Brandon “The Truth” Vera, the No. 1 contender to Jon “Bones” Jones’ light heavyweight title. Sound odd? It may become reality next weekend, if Vera is able to overcome his lengthy career slump and defeat Mauricio “Shogun” Rua.
On the UFC on Fox 4 conference call, earlier today, Dana White announced that the winner of this Saturday’s main event will be next in line for a shot at the 205-pound title.
One can, at least to some extent, understand it in the case of Rua. The Brazilian has had a patchy UFC career, but he has looked impressive in his last couple of fights, even in his loss to Dan Henderson late last year.
Brandon Vera, on the other hand, has only one win in his last four fights, with that win coming via an unimpressive decision against the journeyman Eliot Marshall.
How does one justify calling this a No. 1 contender bout, given the facts briefly outlined above?
Well, lack of options could be one reason. Should Jones run over Hendo, as is expected by most, who do you match the 25-year-old up with next? It is slim pickings at the top of the light heavyweight division, but does Vera deserve to be anywhere near the 205-pound title?
The second reason is perhaps more plausible.
The UFC on Fox 4 card has come in for a great deal of criticism from all corners of the MMA universe. Dana White’s announcement seems, at least to this writer, to be an attempt to lend some credibility to the main event.
When people watch a fight, they want to see something at stake. The UFC is giving it to them, no matter how absurd that stipulation is.
Should “The Truth” somehow manage to pull off a win on Saturday night, expect his credentials to play a major part in the storyline of any potential title fight.
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