Props to the UG for the find and MMAInterviews for this video, which asks several of the fighters from UFC on FOX 4, along with several other MMA stars, what Olympic event they would most likely compete in if they weren’t mixed martial artists. The responses ranged from funny (Joe Lauzon’s desire to try and make people give a shit about speed walking) to optimistic (5′ 8” Jamie Varner’s chances as a high-jumper) to spot-on for their personality (Ryan Bader would “throw rocks” and lift weights, go figure).
And speaking of Olympics, are we the only ones who think water polo is receiving far too much coverage this year? We’re sorry, but whatever asshole took a look at soccer and thought “You know what we should do with this sport? Slow it way, way down, limit the players mobility, and blow a whistle every three seconds” should be shot in the face, then dragged to a nearby park to make it look like a suicide. And yes, we know that person is probably dead already. Just go with it.
Anyway, it is with this inspiring little interview that we ask you taters to fill the blanks in for the following sentence:
If ______ were an Olympian instead of an MMA fighter, he/she would ______.
Props to the UG for the find and MMAInterviews for this video, which asks several of the fighters from UFC on FOX 4, along with several other MMA stars, what Olympic event they would most likely compete in if they weren’t mixed martial artists. The responses ranged from funny (Joe Lauzon’s desire to try and make people give a shit about speed walking) to optimistic (5′ 8” Jamie Varner’s chances as a high-jumper) to spot-on for their personality (Ryan Bader would “throw rocks” and lift weights, go figure).
And speaking of Olympics, are we the only ones who think water polo is receiving far too much coverage this year? We’re sorry, but whatever asshole took a look at soccer and thought “You know what we should do with this sport? Slow it way, way down, limit the players mobility, and blow a whistle every three seconds” should be shot in the face, then dragged to a nearby park to make it look like a suicide. And yes, we know that person is probably dead already. Just go with it.
Anyway, it is with this inspiring little interview that we ask you taters to fill the blanks in for the following sentence:
If ______ were an Olympian instead of an MMA fighter, he/she would ______.
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.
(Mike Swick and DaMarques Johnson combine their efforts to create not only the greatest punchface of 2012, but perhaps the greatest punchface of all time.)
Aside from the disappointing and sudden end that came during the Phil Davis/Wagner Prado fight (which is tentatively being rescheduled for UFC on FX 5), last Saturday’s UFC on FOX event delivered in spades, featuring a main card that not only provided four highlight reel finishes for the night’s big winners, but a quartet of great fights that mainstream audiences had yet to witness on a FOX card. It more than likely came as a surprise to most of us that the card was as successful as it truly was, so with that in mind, we decided to dust off our beloved Armchair Matchmaker and pre-determine the fates of the aforementioned winners and losers from last weekend’s action. Enjoy, and let us know of any other possible matchups you’d like to see in the comments section.
Mauricio Rua: Despite smashing Brandon Vera’s title aspirations in rather brutal fashion, there is no denying that Shogun had some rather dicey moments leading up to the fourth round finish (that guillotine, for instance). After controlling Vera on the ground for the majority of the first, Shogun looked like he was fighting underwater by the end of the second. But as was the case in his previous loss to Dan Henderson, Shogun proved that what he lacks in cardio he more than makes up for in heart.
Still, it will take at least another “impressive” finish over an upper-echelon opponent before we are convinced that Shogun deserves another title shot. His total unwillingness to fight Glover Teixeira causes some pause for concern, and since it appears that Rashad Evans might be headed for 185 in the near future, we are left with only one suitable fit: Alexander Gustafsson. Last weekend basically cleared out the list of potential contenders at 205, and although we’d rather see Shogun and Lyoto Machida complete their trilogy for the right to take on the Bones/Hendo winner, we can’t hate on Dana White for following through on his promise. So if Rua/Gustafsson is all we’re left with, we’d be more than willing to watch these two throw down for a #1 contender spot. Let’s just hope Shogun packs his oxygen tank this time.
(Mike Swick and DaMarques Johnson combine their efforts to create not only the greatest punchface of 2012, but perhaps the greatest punchface of all time.)
Aside from the disappointing and sudden end that came during the Phil Davis/Wagner Prado fight (which is tentatively being rescheduled for UFC on FX 5), last Saturday’s UFC on FOX event delivered in spades, featuring a main card that not only provided four highlight reel finishes for the night’s big winners, but a quartet of great fights that mainstream audiences had yet to witness on a FOX card. It more than likely came as a surprise to most of us that the card was as successful as it truly was, so with that in mind, we decided to dust off our beloved Armchair Matchmaker and pre-determine the fates of the aforementioned winners and losers from last weekend’s action. Enjoy, and let us know of any other possible matchups you’d like to see in the comments section.
Mauricio Rua: Despite smashing Brandon Vera’s title aspirations in rather brutal fashion, there is no denying that Shogun had some rather dicey moments leading up to the fourth round finish (that guillotine, for instance). After controlling Vera on the ground for the majority of the first, Shogun looked like he was fighting underwater by the end of the second. But as was the case in his previous loss to Dan Henderson, Shogun proved that what he lacks in cardio he more than makes up for in heart.
Still, it will take at least another “impressive” finish over an upper-echelon opponent before we are convinced that Shogun deserves another title shot. His total unwillingness to fight Glover Teixeira causes some pause for concern, and since it appears that Rashad Evans might be headed for 185 in the near future, we are left with only one suitable fit: Alexander Gustafsson. Last weekend basically cleared out the list of potential contenders at 205, and although we’d rather see Shogun and Lyoto Machida complete their trilogy for the right to take on the Bones/Hendo winner, we can’t hate on Dana White for following through on his promise. So if Rua/Gustafsson is all we’re left with, we’d be more than willing to watch these two throw down for a #1 contender spot. Let’s just hope Shogun packs his oxygen tank this time.
Brandon Vera: Although we don’t need to reiterate that “The Truth” completely blew our expectations out of the water, we’re going to anyway. Anyone who predicted that Vera would put up as great a fight as he did against a beast like Shogun was either Negrodamus or a shut-in UFC fan who hadn’t seen Vera fight since UFC 65. If the Brandon Vera that showed up Saturday night continues to show up in the future, we are going to be in for some fantastic fights to put it simply. We’re sure he’d love a chance for revenge against noted “juice monkey” Thiago Silva, who was originally scheduled to face Rua at UFC 149, but Silva’s neverending back problems don’t give us much hope that he’ll be ready for action anytime soon. Given Vera’s stellar performance last weekend, we’d like to see him take a tough, but winnable matchup that will boost his confidence should he emerge victorious. Just 1-2 in his last three, Antonio Rogerio Nogueria seems like a perfect litmus test for Vera. Lil Nog packs a hell of a punch and a slick submission game to boot, yet hasn’t really convinced many fans that he is championship material in his past few octagon appearances. Sound familiar?
Ryan Bader: If Lyoto Machida is Johnny Cage (or more likely Liu Kang, but just set ethnicity aside for a moment), Ryan Bader is without a doubt the lumbering, stumbling four armed freak that Cage testicle-punched off the mountain top. Bader looked completely lost when forced to deal with Machida’s elusive style, and aside from abandoning his wrestling base, apparently became frustrated to the point that he decided bull rushing into Machida’s fist with his eyes closed would be the most dignified way out. A flawless victory for Machida it truly was. The loss puts Bader in a unique, if not scary position. On one hand, he can handily defeat 85 to 90 percent of the division’s challengers, but on the other, he has been absolutely schooled by the division’s elite…and Tito. It’s not quite gatekeeper status, but if Bader wants to launch himself back up the ranks, he will need a huge win to do so.
Although he doesn’t present as interesting a puzzle as Machida (then again, who does really?) James Te Huna would make for a great matchup. On the heels of a record setting performance against Joey Beltran, Te Huna’s UFC record now stands at 4-1, with three of those wins coming by some variation of a Falcon Punch. The New Zealander has shown some susceptibility to the takedown in the past, and a fight against Bader would tell us a lot about which direction both men are headed.
Joe Lauzon: After overcoming a few rocky moments against a former WEC champion, Lauzon delivered in the style he has become known for: exciting and decisive. Now the all time leader in performance bonuses, Lauzon has only seen the judge’s cards in defeat, which in and of itself should be commended. That being said, Lauzon’s standup game still has some significant holes (mainly, his defense and head movement) that need working on if he is to hang with some of the power punchers that reside at 155 lbs. If you’re looking for a fighter who would make for a great test of Lauzon’s all around game, look no further than Jim Miller. He came up short in his #1 contender bout with Nate Diaz, suffering the first submission loss of his career, and will be looking to rebound with a fury. Both men are upper-level lightweights that have fallen short in fights against the true contenders, and would make for a guaranteed FOTN were they to square off.
Jamie Varner: Although his comeback story hit a speedbump, there is no reason to knock Varner for his gutsy performance. He took the fight on short notice, fought until the very end, and even managed to drop Lauzon on a couple of occasions. Varner is a gamer, through and through, and once his hand recovers, he deserves a fight with a guy who brings the fight each and every appearance. The first name that pops into my mind is Sam Stout, who is fresh off a trilogy capturing victory over Spencer Fisher. Both men are excellent strikers who aren’t afraid to take a punch, and would make for a great addition to any card lacking fireworks.
Mike Swick: It may have taken him over two years to do so, but “Quick” put on a performance for the ages against Damarques Johnson, overcoming an early storm to emphatically show “Darkness” the irony of his nickname in the second round. At the risk of sounding cliche (not to mention ignoring a certain ban on the phrase), Swick looked like his old self last weekend, and we couldn’t be more happy for the guy. But given the time he has spent away from the octagon, we’d like to have him face another mid-level fighter before he is thrown to the contenders of the division. James Head is fresh off an upset victory over Brian Ebersole at UFC 149, and would definitely jump at the opportunity to knock off another big name like Swick. If that’s not quite the marquee matchup you’re looking for, a fight against Stephen Thompson, who just came up short against Matt Brown in a hell of a fight at UFC 145, would make for an interesting pairing.
Nam Phan: Here’s what we know about Nam Phan:
1. Dude throws some nasty body punches.
2. Dude makes for exciting fights in every appearance.
3. Dude cannot beat another dude convincingly inside of three rounds.
Do the judges have it out for this guy? We couldn’t be the only one’s who felt the Leonard Garcia decision creep into the back of our minds when it was announced that Phan’s victory over Cole Miller was a split decision. Although it’s a given that one out of three MMA judges is either mentally handicapped in some fashion or plain blind nowadays, Phan needs to start going for broke if he doesn’t want to find himself on the wrong end of a decision in the near future. We’d suggest that he square off against Manny Gamburyan, who also emerged victorious at the same event, to try and get a good finish under his belt. Manny is a tough, hard hitting former title challenger who just recently broke a three fight skid, so we’d like to see these two throw caution to the wind and let the fists fly.
Give us your thoughts on our matchups, as well as the ones you’d like to see for the rest of the night’s competitors, in the comments section.
(Brandon Vera: Willing to take his licks in victory or defeat. Mainly defeat.)
After collecting the top eight comments from last week and allowing you, the Potato Nation, to determine who was the funniest son of a bitch amongst you, it looks like we have a winner. With an astounding 38.5% of the votes, none other than Mr. Misanthropy’s Brandon “The Aloe” Vera comment ran away with the victory like it had just drank an entire crate of Powerthirst energy drinks. Although Vera’s fighting style was anything but soothing in his fourth round knockout loss to Mauricio Rua this past weekend, it was comments like that one that managed to finally light a fire under Vera’s ass, so an extra congrats is in order for Mr. Misanthropy’s last minute motivation.
Misanthropy (that is how you pronounce it, right?), please e-mail [email protected] with your real name, address, and shirt size, and we’ll get you hooked up ASAP. You can also rest assured that your comment WILL be carried over to next week’s competition as the reigning champion, but it’s looking like it will already be facing some stiff competition. Thanks to everyone who voted, and make sure to get in on the action by voting next week or, God forbid, coming up with something funny of your own!
(Brandon Vera: Willing to take his licks in victory or defeat. Mainly defeat.)
After collecting the top eight comments from last week and allowing you, the Potato Nation, to determine who was the funniest son of a bitch amongst you, it looks like we have a winner. With an astounding 38.5% of the votes, none other than Mr. Misanthropy’s Brandon “The Aloe” Vera comment ran away with the victory like it had just drank an entire crate of Powerthirst energy drinks. Although Vera’s fighting style was anything but soothing in his fourth round knockout loss to Mauricio Rua this past weekend, it was comments like that one that managed to finally light a fire under Vera’s ass, so an extra congrats is in order for Mr. Misanthropy’s last minute motivation.
Misanthropy (that is how you pronounce it, right?), please e-mail [email protected] with your real name, address, and shirt size, and we’ll get you hooked up ASAP. You can also rest assured that your comment WILL be carried over to next week’s competition as the reigning champion, but it’s looking like it will already be facing some stiff competition. Thanks to everyone who voted, and make sure to get in on the action by voting next week or, God forbid, coming up with something funny of your own!
Brandon Vera had a 1-2 record with one no-contest in the four fights leading up to his bout with Mauricio Rua on Saturday night. And while Vera suffered a TKO loss to “Shogun,” he showed tremendous heart and ability during the fight and definitely uppe…
Brandon Vera had a 1-2 record with one no-contest in the four fights leading up to his bout with Mauricio Rua on Saturday night. And while Vera suffered a TKO loss to “Shogun,” he showed tremendous heart and ability during the fight and definitely upped his stock in the UFC.
Vera went toe-to-toe with Rua in one of the more entertaining fights of the year. It was a back-and-forth battle in which both guys were landing bombs and taking huge shots to do so. Vera could have wilted under a furious early barrage by Rua, but instead he stood tall and fought back.
Though Vera clearly lost the opening round, he bounced back to take the second, landing a series of punishing kicks, knees and hooks. He was rocked early in the round, but came back and put together some outstanding combinations and really took it to Shogun for the majority of the round.
Though I had the third as a 10-10 round, it could have easily gone either way. Again, both guys landed some spectacular shots while standing up. I was shocked they were able to stay on their feet that long.
In the fourth round, Rua finally got the better of Vera, flooring him with a devastating two-punch combination that no one could have recovered from.
Both fighters looked fatigued from the second round onward, but that was likely due to the amount of strikes being thrown.
Vera had long been criticized for a lack of focus after his meteoric rise was derailed by a series of disappointing losses. While his record fell to 12-6 (with one no-contest) Saturday night, he earned the respect of anyone watching.
We’re likely to see Vera get another top-level fight in his next bout, thanks to his performance Saturday night.
Lyoto Machida is the new No. 1 contender for the light heavyweight title and will face the winner of the Jon Jones and Dan Henderson fight. He shouldn’t be, though. Shogun Rua fought well in a very close battle against a rejuvenated Brandon Vera and sh…
LyotoMachida is the new No. 1 contender for the light heavyweight title and will face the winner of the Jon Jones and Dan Henderson fight. He shouldn’t be, though. Shogun Rua fought well in a very close battle against a rejuvenated Brandon Vera and should fight Machida a third time for the spot as the No. 1 contender.
Dana White loves to feel the pulse of the crowd before he names a new No. 1 contender, but Machida looked dominant, whereas Rua didn’t. He uses this as part of how he decides the title contenders. But in breaking down the two fights, Machida doesn’t deserve an automatic title shot, and Rua doesn’t either.
Machida Catches Bader Making a Mistake Early
Machida and Bader had a great, competitive first round of the fight. It looked very back and forth for the first half of Round 1, but as the fight wore on, Bader just looked completely overmatched. Machida was frustrating Bader with short, quick strikes.
Then the mistake came. Bader—using none of his brains—decided that it would be a good idea to charge a championship-caliber veteran fighter who is faster than him. He got knocked out on almost Friday-level proportions by Machida for making such a bad error, leaving Machida to look like a king.
Shogun Beats a Much-Improved Vera
Vera looked like a man on a mission against Rua. It was a very close fight that looked like Shogun would win the first and third rounds. However, Vera looked like he was going to win the second round. Vera had never gotten to a fourth round before.
Shogun realized this and used it to his advantage. He completely dominated a tired Vera in the fourth round and turned in a knockout victory 4:09 into the fourth round. Rua just didn’t impress enough compared to Machida‘s quick knockout of Bader to be handed a title shot.
Dana White should have these two men fight for the No. 1 contender spot instead of handing it to Machida. Especially since the current champion has already dispatched Shogun to win the title and defeated Machida to defend it.
Scott Carasik is a Featured Columnist and Trends and Traffic Writer for Bleacher Report. As a Featured Columnist, he covers the Atlanta Falcons, NFL and NFL draft. He is also the Falcons analyst at Drafttek, runs the NFL draft website ScarDraft.com and hosts Kvetching Draftniks Radio.
It’s time to step into the octagon once again as we take a look at 
