Whether you just have a short downtime during work or don’t want a lengthy breakdown, these “Quick Breaks” are for you. “Quick Breaks” are short breakdowns of upcoming fights. In a summed up focus of strengths, weaknesses and variables, thi…
Whether you just have a short downtime during work or don’t want a lengthy breakdown, these “Quick Breaks” are for you. “Quick Breaks” are short breakdowns of upcoming fights. In a summed up focus of strengths, weaknesses and variables, this will analyze what could happen in the fight and end with this writer’s prediction.
The UFC will return to the Staples Center in California to put on a light-heavyweight showdown between two very dangerous strikers.
In a division dominated by the young and talented Jon Jones, contenders are scrambling and trying to climb their way to a chance to dethrone him. This will be UFC’s fourth event on the FOX network, which will air at 8:00PM EST, with prelims airing on Fuel TV before at 5:00OM EST.
In the blue corner you have Brandon Vera. Truly a fight of huge significance, “The Truth” is looking to get back to his winning ways.
After having some rough years in the UFC recently, Vera has a chance to beat a top contender and get his name back into the upper echelon. Vera is 12-5(1), and he has had only one victory inside the Octagon in the past three years. Shogun will be a test for him, but his Muay Thai and jiu jitsu are very strong parts of his skillset. It will be interesting to see how his skills match up against his opponent’s.
In the red corner you have Mauricio Rua. “Shogun” himself has had a back and forth success the past few years, but has remained in the spotlight due to his skills and his epic battle with Dan Henderson.
Shogun is 20-6, and will be coming off a loss, as opposed to the one win that Vera is riding. However, because of the performance he had with Hendo and because Vera’s recent win was a decision, it is hard to tell who is riding the better momentum. Shogun’s Muay Thai and overall kicks and strikes pose a big challenge for anyone in the division, and he will be testing himself against someone with similar strengths.
Since both men possess strong standup skills, this fight should be a war.
The question might be which Shogun will show up, since his performances have varied fight-by-fight. An on-point Shogun is a lethal one, and Brandon Vera healthy and ready is a threat as well. Both men will surely throw kicks and various strikes, but the ferocity of Shogun’s striking might gain him the upper hand. If someone is walking away with a stoppage, odds favor the former champ in Shogun Rua.
Both men have tasted brutal defeat at the hands of Jon Jones, and both men are in need of a strong win. In a match that should showcase some great striking, Shogun and Vera will top off a night of great fights.
Prediction: Shogun Rua wins via TKO in the first or second round.
When you look at the headlining fight for the UFC’s fourth show on Fox, most fans would predict that the heavily favored man with more name recognition and career success will win, that being Mauricio “Shogun” Rua. I would be a liar if I sa…
When you look at the headlining fight for the UFC’s fourth show on Fox, most fans would predict that the heavily favored man with more name recognition and career success will win, that being Mauricio “Shogun” Rua.
I would be a liar if I said that at first glance this fight didn’t appear to be a one-sided mismatch.
The facts are that after Brandon Vera defeated Frank Mir, Vera has only posted a record of 4-5 with one loss that resulted in Vera being released from the company, only to be brought back when the contest was overturned to a no-contest.
So why would anyone even consider picking against the previous UFC Light Heavyweight champion?
First off, let’s focus on the history of Mauricio Rua since he has entered the UFC.
Rua came into the UFC being regarded as the best light heavyweight in the world defeating such men as Quinton Jackson, Rogerio Nogueira, Kevin Randleman and Alistair Overeem.
His debut match inside the Octagon came against someone who many would believe was just a stepping stone, Forrest Griffin.
Griffin would go on to not only defeat Shogun but actually submit him much to the amazement of the majority of fans and experts alike.
Rua would go on to have another very poor performance against Mark Coleman, a fighter who was well past his prime but earned a stoppage victory.
Next up were the the remnants of Chuck Liddell, a fighter much like Coleman who had seen his better days pass him by.
Rua would soon after win the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship, lose it in his first defense, redeem himself against a declining Forrest Griffin, and then he came up short in a historic fight against Dan Henderson.
Now with the history lesson concluded, let’s focus on the real statistic and a very important, somewhat shocking fact.
Mauricio Rua is only a .500 fighter in the UFC with a record of 4-4. Three of those wins are over fighters who were well past their primes and really showed it.
Still though this doesn’t give a direct answer to the outcome. It just shows that Rua isn’t the untouchable fighter who he has been made out to be.
Vera will enter this fight standing 6’3″ tall and having a reach of 78″ which will give him a 2″ reach advantage which will be multiplied with his height advantage of 3″.
Furthermore, Vera is a kickboxer who knows how to use a reach advantage. Let’s not forget that of Vera’s recent losses, two of them were very close contests.
Overlooking Vera would be Rua’s biggest question mark, and personally I just feel that he isn’t going to show up in the best condition that he can and should.
Vera will be at the disadvantage if this fight hits the ground but should be able to defend himself. However, if the match stays standing I fully expect Rua to be at the disadvantage.
What is completely overlooked here is the hunger that Vera has, and now is the time for him to show that he isn’t just the guy who never turned the corner.
Vera is searching for a win that would catapult him back into the mix as a contender, and Rua would be the perfect opponent to get him where he wants to be.
Vera should be considered a very dangerous opponent for Shogun if not for anything else than he has everything to gain and nothing to lose, but Shogun’s biggest obstacle may just be himself.
Rua has all the tools to win this fight, but if he steps into the Octagon looking past his opponent and isn’t fully prepared, I expect Brandon Vera to pull off a massive upset victory.
(In order to cut company expenditures, the UFC recently fired Joe Silva in favor of the new, cost-efficient method of matchmaking seen above.)
If you are the type of person who is quick to pick up on patterns, you may have noticed that more than a couple of our articles today have featured a headline ending in either the cynical question mark or even the full-on flabbergasted question mark followed by an exclamation point. And indeed, everything from Frank Mir’s temporary descent into the Strikeforce ranks to the idea that a Los Angeles hockey team did something worth writing about has left us nearly speechless. But this one tops them all, Potato Nation.
Besides the fact that Shogun was, at the risk of receiving even more hate mail than usual, owned by Jones at UFC 128, the man has gone win-loss in his past six fights for Christ’s sake. Can we at least let him collect two wins in a row before we declare him the top contender in the division? And the last we checked, it isn’t 2006 anymore, so how a win over Vera justifies a title shot is simply beyond any measure of sound reasoning that we could possibly offer you. Is this just a ploy by The Baldfather to try and hype the hype-less card that is UFC on FOX 4, or is the UFC’s matchmaking department on a permanent lunch break? As if the Mendes/McKenzie pairing wasn’t odd enough, now this nonsense happens.
And if you think that was the only baffling decision made by the UFC that we’re going to cover in this article, join us after the jump for an equally ridiculous potential matchup at 205 lbs.
(In order to cut company expenditures, the UFC recently fired Joe Silva in favor of the new, cost-efficient method of matchmaking seen above.)
If you are the type of person who is quick to pick up on patterns, you may have noticed that more than a couple of our articles today have featured a headline ending in either the cynical question mark or even the full-on flabbergasted question mark followed by an exclamation point. And indeed, everything from Frank Mir’s temporary descent into the Strikeforce ranks to the idea that a Los Angeles hockey team did something worth writing about has left us nearly speechless. But this one tops them all, Potato Nation.
Besides the fact that Shogun was, at the risk of receiving even more hate mail than usual, owned by Jones at UFC 128, the man has gone win-loss in his past six fights for Christ’s sake. Can we at least let him collect two wins in a row before we declare him the top contender in the division? And the last we checked, it isn’t 2006 anymore, so how a win over Vera justifies a title shot is simply beyond any measure of sound reasoning that we could possibly offer you. Is this just a ploy by The Baldfather to try and hype the hype-less card that is UFC on FOX 4, or is the UFC’s matchmaking department on a permanent lunch break? As if the Mendes/McKenzie pairing wasn’t odd enough, now this nonsense happens.
Apparently attempting to soften the blow of such a ridiculous statement by following it up with an equally insane one, White also stated that, were Shogun to lose (or win in unimpressive fashion), then the winner of the Machida/Bader fight would receive the next title shot.
…
I now know what Bill Murray’s character felt like in Groundhog Day, because I am either reliving the same dream over and over again, or the UFC matchmakers have seemingly forgotten that Lyoto Machida was just choked unconscious by Jones at UFC 140, or that Bader was taken to lunch by Jones at UFC 126. What I’m saying is…
Now, whereas one could possibly see how Bader has earned a shot if he gets past Machida — he will have knocked off two straight ex-champions in as many fights — he also outgrappled an overweight and apathetic Rampage Jackson in one of those wins. And unless Machida is able to defeat Bader by flying crescent Shaolin monk kick, it will be hard to understand why he’s earned another shot so quickly. Meanwhile, Alexander Gustafsson has put together a five fight win streak (and not to mention, hasn’t already faced Jones and lost in dramatic fashion before) and wasn’t so much as mentioned in the list of potential contenders.
Granted, Jones has yet to defeat Dan Henderson, but if he does, is this really where the UFC wants their champion to go from here? Essentially, Jones will be returning to the scene of a rape to give one of his victims another go-around on the off chance that they still wont identify him this time. While we’re at it, why not give Travis Lutter another shot at Anderson Silva?
It may sound a bit dramatic, but if Jones beats Hendo at UFC 150, we will officially have crossed over into some alternate universe where Eric Koch is the most deserving fighter currently receiving a title shot, outside of the interim champs at bantamweight and welterweight. Think about that for a second.
An ankle injury has forced Big Ben Rothwell out of a main-card fight at next week’s UFC on Fox 4 event, according to MMAjunkie.com. Thankfully, the injury is minor and should only keep the heavyweight star out of action for a few weeks.Rothwell’s oppon…
An ankle injury has forced Big Ben Rothwell out of a main-card fight at next week’s UFC on Fox 4 event, according to MMAjunkie.com. Thankfully, the injury is minor and should only keep the heavyweight star out of action for a few weeks.
Rothwell’s opponent, Travis Browne, is to remain on the card, as he will likely face off against Devin Cole, according to Ariel Helwani of MMAFighting.com. However, the UFC has not made an official announcement regarding the replacement.
Cole is a veteran of Strikeforce, Shark Fights and the IFL. He is riding a two-fight winning streak at the shutdown of Strikeforce’s heavyweight division, and this will be his first appearance in the UFC.
Browne welcomed another Strikeforce import into the Octagon back at UFC 145 when he submitted Chad Griggs in the first round. The contest was Browne’s fifth in the UFC and boosted his professional record to 13-0-1.
Despite Rothwell coming off of a stellar knockout over Brendan Schaub, Browne was entering the fight as a 3:1 favorite according to bovada.lv.
There is no official word if Browne vs. Cole would remain on the main card.
UFC on Fox 4 takes place on Saturday, Aug. 4. The main event features former UFC champion Mauricio Rua in a light-heavyweight battle with Brandon Vera. With a solid co-main event of Lyoto Machida vs. Ryan Bader, the event looks to be the best card that the UFC has put on Fox to date.
“It was all a dream, I used to read ‘Word Up’ magazine…”Brandon Vera starts quoting Notorious B.I.G. and I know that I will be enjoying this interview. As an East Coast native, Biggie Smalls is just part of my DNA so anyone who knows the words to ‘Ju…
“It was all a dream, I used to read ‘Word Up’ magazine…”
Brandon Vera starts quoting Notorious B.I.G. and I know that I will be enjoying this interview. As an East Coast native, Biggie Smalls is just part of my DNA so anyone who knows the words to ‘Juicy’ is a-okay by me.
Sorry, I’m getting ahead of myself.
Following UFC 148 I drove out to San Diego with the goal of speaking with Vera and other fighters about the Alliance Training Center. Home to guys such as Dominick Cruz, Phil Davis, Alex Gufstafsson, and Vera, it’s one of the best gyms in the country, yet also one of the least known. I had nothing scheduled in advance, I just hoped that if I gave them a call they would welcome me with opened arms.
It worked.
So here I am, sitting in on the professional fighter practice, watching Brandon Vera and Phil Davis clinch fight in the cage. To say I feel fortunate would be a massive understatement. Most gyms are very protective about their pro practices, yet Vera is fine with me watching them train.
The gym will never be mistaken for a high society health club. It’s a where fighters come to train and be the best that they can possibly be. Photographs and magazine covers adorn the walls and the entrance is set up so you walk right into TRX stations.
The gym is Vera’s brain child.
It all started back in 2002 when he’d jump from gym to gym trying to learn as much as possible to become a great fighter. While that doesn’t seem like a huge deal, in Jiu Jitsu circles it is, and he was labeled a “creonte” or traitor.
He was a student of Lloyd Irvin and a plan started to formulate in his head after discussions with his teacher. He envisioned a gym where anyone could come to train without there being drama or hard feelings.
It finally became a reality one day when the Noguiera brothers, Junior Dos Santos, Travis Browne, as well as all the members of the Alliance team were training together. He remembers it vividly as if it were yesterday.
“They were just looking around. We’re not all on the same team but everybody was here training together. They said ‘damn shorty, you did it. A lot of people talk about their dreams but you made this one happen.’ That’s how it all happened man, it was all a dream.”
Listening and watching him speak, I can tell that he is truly proud of what he was able to put together. Running a business is difficult in itself, but being able to balance it while also being a full-time fighter, it’s obvious that Brandon has found his calling.
It works because everyone leaves their egos at the door and everyone is willing to help out. UFC Bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz is currently rehabilitating a knee injury, yet he was still at practice giving advice to Jeremy Stephens.
“With my knee, I’m here to coach these guys and make them better. When I fight, all these guys gather around to help me become a better fighter as a team. When you’re fighting everyone is helping you. When you’re not, you’re helping everybody else,” Cruz explains. “That’s what keeps the team mentality because we’re always in here.”
Besides the camaraderie, a big reason for their success is head coach Eric Del Fierro. His name may not be as recognizable as Greg Jackson’s but he’s every bit as important to the development of his fighters and their success.
Jeremy Stephens is one of the newest members of the team and spoke about how much training at Alliance has improved him in such a short period of time.
“The MMA coaching here with Eric Del Fierro and my boxing coach Adrian Melendez, has definitely put a whole different perspective on my game and how I work. I’m just getting started with these guys and now I get time to work with them and get a lot better at what I’m good at.”
Stephens isn’t the only one with praise for the coaching stylings of Del Fierro. Cruz is one of his oldest students and attributes a lot of his success to his coach.
“Working with Eric, I kind of don’t know how it’s improved me just because I started making improvements when I started working with Eric and that was four or five years ago. That being said, it’s just been progressive between the two of us.”
He added, “he’s become a better coach I think through the years, learning the process of going through a training camp. Together we made it all the way up to the top.”
While the family atmosphere and coaching are both major aspects to the gym’s success, it’s the opinion of the author that the most unique part of the gym is that everyone is willing to fight anyone for a shot at the gold.
Last week I posted an exclusive interview with Dominick Cruz who explained that he was willing to fight a teammate for a title. Brandon Vera explained in more detail about the gym’s mentality of teammates fighting teammates.
“Everybody here understands and knows that there is and can come a day when we will be fighting each other. Everybody is just fine with that sh*t. Every body knows. Me, Phil, Alex, everybody,” Vera said. “Everybody knows they could end up fighting each other, we don’t care.”
“We even go so far as to talk about how long we’re gonna train together before the fight,” he added. “Are we going to train together all the way to the fight or are we going to train four weeks together and then four weeks apart? Are we going to train all the way to weight cutting? We’ve gone into detail.”
This stuck with me. It’s refreshing to hear that not only is a gym’s attitude supporting training partners fighting each other, but it’s also nice to hear that they all have plans in place in case they are faced with that situation.
Walking around the gym, I couldn’t help but feel motivated. Watching such high level fighters work together to improve showed me that MMA can be a team sport. You just need to have the right mindset to do it properly.
Everyone was helping Vera get ready for his fight against Shogun, including Jake Shields, who was in helping him with his Jiu Jitsu. While it may not be the most recognizable gym currently, in the next couple of years it could be home to multiple champions. I can’t wait to see what future champions they can develop.
Most MMA fans and pundits were surprised when the UFC announced Brandon Vera as the replacement for Brian Stann, who was supposed to fight Mauricio “Shogun” Rua at UFC on Fox 4 in August. Although a great majority of people in the MMA co…
Most MMA fans and pundits were surprised when the UFC announced Brandon Vera as the replacement for Brian Stann, who was supposed to fight Mauricio “Shogun” Rua at UFC on Fox 4 in August.
Although a great majority of people in the MMA community think that Vera is a bad choice, the possibility that the UFC is building up a future contender/superstar in “The Truth” is still very viable.
Making him fight Rua already is a great testament to this argument, for a win against the former light heavyweight champion will surely propel him up the rankings.
Vera’s record aside, here are three factors that the UFC might have seen in him to give him this golden opportunity.
Whether you just have a short downtime during work or don’t want a lengthy breakdown, these “Quick Breaks” are for you. “Quick Breaks” are short breakdowns of upcoming fights. In a summed up focus of strengths, weaknesses and variables, this will analyze what could happen in the fight and end with this writer’s prediction.