so here it is: The guy that wins most impressively on Saturday night out of the co-main event and the main event will get the shot at the winner of Jon Jones vs. Dan Henderson.”
Main Event Prediction
Shogun and Vera have a minor advantage. They will know heading into their fight what happened between Machida and Bader, basically giving them a mark to beat in order to get a title shot. So the quality of both matchups should rise.
In the end, I give the slight advantage to Shogun. He will be looking to bounce back strong from the loss to Henderson and should be able to fight at whatever pace he sets. That will be hard for Vera to handle in a high-pressure situation.
Shogun by knockout in Round 2
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