(Look on the bright side — things can’t get much worse for him, right?)
Though we know him best these days as a light-heavyweight can-crusher with only a single victory to his credit in the last three years, Brandon Vera started his career as a devastating force at heavyweight, racking up an 8-0 record including four nasty stoppages in the UFC. But after back-to-back losses to Tim Sylvia and Fabricio Werdum, Vera decided to cut some weight and drop to the 205-pound division in 2008. It hasn’t exactly gone well. For every win over low-level talent like Reese Andy, Mike Patt, and Eliot Marshall, he’s eaten losses against superstars like Jon Jones, Randy Couture, and (most recently) Mauricio Rua.
Now, it looks like Brandon Vera is looking to bring back his old self. MMAJunkie reports that Vera is heading back to heavyweight for a meeting with Ben Rothwell at UFC 164, August 31st at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee. Rothwell has compiled a 2-3 record during his time in the Octagon, and last competed in January when he was choked out by Gabriel Gonzaga. Though neither fighter is riding a long losing streak, their lack of consistent success in the UFC makes this one a must-win fight for both men. Can “The Truth” re-energize his career at his original weight class, or will Rothwell be stealin’ that soul?
(Look on the bright side — things can’t get much worse for him, right?)
Though we know him best these days as a light-heavyweight can-crusher with only a single victory to his credit in the last three years, Brandon Vera started his career as a devastating force at heavyweight, racking up an 8-0 record including four nasty stoppages in the UFC. But after back-to-back losses to Tim Sylvia and Fabricio Werdum, Vera decided to cut some weight and drop to the 205-pound division in 2008. It hasn’t exactly gone well. For every win over low-level talent like Reese Andy, Mike Patt, and Eliot Marshall, he’s eaten losses against superstars like Jon Jones, Randy Couture, and (most recently) Mauricio Rua.
Now, it looks like Brandon Vera is looking to bring back his old self. MMAJunkie reports that Vera is heading back to heavyweight for a meeting with Ben Rothwell at UFC 164, August 31st at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee. Rothwell has compiled a 2-3 record during his time in the Octagon, and last competed in January when he was choked out by Gabriel Gonzaga. Though neither fighter is riding a long losing streak, their lack of consistent success in the UFC makes this one a must-win fight for both men. Can “The Truth” re-energize his career at his original weight class, or will Rothwell be stealin’ that soul?
Some shocking news out of Brazil today, as it has been reported that UFC veteran Assuerio Silva was shot five times outside of his gym in Curitiba, Parana and is currently in serious condition at a nearby hospital.
According to multiple sources, the incident occurred on January 29th and came following a dispute with Silva’s former training partner, Robson Freitas, who had allegedly been threatening Silva for some time over issues that have yet to be disclosed. Oddly enough, Freitas has not been brought in on any charges as of this write up.
Silva is perhaps best known for his trio of UFC fights against Tim Sylvia, Brandon Vera, and Cheick Kongo between 2006-2007, all of which he suffered defeats in. Holding notable victories over fellow UFC veterans Fabiano Scherner, Alessio Sakara, and Igor Pokrajac, the 38 year-old Silva has not competed professionally since October of 2009, where he suffered a quick TKO defeat at the hands of Geronimo Dos Santos. If that name sounds familiar, it’s because Dos Santos would be the one-time UFC hopeful who was forced to pull out of his scheduled UFC 153 match against Gabriel Gonzaga when his pre-fight medical exam revealed that he had Hepatitis B. Silva also competed under the PRIDE and Jungle Fight banners, where he compiled a 6-2 record including a victory over Valentijn Overeem.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to Silva and his family in this difficult time.
-J. Jones
Some shocking news out of Brazil today, as it has been reported that UFC veteran Assuerio Silva was shot five times outside of his gym in Curitiba, Parana and is currently in serious condition at a nearby hospital.
According to multiple sources, the incident occurred on January 29th and came following a dispute with Silva’s former training partner, Robson Freitas, who had allegedly been threatening Silva for some time over issues that have yet to be disclosed. Oddly enough, Freitas has not been brought in on any charges as of this write up.
Silva is perhaps best known for his trio of UFC fights against Tim Sylvia, Brandon Vera, and Cheick Kongo between 2006-2007, all of which he suffered defeats in. Holding notable victories over fellow UFC veterans Fabiano Scherner, Alessio Sakara, and Igor Pokrajac, the 38 year-old Silva has not competed professionally since October of 2009, where he suffered a quick TKO defeat at the hands of Geronimo Dos Santos. If that name sounds familiar, it’s because Dos Santos would be the one-time UFC hopeful who was forced to pull out of his scheduled UFC 153 match against Gabriel Gonzaga when his pre-fight medical exam revealed that he had Hepatitis B. Silva also competed under the PRIDE and Jungle Fight banners, where he compiled a 6-2 record including a victory over Valentijn Overeem.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to Silva and his family in this difficult time.
I am going to apologize right from the get-go, Potato Nation, because as I’m writing this, I’m also trying to wrap my brain around the fight I just saw on Super Fight League’s latest installment of Friday Fight Nights and it’s all but completely crippling my ability to focus on my actual task.
While I appreciate the new format that SFL has taken — forgoing freak show fights in mega stadiums in favor of local talent in scaled down arenas — to describe the skill level of some of SFL’s fighters as amateur would be a disservice to amateur MMA fighters around the world. I’m talking specifically, about the heavyweight clash between Virender Singh and Naveen Rao I just witnessed, in which Rao seemingly refused to even attempt to get back to his feet after being taken down, like Butterbean trapped in the YAMMA pit all over again. Singh, on the other hand, was content to dance around and throw one or two GnP shots at a time instead of finishing the fight outright, as if he was unaware of what to do when an opponent literally offers zero defense. Anyway, Rao tapped to strike (yes, it appeared to be just one) and then the camera cut to the crowd engaging in synchronized dance for approximately 3 minutes. BOLLYWOOD IS CRAZY.
What does any of this have to do with the topic at hand? Nothing really, except that even for their completely subpar skill levels, most of the fighters participating on SFL 11 will likely walk away with more money than Tiki Ghosn did from his entire UFC career, at least according to the figures recently released by MMA Manifesto, which tabulated the approximate career earnings of every fighter to fight for the UFC over the past seven years. Of course, the figures only date back to UFC 46, and are void of any sponsorship or locker room bonus money, so perhaps the $2,000 Ghosn was paid should be taken with a grain of salt. Still though, makes you wonder even more how he pulled off this for years.
In either case, join us after the jump to find out how much each of your favorite fighters have made over the course of their UFC careers. And while you might not be shocked at the top few entries on the list, there are definitely more than a few totals that will leave you scratching your head.
(Ladies and gentleman, #69. There is no God.)
I am going to apologize right from the get-go, Potato Nation, because as I’m writing this, I’m also trying to wrap my brain around the fight I just saw on Super Fight League’s latest installment of Friday Fight Nights and it’s all but completely crippling my ability to focus on my actual task.
While I appreciate the new format that SFL has taken — forgoing freak show fights in mega stadiums in favor of local talent in scaled down arenas — to describe the skill level of some of SFL’s fighters as amateur would be a disservice to amateur MMA fighters around the world. I’m talking specifically, about the heavyweight clash between Virender Singh and Naveen Rao I just witnessed, in which Rao seemingly refused to even attempt to get back to his feet after being taken down, like Butterbean trapped in the YAMMA pit all over again. Singh, on the other hand, was content to dance around and throw one or two GnP shots at a time instead of finishing the fight outright, as if he was unaware of what to do when an opponent literally offers zero defense. Anyway, Rao tapped to strike (yes, it appeared to be just one) and then the camera cut to the crowd engaging in synchronized dance for approximately 3 minutes. BOLLYWOOD IS CRAZY.
What does any of this have to do with the topic at hand? Nothing really, except that even for their completely subpar skill levels, most of the fighters participating on SFL 11 will likely walk away with more money than Tiki Ghosn did from his entire UFC career, at least according to the figures recently released by MMA Manifesto, which tabulated the approximate career earnings of every fighter to fight for the UFC over the past seven years. Of course, the figures only date back to UFC 46, and are void of any sponsorship or locker room bonus money, so perhaps the $2,000 Ghosn was paid should be taken with a grain of salt. Still though, makes you wonder even more how he pulled off this for years.
In either case, join us after the jump to find out how much each of your favorite fighters have made over the course of their UFC careers. And while you might not be shocked at the top few entries on the list, there are definitely more than a few totals that will leave you scratching your head.
(updated after UFC on Fuel: Franklin vs Le)
1
Chuck Liddell*
$4,320,000
2
Tito Ortiz*
$4,075,000
3
Quinton Jackson*
$3,240,000
4
Michael Bisping*
$3,135,000
5
Georges St-Pierre *
$3,102,000
6
Randy Couture*
$3,045,000
7
Anderson Silva *
$2,871,000
8
Brock Lesnar
$2,825,000
9
Rashad Evans*
$2,697,000
10
B.J. Penn *
$2,650,000
11
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira *
$2,640,000
12
Lyoto Machida*
$2,075,000
13
Matt Hughes*
$2,045,000
14
Mauricio Rua*
$2,040,000
15
Wanderlei Silva*
$2,020,000
16
Forrest Griffin*
$1,907,000
17
Mirko Cro Cop*
$1,885,000
18
Jon Jones*
$1,852,000
19
Vitor Belfort*
$1,844,000
20
Frank Mir *
$1,433,000
21
Dan Henderson*
$1,400,000
22
Rich Franklin*
$1,326,000
23
Josh Koscheck *
$1,302,000
24
Junior dos Santos*
$1,190,000
25
Diego Sanchez*
$1,187,000
26
Cheick Kongo*
$1,183,000
27
Nate Diaz*
$1,113,000
28
Jon Fitch *
$1,068,000
29
Brandon Vera*
$1,051,000
30
Demian Maia *
$ 996,000
31
Chris Lytle *
$ 960,000
32
Cain Velasquez *
$ 918,000
33
Tim Sylvia
$ 915,000
34
Fabricio Werdum*
$ 910,000
35
Gabriel Gonzaga*
$ 907,000
36
Frankie Edgar *
$ 891,000
37
Kenny Florian *
$ 836,000
38
Nate Marquardt*
$ 834,000
39
Chris Leben*
$ 828,000
40
Clay Guida*
$ 801,000
41
Martin Kampmann*
$ 788,000
42
Andrei Arlovski*
$ 768,000
43
Joe Stevenson *
$ 761,000
44
Cung Le*
$ 760,000
45
Donald Cerrone
$ 737,600
46
Joe Lauzon*
$ 694,000
47
Melvin Guillard*
$ 650,800
48
Thiago Alves*
$ 643,000
49
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira*
$ 625,000
50
Jake Shields*
$ 600,000
51
Stefan Struve*
$ 596,000
52
Jim Miller*
$ 584,000
53
Chael Sonnen*
$ 582,000
54
Carlos Condit*
$ 574,000
55
Nick Diaz*
$ 568,500
56
Dong Hyun Kim*
$ 559,000
57
Alan Belcher *
$ 558,000
58
Stephan Bonnar*
$ 557,000
59
Jason MacDonald *
$ 556,200
60
Thiago Silva*
$ 555,000
61
Sam Stout*
$ 552,000
62
Tyson Griffin*
$ 532,500
63
Matt Wiman*
$ 528,000
64
Matt Hamill*
$ 524,000
65
Gleison Tibau *
$ 523,000
66
Matt Serra*
$ 515,000
67
Johny Hendricks*
$ 504,000
68
Spencer Fisher*
$ 504,000
69
James Toney
$ 500,000
70
Takanori Gomi*
$ 500,000
71
Ken Shamrock*
$ 490,000
72
Dennis Siver *
$ 485,000
73
Marcus Davis*
$ 478,000
74
Yoshihiro Akiyama*
$ 475,000
75
Jake Ellenberger*
$ 465,000
76
Mark Munoz*
$ 463,000
77
Heath Herring*
$ 460,000
78
Ed Herman*
$ 454,000
79
Jeremy Stephens *
$ 445,000
80
Mac Danzig*
$ 445,000
81
Sean Sherk*
$ 436,000
82
Mike Swick*
$ 423,000
83
Terry Etim*
$ 417,000
84
Kendall Grove *
$ 410,000
85
Ricardo Almeida*
$ 410,000
86
Keith Jardine *
$ 405,000
87
Brian Stann*
$ 404,000
88
Ryan Bader*
$ 401,000
89
Royce Gracie
$ 400,000
90
Wilson Gouveia*
$ 396,800
91
Evan Dunham*
$ 393,000
92
Gray Maynard*
$ 392,000
93
Edson Barboza*
$ 390,000
94
Yushin Okami*
$ 386,000
95
Alistair Overeem
$ 385,714
96
Anthony Johnson*
$ 385,000
97
Cole Miller*
$ 381,000
98
Kurt Pellegrino *
$ 369,000
99
Ben Rothwell*
$ 369,000
100
Mike Pyle*
$ 367,000
101
Roy Nelson*
$ 366,000
102
Dan Hardy*
$ 365,000
103
Thiago Tavares*
$ 353,000
104
Rick Story*
$ 342,000
105
Charles Oliveira*
$ 341,000
106
Urijah Faber*
$ 337,000
107
Aaron Simpson*
$ 336,000
108
Paulo Thiago*
$ 332,000
109
Benson Henderson*
$ 318,000
110
DaMarques Johnson *
$ 318,000
111
Krzysztof Soszynski *
$ 312,000
112
Vladimir Matyushenko*
$ 307,000
113
Nik Lentz*
$ 307,000
114
Ross Pearson*
$ 306,000
115
George Sotiropoulos *
$ 304,000
116
Hector Lombard*
$ 300,000
117
Alessio Sakara*
$ 299,000
118
C.B. Dollaway *
$ 293,000
119
Phil Davis*
$ 290,000
120
Mark Bocek*
$ 289,000
121
Dan Miller*
$ 283,000
122
Amir Sadollah*
$ 282,000
123
Shane Carwin*
$ 281,000
124
Rafael dos Anjos*
$ 281,000
125
Nate Quarry*
$ 280,000
126
Tom Lawlor*
$ 278,000
127
Karo Parisyan*
$ 277,000
128
Paul Taylor*
$ 275,000
129
Jose Aldo*
$ 273,000
130
Jorge Rivera *
$ 273,000
131
Chan-Sung Jung
$ 264,000
132
Marcus Aurelio*
$ 263,000
133
Patrick Cote*
$ 263,000
134
Chris Weidman*
$ 262,000
135
Rousimar Palhares*
$ 255,000
136
Josh Neer*
$ 251,000
137
Mark Coleman*
$ 250,000
138
Matt Riddle*
$ 248,000
139
TJ Grant*
$ 245,000
140
Mark Hominick*
$ 241,000
141
Dustin Hazelett*
$ 240,800
142
Matt Brown*
$ 240,000
143
Hermes Franca*
$ 238,000
144
Tim Boetsch*
$ 238,000
145
Mike Pierce*
$ 237,000
146
Evan Tanner*
$ 232,000
147
Travis Browne*
$ 229,000
148
Pat Barry*
$ 224,000
149
Eddie Sanchez*
$ 222,000
150
Lavar Johnson*
$ 220,000
151
Cub Swanson*
$ 220,000
152
Joey Beltran *
$ 218,000
153
Shane Roller*
$ 218,000
154
Rich Clementi*
$ 217,000
155
Leonard Garcia*
$ 217,000
156
Brock Larson*
$ 207,000
157
Paul Kelly*
$ 204,000
158
Joseph Benavidez*
$ 200,500
159
Danny Castillo*
$ 199,600
160
Luiz Cane*
$ 199,000
161
Demetrious Johnson*
$ 198,000
162
Brian Ebersole*
$ 195,000
163
Kyle Kingsbury*
$ 194,000
164
Pablo Garza*
$ 191,000
165
Jeremy Horn*
$ 185,000
166
Antoni Hardonk*
$ 184,000
167
Paul Sass*
$ 184,000
168
Brendan Schaub*
$ 182,000
169
Dustin Poirier
$ 181,000
170
Nam Phan*
$ 181,000
171
Mike Russow
$ 179,000
172
Miguel Torres
$ 178,800
173
Rory MacDonald*
$ 178,000
174
Michael McDonald
$ 177,000
175
John Hathaway*
$ 177,000
176
Roger Huerta*
$ 176,000
177
Jared Hamman*
$ 171,000
178
Jorge Gurgel*
$ 170,000
179
Yves Edwards*
$ 170,000
180
Dave Herman*
$ 169,000
181
Matt Mitrione*
$ 168,000
182
Jacob Volkmann *
$ 168,000
183
Bart Palaszweski*
$ 167,500
184
Akihiro Gono*
$ 167,000
185
Gerald Harris *
$ 167,000
186
Drew McFedries*
$ 165,000
187
Daniel Roberts
$ 164,000
188
Erick Silva*
$ 162,000
189
Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou
$ 160,000
190
Thales Leites*
$ 157,000
191
Rob Emerson*
$ 156,000
192
Michael Johnson*
$ 156,000
193
Dominick Cruz*
$ 155,000
194
Kyle Noke*
$ 155,000
195
Brian Foster *
$ 153,000
196
Alexander Gustafsson*
$ 152,000
197
Renato Sobral*
$ 151,000
198
Manny Gamburyan*
$ 150,000
199
Din Thomas*
$ 148,000
200
Stipe Miocic*
$ 148,000
201
Josh Burkman*
$ 146,000
202
Mike Brown*
$ 146,000
203
Luke Cummo*
$ 144,000
204
Diego Nunes*
$ 144,000
205
Riki Fukuda*
$ 144,000
206
James Irvin*
$ 143,000
207
Scott Jorgensen
$ 143,000
208
Duane Ludwig*
$ 142,000
209
Jason Brilz*
$ 141,000
210
Diego Brandao*
$ 141,000
211
Antonio Silva
$ 140,000
212
Dennis Bermudez*
$ 140,000
213
Jonathan Goulet*
$ 138,500
214
Paul Daley*
$ 138,200
215
Charlie Brenneman*
$ 136,000
216
Carlos Eduardo Rocha*
$ 152,000
217
Chris Wilson*
$ 133,000
218
Anthony Njokuani*
$ 132,400
219
Tony Ferguson*
$ 131,000
220
Court McGee*
$ 131,000
221
Frank Trigg*
$ 128,000
222
Dennis Hallman*
$ 128,000
223
Ryan Jensen
$ 127,000
224
Brian Bowles*
$ 127,000
225
James Te-Huna*
$ 126,000
226
Aaron Riley*
$ 125,000
227
Ricardo Lamas*
$ 125,000
228
Igor Pokrajac*
$ 125,000
229
Brad Pickett*
$ 124,000
230
Paul Buentello*
$ 122,000
231
Cody McKenzie*
$ 122,000
232
Kevin Burns*
$ 120,000
233
Alex Caceres*
$ 120,000
234
Mark Hunt*
$ 117,000
235
John Dodson
$ 116,000
236
Anthony Pettis*
$ 115,000
237
Jake Rosholt
$ 114,000
238
John Howard*
$ 114,000
239
Karlos Vemola*
$ 114,000
240
Kuniyoshi Hironaka*
$ 113,000
241
Joe Riggs*
$ 111,000
242
Ivan Menjivar*
$ 111,000
243
Takeya Mizugaki*
$ 108,000
244
Rony Mariano Bezerra*
$ 106,000
245
Efrain Escudero*
$ 104,000
246
Justin Lawrence*
$ 104,000
247
TJ Waldburger*
$ 103,000
248
Ben Saunders *
$ 102,000
249
Luigi Fioravanti*
$ 102,000
250
Che Mills*
$ 102,000
251
Rob Kimmons*
$ 100,000
252
John-Olav Einemo*
$ 100,000
253
Steve Cantwell*
$ 100,000
254
Tim Credeur*
$ 98,000
255
Bryan Carraway
$ 97,000
256
Goran Reljic *
$ 96,000
257
Mike Massenzio*
$ 96,000
258
Chris Camozzi*
$ 96,000
259
Dean Lister*
$ 95,000
260
Erik Koch*
$ 94,000
261
Jason Miller
$ 92,000
262
Chad Mendes*
$ 92,000
263
Justin Edwards*
$ 92,000
264
Jamie Varner
$ 91,000
265
Tomasz Drwal*
$ 90,600
266
Louis Gaudinot
$ 90,200
267
Gilbert Yvel
$ 90,000
268
Houston Alexander*
$ 90,000
269
Eric Schafer*
$ 90,000
270
Edwin Figueroa*
$ 89,000
271
Travis Lutter*
$ 88,000
272
Raphael Assuncao*
$ 88,000
273
Jake O’Brien
$ 87,000
274
Stephen Thompson
$ 85,000
275
Rodrigo Damm*
$ 85,000
276
Marcos Vinicius*
$ 85,000
277
Ryo Chonan*
$ 84,000
278
Jorge Santiago*
$ 84,000
279
Fabio Maldonado*
$ 84,000
280
Rodney Wallace*
$ 83,000
281
Eliot Marshall*
$ 83,000
282
Constantinos Philippou*
$ 83,000
283
Mitch Gagnon*
$ 83,000
284
Jason Lambert*
$ 82,000
285
Pascal Krauss*
$ 82,000
286
Matt Grice*
$ 82,000
287
Brad Tavares*
$ 82,000
288
John Lineker*
$ 81,800
289
Eddie Yagin*
$ 81,000
290
Vaughan Lee*
$ 81,000
291
Caol Uno *
$ 80,000
292
Phil Baroni
$ 80,000
293
Darren Elkins*
$ 80,000
294
Eddie Wineland*
$ 80,000
295
Seth Baczynski*
$ 80,000
296
Kalib Starnes*
$ 79,000
297
Lance Benoist*
$ 79,000
298
Andre Winner *
$ 78,000
299
Ian McCall*
$ 77,000
300
Ryan Jimmo*
$ 77,000
301
John Maguire*
$ 76,000
302
Christian Morecraft*
$ 75,000
303
Hatsu Hioki*
$ 75,000
304
Jon Madsen *
$ 74,000
305
Damacio Page*
$ 74,000
306
Pete Sell*
$ 72,000
307
Tamdan McCrory*
$ 72,000
308
Matt Lindland
$ 70,000
309
Rafaello Oliveira*
$ 70,000
310
James Wilks*
$ 69,000
311
Jonathan Brookins*
$ 69,000
312
Brad Blackburn *
$ 68,000
313
Mark Scanlon*
$ 68,000
314
Sean Pierson*
$ 68,000
315
Michihiro Omigawa*
$ 67,000
316
George Roop*
$ 66,000
317
Rich Attonito*
$ 64,000
318
Nick Denis*
$ 63,000
319
Nick Osipczak*
$ 62,000
320
Siyar Bahadurzada*
$ 62,000
321
Jens Pulver*
$ 60,000
322
Seth Petruzelli*
$ 60,000
323
Daniel Pineda*
$ 60,000
324
Glover Teixeira*
$ 60,000
325
Drew Fickett*
$ 58,000
326
Reuben Duran*
$ 58,000
327
Yves Jabouin*
$ 58,000
328
Ivan Salaverry
$ 57,500
329
Dennis Kang*
$ 56,000
330
Michael Chiesa
$ 56,000
331
Nick Ring*
$ 56,000
332
David Loiseau*
$ 55,000
333
Jason Dent
$ 55,000
334
Kimo Leopoldo
$ 55,000
335
Marvin Eastman*
$ 55,000
336
Chris Tuchscherer*
$ 54,000
337
Jason Black
$ 54,000
338
Waylon Lowe*
$ 54,000
339
Yoshiyuki Yoshida*
$ 54,000
340
Anthony Perosh*
$ 54,000
341
Renan Barao
$ 54,000
342
Matthew Riddle*
$ 52,000
343
Pete Spratt*
$ 52,000
344
Francis Carmont*
$ 52,000
345
Jeff Monson
$ 51,000
346
Scott Smith*
$ 51,000
347
Rani Yahya*
$ 51,000
348
Elvis Sinosic*
$ 50,000
349
Kimbo Slice *
$ 50,000
350
Ramsey Nijem*
$ 49,200
351
Diego Saraiva
$ 49,000
352
Junie Browing*
$ 49,000
353
Nick Catone*
$ 49,000
354
Mike Easton*
$ 48,800
355
Phillipe Nover
$ 48,000
356
Shane Nelson*
$ 48,000
357
Terry Martin
$ 48,000
358
Cyrille Diabate*
$ 48,000
359
John Cofer
$ 48,000
360
Steven Siler*
$ 48,000
361
T.J. Dillashaw*
$ 48,000
362
Marcus Brimage*
$ 48,000
363
Christian Wellisch
$ 45,000
364
Norifumi Yamamoto*
$ 45,000
365
Josh Grispi
$ 45,000
366
Rafael Natal*
$ 44,000
367
Fabricio Camoes *
$ 44,000
368
Claude Patrick*
$ 42,000
369
Dave Kaplan
$ 41,000
370
Matt Veach*
$ 41,000
371
Mike Van Arsdale
$ 41,000
372
Dave Branch*
$ 40,000
373
Kazuhiro Nakamura
$ 40,000
374
Khabib Nurmagomedov*
$ 40,000
375
Roland Delorme*
$ 40,000
376
Dustin Pague*
$ 40,000
377
Carlo Prater*
$ 40,000
378
Robert Peralta*
$ 40,000
379
John Makdessi*
$ 39,600
380
Roan Carneiro*
$ 39,000
381
Sam Hoger*
$ 39,000
382
Junior Assuncao*
$ 39,000
383
Forrest Petz*
$ 38,000
384
Joe Doerksen*
$ 38,000
385
Tim Hague*
$ 38,000
386
Josh Haynes*
$ 36,000
387
Justin Bucholz*
$ 36,000
388
Justin McCully
$ 36,000
389
Mario Miranda
$ 36,000
390
Ricardo Romero
$ 36,000
391
Jimy Hettes*
$ 36,000
392
Mike Guymon
$ 34,000
393
Dan Lauzon
$ 33,000
394
Shannon Gugerty*
$ 33,000
395
Corey Hill*
$ 32,000
396
David Bielkheden*
$ 32,000
397
James McSweeney*
$ 32,000
398
Matt Arroyo*
$ 32,000
399
Roli Delgado*
$ 32,000
400
Dongyi Yang*
$ 32,000
401
Clay Harvison*
$ 32,000
402
Chris Cariaso*
$ 32,000
403
Ronny Markes*
$ 32,000
404
John Albert*
$ 32,000
405
Tim Means*
$ 32,000
406
Vinny Malgahaes*
$ 32,000
407
Wagner Prado*
$ 32,000
408
Rob MacDonald*
$ 31,000
409
Shamar Bailey*
$ 30,400
410
Ken Stone*
$ 30,000
411
Carolos Newton
$ 30,000
412
David Heath
$ 30,000
413
John Salter *
$ 30,000
414
Reese Andy
$ 30,000
415
Rory Singer*
$ 30,000
416
Felipe Arantes*
$ 30,000
417
James Head*
$ 30,000
418
Yuri Alcantara*
$ 30,000
419
Max Hollaway*
$ 30,000
420
Jason Young*
$ 30,000
421
John Gunderson*
$ 29,000
422
Kamal Shalorus
$ 29,000
423
Jesse Lennox*
$ 28,000
424
Sean McCorkle*
$ 28,000
425
Steve Bruno*
$ 28,000
426
Tony DeSouza*
$ 28,000
427
Mackens Semerzier*
$ 28,000
428
Francisco Rivera*
$ 28,000
429
Darren Uyenoyama*
$ 28,000
430
Chad Griggs
$ 27,000
431
Assueiro Silva
$ 26,000
432
David Terrell
$ 26,000
433
Greg Soto
$ 26,000
434
Kris McCray*
$ 26,000
435
Marcio Cruz*
$ 26,000
436
Javier Vazquez*
$ 26,000
437
John Alessio*
$ 26,000
438
Sergio Moraes*
$ 26,000
439
Jeff Hougland*
$ 26,000
440
Renato Verissimo*
$ 25,000
441
Dan Cramer*
$ 24,000
442
Jon Koppenhaver
$ 24,000
443
Kyle Bradley
$ 24,000
444
Kyle Watson*
$ 24,000
445
Roman Mitichyan*
$ 24,000
446
Troy Mandaloniz*
$ 24,000
447
Rob Broughton*
$ 24,000
448
Vagner Rocha*
$ 24,000
449
Aaron Rosa*
$ 24,000
450
Chris Cope
$ 24,000
451
Jake Hecht*
$ 24,000
452
Justin Salas*
$ 24,000
453
Erik Perez*
$ 24,000
454
Walel Watson*
$ 24,000
455
Sam Sicilia*
$ 24,000
456
Cristiano Marcello*
$ 24,000
457
Zhang Tiequan*
$ 24,000
458
Alvin Robinson
$ 23,000
459
Trevor Prangley
$ 23,000
460
Mike Ciesnolevicz*
$ 22,400
461
Nate Mohr*
$ 22,000
462
Ricardo Funch*
$ 22,000
463
Hugo Viana*
$ 22,000
464
Carmelo Marrero*
$ 21,000
465
Jess Liaudin*
$ 21,000
466
Justin Eilers*
$ 21,000
467
Mustafa Al Turk*
$ 21,000
468
Ian Loveland
$ 21,000
469
Chase Gormley
$ 20,000
470
Jason Day*
$ 20,000
471
Jason Von Flue
$ 20,000
472
Clifford Starks
$ 20,000
473
Shane del Rosario
$ 20,000
474
Cezar Ferreira*
$ 20,000
475
Francisco Drinaldo*
$ 20,000
476
Thiago Perpetuo*
$ 20,000
477
Reza Madadi*
$ 20,000
478
Jeff Curran
$ 18,500
479
Brad Imes*
$ 18,000
480
Todd Duffee
$ 18,000
481
Curt Warburton*
$ 18,000
482
Cole Escovedo*
$ 18,000
483
Johnny Eduardo*
$ 18,000
484
Henry Martinez
$ 18,000
485
Shawn Jordan*
$ 18,000
486
Chris Clements*
$ 18,000
487
Antonio Carvalho*
$ 18,000
488
Anton Kuivanen*
$ 18,000
489
John Moraga
$ 18,000
490
Buddy Roberts*
$ 18,000
491
Michael Kuiper*
$ 18,000
492
Simeon Thoresen*
$ 18,000
493
Marcus LeVesseur*
$ 18,000
494
Jay Hieron*
$ 18,000
495
Stanislav Nedkov*
$ 18,000
496
Alex Karalexis*
$ 17,000
497
Oli Thompson*
$ 16,000
498
Dokonjonosuke Mishima
$ 16,000
499
Genki Sudo
$ 16,000
500
Mike Kyle
$ 16,000
501
Robbie Lawler*
$ 16,000
502
Tommy Speer*
$ 16,000
503
Paul Bradley*
$ 16,000
504
Johnny Bedford
$ 16,000
505
Daron Cruickshank
$ 16,000
506
Myles Jury
$ 16,000
507
Joe Proctor
$ 16,000
508
Keith Wisniewski
$ 16,000
509
Antonio McKee
$ 15,000
510
Jesse Forbes*
$ 15,000
511
Mike Nickels*
$ 15,000
512
Rolles Gracie
$ 15,000
513
Josh Thomson
$ 14,000
514
Philip De Fries*
$ 14,000
515
John Cholish*
$ 14,000
516
Keita Nakamura
$ 13,000
517
Shonie Carter*
$ 13,000
518
Jason Reinhart*
$ 13,000
519
Maximo Blanco
$ 13,000
520
Nick Pace*
$ 12,600
521
Amilcar Alves*
$ 12,000
522
Anthony Waldburger*
$ 12,000
523
Branden Lee Hinkle*
$ 12,000
524
Charles McCarthy*
$ 12,000
525
Dale Hartt*
$ 12,000
526
Jay Silva
$ 12,000
527
Julio Paulino*
$ 12,000
528
Lucio Linhares*
$ 12,000
529
Maiquel Falcao*
$ 12,000
530
Mark Holst*
$ 12,000
531
Nate Loughran*
$ 12,000
532
Pat Audinwood*
$ 12,000
533
Per Eklund*
$ 12,000
534
Rory Markham*
$ 12,000
535
Steve Steinbeiss
$ 12,000
536
Todd Brown
$ 12,000
537
Wes Correira
$ 12,000
538
Xavier Foupa-Pokam*
$ 12,000
539
Jesse Bongfelt*
$ 12,000
540
David Mitchell*
$ 12,000
541
Donny Walker*
$ 12,000
542
Yuri Alcantara*
$ 12,000
543
Dustin Jacoby
$ 12,000
545
Eric Wisely*
$ 12,000
546
Issei Tamura*
$ 12,000
547
Andrew Craig*
$ 12,000
548
Alex Soto
$ 12,000
549
Jared Papazian*
$ 12,000
550
Pat Schilling*
$ 12,000
551
Bernardo Malgalhaes*
$ 12,000
552
Yoislandy Izquierdo*
$ 12,000
553
Luis Ramos*
$ 12,000
554
Hacran Dias*
$ 12,000
555
Tommy Hayden*
$ 12,000
556
Eiji Mitsuoka*
$ 12,000
557
Chico Camos*
$ 12,000
558
Joey Gambino*
$ 12,000
559
Jimi Manuwa*
$ 12,000
560
Akira Corassani*
$ 12,000
561
Gunnar Nelson*
$ 12,000
562
Yashuhiro Urishitani*
$ 12,000
563
Tom DeBlass*
$ 12,000
564
Jon Tuck*
$ 12,000
565
Dan Christison
$ 11,000
566
Gabe Ruediger
$ 11,000
567
Nick Thompson
$ 11,000
568
Peter Sobotta*
$ 11,000
569
Charlie Valencia*
$ 10,000
570
Danny Abaddi*
$ 10,000
571
Dave Menne*
$ 10,000
572
Denis Stojnic*
$ 10,000
573
Edgar Garcia*
$ 10,000
574
Jordan Radev
$ 10,000
575
Justin Levens*
$ 10,000
576
Mike Patt
$ 10,000
577
Rob Yundt*
$ 10,000
578
Ross Pointon*
$ 10,000
579
Tom Murphy
$ 10,000
580
Wes Sims
$ 10,000
581
Mike Lullo*
$ 10,000
582
Joseph Sandoval*
$ 10,000
583
Papy Abedi*
$ 10,000
584
Mitch Clarke*
$ 10,000
585
Anistavio Medeiros*
$ 10,000
586
Godofredo Pepy*
$ 10,000
587
Delson Heleno*
$ 10,000
588
Leonardo Mafra*
$ 10,000
589
Wagner Campos*
$ 10,000
590
Antonio Banuelos
$ 9,000
591
Steve Lopez*
$ 9,000
592
Tra Telligman
$ 9,000
593
T.J. O’Brien*
$ 9,000
594
Jussier da Silva
$ 9,000
595
Aaron Wilkinson
$ 8,000
596
Alberto Crane
$ 8,000
597
Alexandre Ferreira*
$ 8,000
598
Antonio Mendes*
$ 8,000
599
Billy Miles
$ 8,000
600
Brad Morris*
$ 8,000
601
Brandon Wolff*
$ 8,000
602
Cale Yarborough
$ 8,000
603
Cameron Dollar
$ 8,000
604
Chuck O’Neil
$ 8,000
605
Dan Barrera
$ 8,000
606
Dan Evenson*
$ 8,000
607
Darril Schoonover
$ 8,000
608
Dorian Price
$ 8,000
609
Ediberto Crocata
$ 8,000
610
James Hammortree
$ 8,000
611
Jamie Yager
$ 8,000
612
Jared Rollins
$ 8,000
613
Jesse Taylor
$ 8,000
614
Joe Brammer
$ 8,000
615
John Kolosci
$ 8,000
616
John Polakowski
$ 8,000
617
Johnny Rees*
$ 8,000
618
Josh Bryant
$ 8,000
619
Josh Hendricks
$ 8,000
620
Jules Bruchez
$ 8,000
621
Justin Wren
$ 8,000
622
Marcus Jones
$ 8,000
623
Paul Georgieff
$ 8,000
624
Richie Hightower
$ 8,000
625
Ronys Torres*
$ 8,000
626
Ryan McGillivray
$ 8,000
627
Sam Morgan*
$ 8,000
628
Savo Chivitchian
$ 8,000
629
Shane Primm
$ 8,000
630
TJ O’Brien
$ 8,000
631
Danny Downes
$ 8,000
632
Edward Faaloloto*
$ 8,000
633
Stephen Bass
$ 8,000
634
Josh Ferguson
$ 8,000
635
Dustin Neace
$ 8,000
636
Al Iaquinta
$ 8,000
637
Chris Tickle
$ 8,000
638
Chris Saunders
$ 8,000
639
Jeremy Larsen
$ 8,000
640
Caio Malgalhaes
$ 8,000
641
John Texeira*
$ 8,000
642
Ulysses Gomez
$ 8,000
643
Francisco Trinaldo*
$ 8,000
644
Phil Harris
$ 8,000
645
Will Campuzano*
$ 7,300
646
Gideon Ray*
$ 7,000
647
Jeff Cox*
$ 7,000
648
Brodie Faber*
$ 6,000
649
Chad Reiner
$ 6,000
650
Chris Price*
$ 6,000
651
Colin Robinson*
$ 6,000
652
Doug Evans*
$ 6,000
653
Edwin DeWess*
$ 6,000
654
Fabiano Scherner*
$ 6,000
655
Hector Ramirez*
$ 6,000
656
Jason Gilliam
$ 6,000
657
Jason High*
$ 6,000
658
Jason Tan*
$ 6,000
659
Joe Vedepo*
$ 6,000
660
Joe Veres
$ 6,000
661
John Halverson
$ 6,000
662
Kenny Robertson
$ 6,000
663
Kevin Jordan*
$ 6,000
664
Lee Murray
$ 6,000
665
Luke Caudillo*
$ 6,000
666
Matt Horwich*
$ 6,000
667
Naoyuki Kotani*
$ 6,000
668
Razak Al-Hassan*
$ 6,000
669
Ryan Thomas*
$ 6,000
670
Samy Schiavo*
$ 6,000
671
Sean Salmon
$ 6,000
672
Victor Valimaki
$ 6,000
673
Vinicius Queiroz*
$ 6,000
674
Willamy Freire*
$ 6,000
675
Matt Lucas
$ 6,000
676
Josh Clopton
$ 6,000
677
Ednaldo Oliveira*
$ 6,000
678
Dan Stittgen
$ 6,000
679
Nick Penner*
$ 6,000
680
Magnus Cedenblad*
$ 6,000
681
Besam Yousef*
$ 6,000
682
Tim Elliot*
$ 6,000
683
Brock Jardine*
$ 6,000
684
Milton Vieira*
$ 6,000
685
Roger Hollett*
$ 6,000
686
Tom Watson*
$ 6,000
687
Andy Ogle*
$ 6,000
688
Renee Forte*
$ 6,000
689
Motonobu Tezuka*
$ 6,000
690
Andre Gusmao
$ 5,000
691
Anthony Torres*
$ 5,000
692
Mike Whitehead
$ 5,000
693
Soa Palelei
$ 5,000
694
C.J. Keith*
$ 4,800
695
Ansar Chalangov
$ 4,000
696
David Lee
$ 4,000
697
Fredson Paixao
$ 4,000
698
Gilber Aldana
$ 4,000
699
Joe Jordan
$ 4,000
700
Jonathan Wiezorek
$ 4,000
701
Logan Clark
$ 4,000
702
Maciej Jewtuszko*
$ 4,000
703
Mike Wessel*
$ 4,000
704
Scott Junk
$ 4,000
705
Sherman Pendergarst
$ 4,000
706
Tom Blackledge*
$ 4,000
707
Tony Fryklund*
$ 4,000
708
Travis Wiuff
$ 4,000
709
Vernon White
$ 4,000
710
Wes Combs*
$ 4,000
711
Mike Stumpf*
$ 4,000
712
Jorge Lopez*
$ 4,000
713
Byron Bloodworth*
$ 3,200
714
Alex Schoenaur*
$ 3,000
715
Alexandre Barros*
$ 3,000
716
Allen Berube*
$ 3,000
717
Andy Wang*
$ 3,000
718
Bill Mahood*
$ 3,000
719
Bobby Southworth*
$ 3,000
720
Brandon Melendez*
$ 3,000
721
Brian Geraghty*
$ 3,000
722
Brian Cobb*
$ 3,000
723
Chris Sanford*
$ 3,000
724
Crafton Wallace*
$ 3,000
725
Curtis Stout
$ 3,000
726
Danillo Villefort*
$ 3,000
727
Dante Rivera*
$ 3,000
728
David Baron*
$ 3,000
729
Derek Downey
$ 3,000
730
Derrick Noble
$ 3,000
731
Floyd Sword*
$ 3,000
732
Icho Larenas
$ 3,000
733
Ivan Serati*
$ 3,000
734
James Giboo
$ 3,000
735
James Lee*
$ 3,000
736
Jason Thacker*
$ 3,000
737
Jeff Joslin
$ 3,000
738
Jeremy Jackson*
$ 3,000
739
Jesse Sanders*
$ 3,000
740
Josh Rafferty*
$ 3,000
741
Josh Shockman
$ 3,000
742
Justin James
$ 3,000
743
Keigo Kunihara*
$ 3,000
744
Kerry Schall*
$ 3,000
745
Kit Cope*
$ 3,000
746
Koji Oishi*
$ 3,000
747
Kristian Rothaermel*
$ 3,000
748
Lodune Sincaid*
$ 3,000
749
Mario Neto
$ 3,000
750
Neil Grove*
$ 3,000
751
Neil Wann*
$ 3,000
752
Nissen Osterneck*
$ 3,000
753
Rex Holman
$ 3,000
754
Ron Faircloth*
$ 3,000
755
Ronald Jhun
$ 3,000
756
Ryan Madigan
$ 3,000
757
Ryan Roberts*
$ 3,000
758
Sean Gannon*
$ 3,000
759
Solomon Hutcherson*
$ 3,000
760
Steve Byrnes
$ 3,000
761
Stevie Lynch*
$ 3,000
762
Thomas Egan*
$ 3,000
763
Tim McKenzie*
$ 3,000
764
Tyler Toner
$ 3,000
765
Joe Marsh
$ 2,500
766
Brian Gassaway
$ 2,000
767
Cory Walmsley
$ 2,000
768
Jeff Newton
$ 2,000
769
Rick Davis
$ 2,000
770
Steve Vigneault
$ 2,000
771
Tiki Ghosn
$ 2,000
772
Wade Shipp
$ 2,000
Yes it’s a mess and yes it’s long as hell, but it’s a pretty damn comprehensive list on MMAManifesto’s part and it needed to be shared, so DEAL WITH IT.
Like we said, there are definitely some odd placements that need to be discussed amongst you Taters (Bisping over GSP?! Stefan Struve over Stephan Bonnar?!) as well as some whimsically hilarious ones (Terry Etim over Edson Barboza, Carlos Condit at #54, Nick Diaz at #55), but which figure strikes you as the most shocking? Personally, I gotta go with Brandon Vera. His last performance aside, the dude has underwhelmed and underperformed his way to six figures. But I guess that’s why they call it the American dream.
Regardless of whether or not you feel Frankie Edgar truly deserved an immediate rematch with Benson Henderson after their epic clash at UFC 144, this rematch is going to happen this weekend, barring any last minute injuries, so you’ll just have to deal with it.
In all honesty, Edgar/Bendo II is perhaps the perfect main event to follow up UFC on FOX 4, as it will surely continue to deliver on the action-packed slugfests that its preceding event provided. And while we’re on the subject of UFC on FOX 4, check out a behind-the-scenes look at the event provided by the almighty Danavlog. It’s got everything: Damarques Johnson asking “What the hell happened?”, Ryan Bader asking “What the hell happened?”, and even Brandon Vera asking “What the hell happened?” Valentine McKee would’ve been proud.
So give that a gander if you would be so kind, and if you’re looking to get properly amped for this weekend’s events, down your first 5-hour energy of the day and check out the full Countdown to UFC 150 videos detailing the Bendo/Edgar, Cerrone/Guillard, and Ed Herman/Jake Shields fights after the jump.
Regardless of whether or not you feel Frankie Edgar truly deserved an immediate rematch with Benson Henderson after their epic clash at UFC 144, this rematch is going to happen this weekend, barring any last minute injuries, so you’ll just have to deal with it.
In all honesty, Edgar/Bendo II is perhaps the perfect main event to follow up UFC on FOX 4, as it will surely continue to deliver on the action-packed slugfests that its preceding event provided. And while we’re on the subject of UFC on FOX 4, check out a behind-the-scenes look at the event provided by the almighty Danavlog. It’s got everything: Damarques Johnson asking “What the hell happened?”, Ryan Bader asking “What the hell happened?”, and even Brandon Vera asking “What the hell happened?” Valentine McKee would’ve been proud.
So give that a gander if you would be so kind, and if you’re looking to get properly amped for this weekend’s events, down your first 5-hour energy of the day and check out the full Countdown to UFC 150 videos detailing the Bendo/Edgar, Cerrone/Guillard, and Ed Herman/Jake Shields fights below.
Edgar/Henderson
The story of Benson’s mother, Song, is Oscar Pistorius-level heartwarming, and the same goes for Benson. Everything about the guy is captivating; from his humble beginnings to the heroes welcome he received upon returning home to South Korea with the lightweight strap, Henderson has been a motivated, hard working, class act through and through. That must be why you don’t see a lot of BEN HENDO IS OVERRATED TRASH ASSHOLE GARBAGE RAWWRR!! forums on the UG these days. “Why change because you’ve got the belt?” he asks, “I wanna stay the same fighter that I was before.” We’re sure he means with the exception of one small moment.
And then there’s Frankie Edgar, a.k.a The Little Engine That Could Except No One Wanted It To Because It Was Coming From New Jersey. Undefeated in the rematch scenario, Edgar promises that “Henderson will not defend the belt, because I’m taking it home with me.” Why, Frankie, so you can shower it in AXE body spray and hair gel?!! I think not, Mr. Edgar. I think not.
Cerrone/Guillard
Only twenty three seconds into this video, we are treated to perhaps the most brutal knockout of Melvin Guillard’s career, against Rick Davis at 60. The closest thing I could compare it to would be the beating the Shawshank guards put on Boggs, and like Boggs, Davis never walked fought again.
Guillard describes his old training partner as “The craziest white boy I’ve ever met.” That’s a compliment, right? Fun fact: Cerrone’s and Guillard’s birthdays are only one day apart, which in Guillard’s mind is as close to destiny as he can imagine.
And Cerrone promises fireworks, like we’d expect anything less.
Shields/Herman
Jake Shields has apparently been training everywhere from San Diego (alongside Phil Davis and Brandon Vera) to Abu Dhabi (where he apparently got to fly a jetpack) for his return to the middleweight division. Did I mention he got to fly a jetpack?! For some reason, I suddenly want to be a f*cking fighter.
On an unrelated not, if Shields somehow manages to knock Herman out on Saturday, we’re all gonna get laid. You heard it here first.
After an over hyped UFC 149 that did not deliver to fan’s expectations, the UFC got right back on track with a heavily action packed card on Fox. UFC on Fox 4: Shogun vs. Vera.
After an over hyped UFC 149 that did not deliver to fan’s expectations, the UFC got right back on track with a heavily action packed card on Fox. UFC on Fox 4: Shogun vs. Vera was one of the most exciting events of the year, an event that saw four knockouts and three submissions. The question now, where does this put Saturday’s competitors now that every fight has come to its conclusion?
After being absent for over two years, Mike Swick returned to the octagon to knockout DaMarques Johnson in the second round. Although Johnson was knocked out in devastating fashion, he most likely won the first round, and made it an extremely competitive fight. As for his next fight, Matt “The Immortal” Brown would be ideal for a competitive fight for Johnson. Having such an impressive knockout after being absent for so long, is proof that Swick is still a force to be reckoned with at welterweight and he should fight another dangerous opponent such as Yoshihiro Akiyama or Siyar Bahadurzada.
Fight of the night award winners, Joe Lauzon and Jamie Varner, not only put on the performance of the entire event, but are being considered for fight of the year. Going into the third round, it was still either man’s fight to take. Lauzon didn’t take any chances and refused to let the fight go to a decision when he slapped a triangle on Varner that forced him to tap. Just like DaMarques Johnson with his loss to Mike Swick, Jamie Varner won the first round and made the fight extremely competitive. Varner should draw a quality opponent in his next fight, perhaps Khabib Nurmagomedov or Rafael dos Anjos. Lauzon is ready for another big name, and should fight his original opponent, Terry Etim.
Lyoto Machida not only scored what was arguably the most impressive knockout of the night, but did so without so much as being touched by his opponent, Ryan Bader. There is no shame in getting knocked out by the dragon, and Bader is still among the elite in the light heavyweight division, but after Brandon Vera’s performance against Shogun, it would be interesting to see Bader vs. Vera. As for Machida, he should no doubt get the next shot at the light heavyweight title, whether it’s against Jon Jones or Dan Henderson.
Brandon Vera shocked everyone when he gave Shogun a run for his money in the main event. Though he was on the loosing end of the fight, he arguably gained more fans than any other fighter that night. Dana White said it best about Vera by saying “You can’t Rank a fighter’s heart. Heavily favored Shogun did pull off the victory, but with much more difficulty than anticipated. Nonetheless, a win is a win and now is the perfect time for the UFC to match Shogun against Rashad Evans, a fight that was supposed to happen a year and a half ago.
The list of possible match ups after this event is endless. Regardless of what future fights the UFC puts together, bottom line, UFC on Fox 4 was a great event and raised the bar to events to come.
It’s time to step into the octagon once again as we take a look at Dana White’s quest to find out who is the third-best light heavyweight in the world with the latest UFC on Fox show, shown in the early hours of this past Sunday morning on …
It’s time to step into the octagon once again as we take a look at Dana White’s quest to find out who is the third-best light heavyweight in the world with the latest UFC on Fox show, shown in the early hours of this past Sunday morning on ESPN here in Britain.
The broadcast began with action from the welterweight division as Mike Swick took on Damarques Johnson.
This was a great way to start the show. Swick began his night’s work quickly, connecting with a big right that rocked Johnson. It was the same punch he’d go to again later in the round, with the self-same result.
In between, Johnson took control on the ground. He almost took Swick’s back completely a few times, delivering some solid ground-and-pound shots while always looking to get into a position so he could apply a choke. He went for the d’arce variety a couple of times but nothing came of it.
So what looked an interesting fight became an explosive one early in the second. Swick caught Johnson’s kick attempt and pushed him down to the mat. One big right-hand later and Johnson was out of it, the referee quickly stepping in to give Swick the knockout win.
Then it was down to lightweight as Joe Lauzon faced Jamie Varner.
This was a tremendous contest. Varner put on a great striking display, but as the fight went on, particularly in the first round, he began to visibly tire.
Lauzon, for his part, put in an excellent showing on the ground. There were times when Varner seemed powerless, unable to prevent Lauzon from going back to the mount, and back to the back again.
It was the same story throughout the rest of the fight, and the end proved to be just as exciting. Varner went for a takedown, which Lauzon defended. Lauzon then showed tremendous skill as he moved into a position where he could apply a leg triangle for the highly-impressive submission win.
The first of the light heavyweight battles saw Lyoto Machida taking on Ryan Bader.
Machida went into this fight with the perfect game plan, his unique stance making it difficult for Bader to gauge the distance. Machida connected with a couple of hard kicks to the body. We also saw a couple of clinches in the middle of the cage, but nothing really came of these.
Bader finally decided to go for broke in the second, as he attempted to get near his opponent. Big mistake. As soon as he got within range, Machida connected with a big right that sent him crashing. It wasn’t long before the referee stepped in and Machida took the knockout win.
The main event featured the second light heavyweight battle as Shogun Rua went up against Brandon Vera.
This was a veritable war of attrition. For nearly four complete rounds these two put on a fight where the guts and determination of both men were apparent for all to see.
Both men put on fine performances in all aspects of the MMA game. It was brutal at times, but also quite compelling.
Vera did an excellent job in the striking department, as he put Shogun on the defensive on numerous occasions. It was by far the best performance I’ve ever seen from him, and it showed that he could hang with the best.
Shogun’s striking was more than a match for his man. The Brazilian managed to ally this with some sound grappling, and although Vera showed some nice defensive skills at times, as the fight went on Shogun began to win the war on the ground.
The end came late in round four. With both fighters running on empty, Shogun connected with a big left that rocked his man. As Vera tried to put his mouthpiece back into place, Shogun connected with a combination that sent Vera down to the mat, with the referee quickly stepping in to give Rua the TKO win.
Neither man did enough to get the big title shot, though, as Dana White announced that Lyoto Machida’s performance had earned him another crack at Jon Jones.
In conclusion—after the disappointment of UFC 149, this was just what the doctor ordered.
Every fight delivered, and then some. There were some tremendous performances here, and none of them can be faulted. This made my Fight of the Night decision somewhat difficult, but eventually I decided on the Shogun/Vera battle.
So with that being said, let’s wrap this thing up by giving UFC’s latest show on Fox the big thumbs up.
It’s time to step into the octagon once again as we take a look at 
