2012 has already been a huge year for MMA. The UFC has held some great events and traveled to Japan and Brazil. They’re not alone, though.Strikeforce has also had a good year featuring their own selection of stars such as Ronda Rousey, Gilbert Melendez…
2012 has already been a huge year for MMA. The UFC has held some great events and traveled to Japan and Brazil. They’re not alone, though.
Strikeforce has also had a good year featuring their own selection of stars such as Ronda Rousey, Gilbert Melendez and Daniel Cormier.
Bellator and many other orginizations have picked up this year as well, and through July 2012, has seemed like the year of MMA.
And we’re not even close to being done yet.
While you may be going through withdraws due to there not being a UFC or Strikeforce event this weekend, check out the 20 biggest fights to look forward to for the remainder of 2012.
Here is the promotional video for UFC on FOX 4: Mauricio Rua vs. Brandon Vera, which takes place in seven days’ time. Rua will attempt to bounce back from defeat following his highly acclaimed clash with Dan “Hendo” Henderson in November of…
Here is the promotional video for UFC on FOX 4: Mauricio Rua vs. Brandon Vera, which takes place in seven days’ time.
Rua will attempt to bounce back from defeat following his highly acclaimed clash with Dan “Hendo” Henderson in November of 2011.
The match in question garnered Fight of the Night honors and has also been heralded as one the greatest fights in the history of the Zuffa-based promotion.
At UFC 128, Jon Jones literally ripped the 205-pound championship from his grasp. Five months later, the PRIDE legend avenged a defeat over old foe and former 205-pound titlist Forrest Griffin, winning via first-round knockout.
Vera, a former WEC heavyweight tourney winner, is also on a redemptive mission of sorts having lost fights to Randy Couture, Jones and Thiago Silva (the fight with Silva was later overturned to a no-contest after it was revealed Silva’s urine sample was inconsistent with human urine).
That said, in his last outing, Vera scored a unanimous decision victory over Eliot Marshall.
The video also features co-main-eventers Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida and Ryan “Darth” Bader.
Machida has had a rough time of late and is looking to get back to his winning ways. First he lost his light heavyweight belt to Rua.
Next was a split-decision loss to Quinton Jackson before he turned the tide and defeated former two-division titlist Randy Couture. Nevertheless, in his last bout, he came unstuck against the divisional reigning champ, Jon “Bones” Jones.
With regards to Bader, not so long ago, he was near enough on the hot seat after falling to both Jones and former light heavyweight king Tito Ortiz.
However, two victories (Jason Brilz and “Rampage” Jackson) later, he’s now on course to make it three in a row, which could probably thrust him back into the title mix.
Here’s the show’s full card.
Preliminary Card
(FUEL TV 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT)
John Moraga vs. Ulysses Gomez
Michihiro Omigawa vs. Manny Gamburyan
Oli Thompson vs. Phil De Fries
Josh Grispi vs. Rani Yahya
Phil Davis vs. Wagner Prado
Nam Phan vs. Cole Miller
Main Card
(FOX 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT)
Mike Swick vs. DaMarques Johnson
Joe Lauzon vs. Jamie Varner
Lyoto Machida vs. Ryan Bader
Mauricio Rua vs. Brandon Vera
UFC on Fox: Shogun vs. Vera is scheduled to take place on August 4, 2012 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Calif.
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.
Randy “The Natural” Couture had an awesome nickname. It was everything a nickname should be: it was fitting, inspirational and simple, it flowed easily off the tongue, and, most importantly, it sounded cool. There are some who have extravagant for…
Randy “The Natural” Couture had an awesome nickname. It was everything a nickname should be: it was fitting, inspirational and simple, it flowed easily off the tongue, and, most importantly, it sounded cool.
There are some who have extravagant formulas when compiling a list of the best nicknames in MMA. They feel the moniker should have some sort of personal meaning and/or reflect the fighter’s style in some way.
I’m not here to rain on that parade. It’s great if those criteria can be met. If they cannot, however, then it’s perfectly fine to just go with something that sounds good.
That being said, it’s also okay not to even have a nickname, especially if you’re going to call yourself something way too close to J-Lo, hypothetically speaking of course. Matt Hughes didn’t have a nickname and he was one of the best fighters of all time.
Nicknames are nice and all, but much like a hairpiece, it’s better not to have one at all than to have a bad one.
Here are the 10 best nicknames in MMA today, in no particular order.
The upcoming UFC on FOX 4 fight card will be anchored by two light heavyweight battles. In the evening’s main event former UFC champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua will face Brandon Vera, while in the evening’s co-main event another f…
The upcoming UFC on FOX 4 fight card will be anchored by two light heavyweight battles. In the evening’s main event former UFC champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua will face Brandon Vera, while in the evening’s co-main event another former champion, Lyoto Machida, will meet Ryan Bader.
These four fighters all have one thing in common—they’ve all fought and lost to current UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones. And if things go well for Jones when he faces Dan Henderson at UFC 151, one of these four fighters may earn themselves a rematch. If Jones’ championship run ends on that September 1 fight card, one of the four could end up being Dan Henderson’s first challenger for the crown…or at least that’s what UFC president Dana White says is a possibility.
These fighters have a huge opportunity to show the world why they deserve to fight for the UFC title next. Winning isn’t enough at UFC on FOX. This division is so competitive these fighters have to look great to separate themselves from the pack. I’m expecting all of these guys to go all-out to prove why they should be next in line for a title shot.
While that statement is clearly not a promise, it does send a message to the four fighters: On August 4, all eyes will be on them, and the UFC does not expect a repeat of the UFC 149 main-card fiasco. In short, impress your boss and maybe you’ll earn a shot at the winner of the Jones vs. Henderson scrap.
The one difficulty the UFC faces, as I mentioned above, is that Jones has defeated all four light heavyweights competing at the top of the FOX card. With that in mind, the UFC may be hard-pressed to sell a rematch between Jones and any of the four fighters, especially considering that Jones was dominant in all four of those victories.
If Henderson defeats Jones, the promotion has a different scenario to ponder as Henderson has only faced Rua in the past, defeating him by unanimous decision at UFC 139 in a fight that many recognize as one of the best in UFC history.
The odd-man out in all of this talk seems to be Alexander Gustafsson. The 25-year-old Gustafsson is 14-1 in his career, with his last bout being a unanimous decision victory over Thiago Silva in April of this year. Many have been quick to compare Jones and Gustafsson, but according to Jones, the comparison is essentially lazy and off-base:
“I don’t think it is appropriate to be comparing us,” Jones said at the UFC 145 press conference. “The only thing we have similar is that we are both tall. Were different fighters, I kick fast, I’m good in the clinch and accurate and he has great boxing.”
It will be interesting to see how this and the UFC middleweight title play out over the next few weeks.
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.