On the one hand, UFC light heavyweight Brandon Vera owes Thiago Silva, the man who beat him at UFC 125 in January, a debt of gratitude. That’s because had Silva not tested positive for steroids following the fight, Vera knows he would be looking for work outside the UFC.
“Stuff happens in weird ways,” Vera said on Monday’s episode of The MMA Hour. “For sure this was a blessing in disguise. So whether it came from up top or karma was just like, ‘Look, man, he’s been through enough. Let’s give him one. Let’s see what he does with it.’ Either way, I’m running with it.”
On the other hand, Vera has no problem expressing how he really feels about Silva, who celebrated in the cage en route to beating “The Truth” via unanimous decision on Jan. 1.
“I think he was just celebrating, but now that I know that he was a juice monkey, for sure, I think he’s a piece of sh**.”
Following the fight, the UFC released Vera, who had just dropped to 0-3 in his last three fights. But after news broke that Silva had been suspended for a year by the Nevada State Athletic Commission for testing positive for steroids and providing a fake urine sample, the organization gave Vera his job back. He’ll get another shot to realize his UFC dreams next weekend when he meets Eliot Marshall at UFC 137.
“I was still bewildered the whole time wondering why I looked so bad,” Vera said of his fight against Silva. “But then when the test came back, I understood why, man.
“The whole fight I just kept asking myself, ‘What the hell is going on? Why is this?’ You know, I train with Phil Davis, ‘Hapa’ Travis Browne, the Nogueira brothers and Junior dos Santos. I train with some big dudes, man. Nobody has ever been able to hold me. The whole time during the fight, while we’re on the ground, I’m just thinking to myself, ‘What is going? Why is it like this?’ And it just wore on me the whole time. On the feet, I was happy as hell. I was smiling the whole damn time. He’s so slow, but then as soon as we hit the deck, it just felt like I was a little child.”
Vera says he hasn’t talked to Silva after the fight, and he has no intention of reaching out to him any time soon.
“No interest at all,” he said. “Not till I smack him in his face again.”
On the one hand, UFC light heavyweight Brandon Vera owes Thiago Silva, the man who beat him at UFC 125 in January, a debt of gratitude. That’s because had Silva not tested positive for steroids following the fight, Vera knows he would be looking for work outside the UFC.
“Stuff happens in weird ways,” Vera said on Monday’s episode of The MMA Hour. “For sure this was a blessing in disguise. So whether it came from up top or karma was just like, ‘Look, man, he’s been through enough. Let’s give him one. Let’s see what he does with it.’ Either way, I’m running with it.”
On the other hand, Vera has no problem expressing how he really feels about Silva, who celebrated in the cage en route to beating “The Truth” via unanimous decision on Jan. 1.
“I think he was just celebrating, but now that I know that he was a juice monkey, for sure, I think he’s a piece of sh**.”
Following the fight, the UFC released Vera, who had just dropped to 0-3 in his last three fights. But after news broke that Silva had been suspended for a year by the Nevada State Athletic Commission for testing positive for steroids and providing a fake urine sample, the organization gave Vera his job back. He’ll get another shot to realize his UFC dreams next weekend when he meets Eliot Marshall at UFC 137.
“I was still bewildered the whole time wondering why I looked so bad,” Vera said of his fight against Silva. “But then when the test came back, I understood why, man.
“The whole fight I just kept asking myself, ‘What the hell is going on? Why is this?’ You know, I train with Phil Davis, ‘Hapa’ Travis Browne, the Nogueira brothers and Junior dos Santos. I train with some big dudes, man. Nobody has ever been able to hold me. The whole time during the fight, while we’re on the ground, I’m just thinking to myself, ‘What is going? Why is it like this?’ And it just wore on me the whole time. On the feet, I was happy as hell. I was smiling the whole damn time. He’s so slow, but then as soon as we hit the deck, it just felt like I was a little child.”
Vera says he hasn’t talked to Silva after the fight, and he has no intention of reaching out to him any time soon.
“No interest at all,” he said. “Not till I smack him in his face again.”
Filed under: UFCIt would be overdramatic and not completely accurate to claim that a star was born in the main event of UFC 128. Jon Jones was already a star, which is why the UFC did a pre-fight special on him after giving the champion, Mauricio ‘Shog…
It would be overdramatic and not completely accurate to claim that a star was born in the main event of UFC 128. Jon Jones was already a star, which is why the UFC did a pre-fight special on him after giving the champion, Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua, no such fully-focused push.
But while Jones showed up at the Prudential Center in Newark already a celebrity, it was his domination of Rua that made him an instant colossus in this sport. With that will come a lot of fame, money, and attention — all things that can derail any 23-year-old if he’s not ready for them. Whether this will be one more rule that simply doesn’t apply to Jones as it does to mere mortals, time will tell. For now, he gets to relax and enjoy being champ. He just shouldn’t enjoy it too much, since this title has had a way of slipping through the fingers of his predecessors.
Now on the biggest winners, losers, and everything in between after UFC 128.
Light Heavyweight Championship bout: Maurício Rua (c) vs Jon Jones I’ve got Jon Jones winning this one. Rua might be the more powerful fighter here, but Jones is more dangerous in more places. Bantamweight bout: Urijah Faber vs Eddie Wineland Faber. Lightweight bout: Jim Miller vs Kamal Shalorus Miller should be able to keep this […]
Light Heavyweight Championship bout: Maurício Rua (c) vs Jon Jones
I’ve got Jon Jones winning this one. Rua might be the more powerful fighter here, but Jones is more dangerous in more places.
Bantamweight bout: Urijah Faber vs Eddie Wineland
Faber.
Lightweight bout: Jim Miller vs Kamal Shalorus
Miller should be able to keep this on the feet and out box Shalorus. This fight should be awesome as Shalorus is world class wrestler which will completely nullify Miller’s takedowns. Miller those is far superior in the boxing department where Shalorus wings bombs over and over. You know what I’m changing my pick. Shalorus via decision.
Middleweight bout: Nate Marquardt vs Dan Miller
Nate Marquardt. Better everywhere.
Heavyweight bout: Mirko Filipovic vs Brendan Schaub
Brendan Schaub. Younger fighters seem to be giving Mirko problems.
Preliminary card (Spike TV Card)
Light Heavyweight bout: Luiz Cane vs Eliot Marshall
Luiz Cane easily. Well he won’t necessarily win easily, but I think its a easy pick.
Lightweight bout: Edson Barboza vs Anthony Njokuani
No pick, but like seeing Njokuani fight.
Preliminary card (Facebook)
Welterweight bout: Ricardo Almeida vs Mike Pyle
Ricardo Almeida doesn’t want to get choked out again. I don’t think Pyle is going to get that shot. I like Almeida here.
Lightweight bout: Kurt Pellegrino vs Gleison Tibau
If Gleison fights at his best he will be too strong and big for Pellegrino who has had problems against bigger fighters.
Preliminary card
Bantamweight bout: Joseph Benavidez vs Ian Loveland
Benavidez
Featherweight bout: Erik Koch vs Raphael Assunção
Assunção
Catchweight (195 lb) bout: Nick Catone vs Costantinos Phillipou
Some fighters will tell you that they never read MMA news on the internet. Some will even mean it. It’s a distraction, they say, and the various things they might read about themselves – whether positive or negative – won’t do anything to help them on …
Some fighters will tell you that they never read MMA news on the internet. Some will even mean it. It’s a distraction, they say, and the various things they might read about themselves – whether positive or negative – won’t do anything to help them on fight night.
But as Eliot Marshall found out recently, for an unsigned fighter trying to get back into the UFC, sometimes the up-to-the-minute online reports are a resource too valuable to ignore.
“Some people say to look at the internet and some people say not to look at the internet,” Marshall said. “I’ve always tossed it back and forth in my head, whether it’s a good idea or not. Now I’m thoroughly convinced it’s a good idea.”
(“Nemesis MMA” was the worst thing to happen to Keith Jardine since … well, whatever the last thing that happened to Keith Jardine was. PicProps: EstherLin/SharkFights)
If you were paying attention to our report on Tuesday – …
(“Nemesis MMA” was the worst thing to happen to Keith Jardine since … well, whatever the last thing that happened to Keith Jardine was. PicProps: EstherLin/SharkFights)
If you were paying attention to our report on Tuesday – or following Ben Askren on Twitter, which we can only assume you absolutely are – then you had an inkling that last weekend’s independent “Nemesis MMA” show in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic was something of a disaster. Truth is, “disaster” doesn’t even begin to cover it. From accusations that Keith Jardine was greased-up in the main event to reports that paychecks started bouncing as soon as the athletes returned to the First World, it was clear from the get-go this thing was gonna be a mess. Brother, we had no idea.
MMA Weekly gets the scoop straight from Paul Buentello and Eliot Marshall, who were both “winners” at the event. Now, we know what you’re thinking: Shady independent MMA promoters stocking a show in the DR with semi-recognizable talent and promising a “four-day, all-inclusive, world-class experience in paradise?” What could possibly go wrong, right? Well, tons of shit actually, when you don’t have an athletic commission (or anyone at all) looking after health and safety issues. Get a good look Libertarians, this is the world you want to live in …
On the one hand, UFC light heavyweight Brandon Vera owes Thiago Silva, the man who beat him at UFC 125 in January, a debt of gratitude. That’s because had Silva not tested positive for steroids following the fight, Vera knows he would be looking for work outside the UFC.
It would be overdramatic and not completely accurate to claim that a star was born in the main event of UFC 128. 
Some fighters will tell you that they never read MMA news on the internet. Some will even mean it. It’s a distraction, they say, and the various things they might read about themselves – whether positive or negative – won’t do anything to help them on fight night.