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UFC on FOX 4: Info and Predictions for Shogun vs Vera

This Saturday, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua is set to take on veteran Brandon Vera at UFC on FOX 4 taking place in Los Angeles, California. For Rua, it’s a chance to re-establish himself in the light heavyweight division after crushing defea…

This Saturday, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua is set to take on veteran Brandon Vera at UFC on FOX 4 taking place in Los Angeles, California.

For Rua, it’s a chance to re-establish himself in the light heavyweight division after crushing defeats to Jon Jones and Dan Henderson. For Vera, it’s a return from the wilderness, being on the brink of getting cut from the UFC and now facing a top five opponent who could help him leapfrog in the rankings.

Elsewhere on the card, there are other light heavyweights facing similar predicaments. Lyoto Machida, once the darling of the division, is also looking to comeback from a championship fight loss to Jones last December, and he faces Ryan Bader; formerly riding a 12-fight undefeated streak until he too fell to Jones. But now Bader has the momentum of two victories behind him, and a win over Machida will be the most significant in his career.

With Phil Davis also on the card, the light heavyweight division is in for a complete shakeup come Saturday. However, some young and up-and-coming fighters from the lighter divisions will also be hoping to make their mark in what promises to be a well-rounded and tensely fought contest.

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UFC on Fox 4: "Shogun" Rua vs. Brandon Vera to Be No. 1 Contender Bout

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 “Sh…

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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UFC on FOX 4: Winner of Shogun-Brandon Vera Will Receive Title Shot

In a shocking turn of events, UFC president Dana White revealed that the winner of the UFC on FOX 4 main event this Saturday will face light heavyweight champion Jon “Bones” Jones for the second time. White confirmed the news with MMA Junkie this …

White confirmed the news with MMA Junkie this afternoon.

Rua, the man Jones defeated for the title back at UFC 128, received high praise from his boss despite being just 2-2 in his past four fights.

“‘Shogun’ Rua just came off a ‘Fight of the Year’ last year,” White said regarding Rua’s unanimous decision loss against Dan Henderson at UFC 139.

“He’s probably one of the best fighters of the last decade. Think about it. This guy knocked out ‘Rampage’ (Jackson), knocked out Chuck Liddell, knocked out Mark Coleman, knocked out Lyoto Machida, knocked out Forrest Griffin, knocked out Alistair Overeem twice, submitted Kevin Randleman. A win vs. [Vera] puts him right back in position, and then he’s probably the No. 2 guy in the world.”

Meanwhile, “The Truth” hasn’t won consecutive fights since 2009 and is 1-2-1 in his past four fights, most recently narrowly defeating Elliot Marshall at UFC 137.

Vera, who once claimed he would be the first fighter to hold the UFC light heavyweight and heavyweight titles simultaneously, was excited to hear that his upcoming bout would be a title eliminator.

“Like I said before, this is already a blessing in disguise, and by Dana throwing [the title shot] out there, it’s like winning the lottery twice,” he said.

Vera was finished in the first round of his March 2010 encounter with Jones, suffering a broken cheek bone as the result of some vicious elbows from the then-rising star.

Given that both Vera and Shogun were soundly defeated by Jones already, the decision to give either fighter a crack at the champion again after winning two fights in a row seems like a curious one.

Despite White recently saying that the winner of Ryan Bader and Lyoto Machida could earn a title shot as well, it looks like the co-main eventers will be on the outside looking in regardless of the outcome of their fight.

The champion has also finished both Bader and Machida inside the Octagon as well, both with a variation of the guillotine choke.

Jones next defends his title against Henderson at UFC 151, which is scheduled for Sept. 1.

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UFC on Fox 4 Fight Card: Wait What? Brandon Vera Could Wind Up in a Title Fight?

Last time you saw (saw being the operative term) Brandon Vera, he was getting emasculated by Thiago Silva at UFC 125. Not only did the Brazilian beat him for three solid rounds, but he taunted Vera, slapping him in the face with an open hand …

For the proud Vera, it was mortifying. How had a man, a man who once, in a fit of hubris, claimed he would hold the light heavyweight and heavyweight titles simultaneously, come to this? For the UFC brass, it was the last straw. Vera, after years of being the promotion’s most promising prospect, was finally shown the door. He was out.

A lot has changed since those dark days. Vera was saved by a Thiago Silva urine sample that was less than human. His loss was changed to a “no contest.” Vera was given yet another chance, buried on the preliminary card at UFC 137, a chance he took advantage of with a win over Elliot Marshall.

Vera had survived to fight another day. But in a title eliminator? On national television? For a shot at the mighty light-heavyweight champion, Jon Jones?

Not even in his wildest dreams. Not even in an opium fueled delusion. It’s such a ludicrous proposition that the writers of HBO’s True Blood would have rejected it outright—and they don’t reject anything featuring two participants who are only half-dressed rolling around.

Before a tepid win over Marshall, Vera hadn’t won a fight since 2009. He hadn’t beaten anyone of consequence since beating Frank Mir all the way back in 2006. And yet here he sits, one win away from a title shot against arguably the best fighter in the business.

Make no mistake, though. Vera is being put in the cage this Saturday on Fox to lose. He’s a speed bump for former champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua. But a banged-up fighter like Rua losing to a fighter he’s supposed to beat isn’t outside the realm of the believable.

There’s a reason Brandon Vera was once considered such a hot prospect. He has the tools to beat anyone, but especially Rua. Vera has the solid standup to survive Shogun’s standing attack and the Greco Roman pedigree to possibly beat him in the clinch.

Of all the top contenders at 205 pounds, Rua is the fighter Vera has the best chance of besting. Rua is unlikely to take Vera to the ground, which seems to be his Kryptonite.

Standing, or in the top position, is where Vera makes his money. He’ll be there all night against Rua. And that could make things very interesting for the UFC when it comes time to promote their next light heavyweight title fight.

Brandon Vera: title contender. I suppose stranger things have happened. Just not very many.

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‘Shogun vs. Vera: Road to the Octagon’ — Full UFC on FOX 4 Preview Video

(Props: SUPAFIGHTLEAGUE)

“They brought me into this fight as a fish for Shogun to eat.”

So said Brandon Vera during yesterday’s hour-long “UFC’s Road to the Octagon” special on FOX, which previewed next weekend’s UFC on FOX: Shogun vs. Vera card in Los Angeles. Vera is well aware that few people are giving him a chance in the night’s headliner — especially considering that he hasn’t had an impressive victory in over three years — but the opportunity to fight Shogun and return to elite-fighter status has given him new motivation for training.

As you can imagine, Shogun has no interest in becoming the co-star in Vera’s Cinderella story. “I’m not going to be the one to bring Brandon Vera back,” he says. And if Rua wins, he’ll likely get another shot at the light-heavyweight belt, where he’d either fight a guy who already crushed him, or a guy who beat him up for the majority of a five-round war. I know, don’t get us started.

(Props: SUPAFIGHTLEAGUE)

“They brought me into this fight as a fish for Shogun to eat.”

The “Road to the Octagon” special also previews the Ryan Bader vs. Lyoto Machida co-main event. Coming off his grisly loss to Jon Jones — his third loss in his last four fights — Machida may have more to lose if he doesn’t turn in a good performance on Saturday. As for Bader, the TUF 8 winner has momentum again coming off a pair of wins over Jason Brilz and Quinton Jackson, so this fight will determine where he stands in the division. A win sets him up as a title contender. A loss could give him a reputation as a guy who collapses when it counts.

We’ll leave you with one last fish analogy. Here’s Machida discussing his tendency to drop his left hand while throwing his flurries of straight punches: “Some people see it as a mistake. When you go fishing, it’s better to have a nice piece of bait. That way you can catch a bigger fish.”

UFC on FOX 4: Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua vs. Brandon Vera Promo Video

Here is the promotional video for UFC on FOX 4: Mauricio Rua vs. Brandon Vera, which takes place in seven days’ time. Rua will attempt to bounce back from defeat following his highly acclaimed clash with Dan “Hendo” Henderson in November of…

Here is the promotional video for UFC on FOX 4: Mauricio Rua vs. Brandon Vera, which takes place in seven days’ time.

Rua will attempt to bounce back from defeat following his highly acclaimed clash with Dan “Hendo” Henderson in November of 2011.

The match in question garnered Fight of the Night honors and has also been heralded as one the greatest fights in the history of the Zuffa-based promotion.

At UFC 128, Jon Jones literally ripped the 205-pound championship from his grasp. Five months later, the PRIDE legend avenged a defeat over old foe and former 205-pound titlist Forrest Griffin, winning via first-round knockout.

Vera, a former WEC heavyweight tourney winner, is also on a redemptive mission of sorts having lost fights to Randy Couture, Jones and Thiago Silva (the fight with Silva was later overturned to a no-contest after it was revealed Silva’s urine sample was inconsistent with human urine).

That said, in his last outing, Vera scored a unanimous decision victory over Eliot Marshall.

The video also features co-main-eventers Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida and Ryan “Darth” Bader.

Machida has had a rough time of late and is looking to get back to his winning ways. First he lost his light heavyweight belt to Rua.

Next was a split-decision loss to Quinton Jackson before he turned the tide and defeated former two-division titlist Randy Couture. Nevertheless, in his last bout, he came unstuck against the divisional reigning champ, Jon “Bones” Jones.

With regards to Bader, not so long ago, he was near enough on the hot seat after falling to both Jones and former light heavyweight king Tito Ortiz.

However, two victories (Jason Brilz and “Rampage” Jackson) later, he’s now on course to make it three in a row, which could probably thrust him back into the title mix.

Here’s the show’s full card.

Preliminary Card

(FUEL TV 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT)

John Moraga vs. Ulysses Gomez

Michihiro Omigawa vs. Manny Gamburyan

Oli Thompson vs. Phil De Fries

Josh Grispi vs. Rani Yahya

Phil Davis vs. Wagner Prado

Nam Phan vs. Cole Miller

Main Card

(FOX 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT)

Mike Swick vs. DaMarques Johnson

Joe Lauzon vs. Jamie Varner

Lyoto Machida vs. Ryan Bader

Mauricio Rua vs. Brandon Vera

UFC on Fox: Shogun vs. Vera is scheduled to take place on August 4, 2012 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Calif.

For additional information, follow Nedu Obi on Twitter.

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