Remember that flabby, somewhat haggard version of Mauricio Rua that showed up to about every other one of his fights in the UFC with bum knees and a shit gas tank? He died. And now his freakishly fit doppleganger is here to bang all of our girlfriends and wives. So I have both, big whoop wannafightaboutit?
As was the case for BJ Penn, it appears that Shogun has whipped himself into damn near the best shape we have ever seen him in for his upcoming fight with Alexander Gustafsson. And it’s surprisingly appropriate; both Rua and Penn are aging legends looking to make one last run at a title shot, and both men must get past two highly-touted young bucks in order to do so. And no one wants to show up out of shape on the same network that airs The Choice. A loss is a loss, but having Pauly D mock your love handles with a laser pointer is a punishment no person on this earth deserves.
Although Shogun has been given a slightly better chance of pulling off the upset than Penn, both men are considerable underdogs heading into Saturday’s event, so make sure to swing by CP at 8 p.m. EST to see if these two will rise from the ashes or go down in flames. And if you’re in the Boston/Dorchester area, hit up either Karma or myself on Twitter to see which dive bar we’ll be catching the fights from and come join us. We apologize in advance for getting you thrown out of said dive bar, but that bouncer was totally giving one of us the stink eye.
Remember that flabby, somewhat haggard version of Mauricio Rua that showed up to about every other one of his fights in the UFC with bum knees and a shit gas tank? He died. And now his freakishly fit doppleganger is here to bang all of our girlfriends and wives. So I have both, big whoop wannafightaboutit?
As was the case for BJ Penn, it appears that Shogun has whipped himself into damn near the best shape we have ever seen him in for his upcoming fight with Alexander Gustafsson. And it’s surprisingly appropriate; both Rua and Penn are aging legends looking to make one last run at a title shot, and both men must get past two highly-touted young bucks in order to do so. And no one wants to show up out of shape on the same network that airs The Choice. A loss is a loss, but having Pauly D mock your love handles with a laser pointer is a punishment no person on this earth deserves.
Although Shogun has been given a slightly better chance of pulling off the upset than Penn, both men are considerable underdogs heading into Saturday’s event, so make sure to swing by CP at 8 p.m. EST to see if these two will rise from the ashes or go down in flames. And if you’re in the Boston/Dorchester area, hit up either Karma or myself on Twitter to see which dive bar we’ll be catching the fights from and come join us. We apologize in advance for getting you thrown out of said dive bar, but that bouncer was totally giving one of us the stink eye.
(“Why must we have to wait until February for the next episode of The Walking Dead? WHY?!”)
If their backstories are any indication of how they will perform, then Rory MacDonald best prepare himself for hell against B.J. Penn come Saturday night. Not only is BJ looking to be in the best shape of his (welterweight) career, but the manner in which “The Prodigy” was portrayed in the UFC’s recent UFC on FOX 5 “Road to the Octagon” featurette has all but set him up for an epic career comeback. The “champion hoping to reignite legacy for family’s honor” angle has been played up plenty of times by similar countdowns, fight previews, or whathaveyous in the past, but very few cases have been as emotionally gut-wrenching as Penn’s.
The normally stoic Penn, whose daughter turned 4 around the time of the filming, revealed a completely unseen side of himself as he broke down in front of the cameras while describing how hard it has been to see his children grow up while he has been away fighting to secure their future (14:25). Credit is due to the editing department for brilliantly juxtaposing Penn’s fatherly plight (but did they have to have impose BJ’s breakdown over the Happy Birthday song for his daughter? TOO MUCH EMOTIONS DAMN YOU) with that of MacDonald’s, who admits that his own father wasn’t around much during his childhood. Nice try, Rory, but you are now the Max Bear to Penn’s James Braddock and we will root against you until Penn breathes his final breath. ATTICA! ATTICA!!
Anyway, a full replay of the special is after the jump, and it features an equally compelling handling of the Gustafsson/Rua and Henderson/Diaz fights, so check it out, won’t you?
(“Why must we have to wait until February for the next episode of The Walking Dead? WHY?!”)
If their backstories are any indication of how they will perform, then Rory MacDonald best prepare himself for hell against B.J. Penn come Saturday night. Not only is BJ looking to be in the best shape of his (welterweight) career, but the manner in which “The Prodigy” was portrayed in the UFC’s recent UFC on FOX 5 “Road to the Octagon” featurette has all but set him up for an epic career comeback. The “champion hoping to reignite legacy for family’s honor” angle has been played up plenty of times by similar countdowns, fight previews, or whathaveyous in the past, but very few cases have been as emotionally gut-wrenching as Penn’s.
The normally stoic Penn, whose daughter turned 4 around the time of the filming, revealed a completely unseen side of himself as he broke down in front of the cameras while describing how hard it has been to see his children grow up while he has been away fighting to secure their future (14:25). Credit is due to the editing department for brilliantly juxtaposing Penn’s fatherly plight (but did they have to have impose BJ’s breakdown over the Happy Birthday song for his daughter? TOO MUCH EMOTIONS DAMN YOU) with that of MacDonald’s, who admits that his own father wasn’t around much during his childhood. Nice try, Rory, but you are now the Max Bear to Penn’s James Braddock and we will root against you until Penn breathes his final breath. ATTICA! ATTICA!!
Anyway, a full replay of the special is after the jump, and it features an equally compelling handling of the Gustafsson/Rua and Henderson/Diaz fights, so check it out, won’t you?
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.
(UFC on FOX Main Event Fighters Mauricio “Shogun” Rua (L) and Brandon Vera | Photo Credit MMA Junkie)
So, we all know that Saturday’s UFC on FOX card was spectacular, with every main card bout (and many under card ones) being competitive and thrilling, but how did it fare in the ratings? Preliminary ratings from TV by the Numbers, show that the UFC ratings were relatively strong. The UFC on FOX peaked with a preliminary rating of 2.36 during the Mauricio “Shogun” Rua vs. Brandon Vera main event.
The bad news for MMA partisans is that the UFC on FOX, like everything else on television Saturday night, got blown out of the water by the Summer Olympics. These are the highest-rated Olympics in history, so it is what it is.
The good news is that, in overall ratings and in the 18-49 year old demographic, the UFC on FOX telecast placed second to the Olympics in ratings every half hour they went head to head.
(UFC on FOX Main Event Fighters Mauricio “Shogun” Rua (L) and Brandon Vera | Photo Credit MMA Junkie)
So, we all know that Saturday’s UFC on FOX card was spectacular, with every main card bout (and many under card ones) being competitive and thrilling, but how did it fare in the ratings? Preliminary ratings from TV by the Numbers, show that the UFC ratings were relatively strong. The UFC on FOX peaked with a preliminary rating of 2.36 during the Mauricio “Shogun” Rua vs. Brandon Vera main event.
The bad news for MMA partisans is that the UFC on FOX, like everything else on television Saturday night, got blown out of the water by the Summer Olympics. These are the highest-rated Olympics in history, so it is what it is.
The good news is that, in overall ratings and in the 18-49 year old demographic, the UFC on FOX telecast placed second to the Olympics in ratings every half hour they went head to head. That’s higher ratings than ABC’s airing of the critically and commercially successful feature film, Norbit, as well as whatever NYC 22 is on CBS. The 18-49 rating is coveted by networks and advertisers because I guess we are easily persuaded to buy stuff we don’t really need.
In any case, the UFC on Fox ratings did just what the fight promotion and network could have hoped they would do as the telecast went on. Ratings improved each half hour as, perhaps, word started getting around that the fights were exciting as all heck and a small portion of viewers decided that trained killers might be more interesting to watch than people swiping at plastic birdies, throwing hammers or whatever Olympic sports were on NBC Saturday night.
At 8:00pm, the UFC on FOX pulled a 1.91 rating against NBC’s Olympic coverage which garnered a 19.77 rating. Each half hour after that as they went head-to-head, the Olympics ratings increased but so did the UFC’s. The first two UFC on FOX events got 5.7 million and 4.7 million viewers, respectively. The previous one, featuring Nate Diaz beating Jim Miller, peaked at 2.4 million viewers.
Did you do your part, nation, and support the UFC on FOX Saturday night? If so, you’re no doubt the cool-guy or gal at the water cooler this morning. If you decided to watch teenagers in leotards jumping around instead, we understand where you’re coming from but that’s what DVRs are for. Live and learn.
Shogun was as brutal and entertaining as Machida, but not as impressive in Dana White’s eyes. Props: @raiseyourhorns
After watching the UFC’s first two lackluster efforts on Fox, as well as the organization’s entertaining third effort fail to draw decent ratings, it was no secret that the UFC needed to deliver with last night’s UFC on Fox 4. With “the most impressive fighter” earning the next title shot at light-heavyweight, fighters returning to the spotlight after time in the indie leagues and fighters returning from extended layoffs – not to mention the usual
mix of fighters attempting to make a name for themselves and guys literally fighting for their jobs- it was obvious that the UFC was hoping for something special from everybody involved. Factor in the fact that the UFC was already struggling with ratings before the abysmal UFC 149 just two weeks ago, and it would seem like a night full of stoppages was in order to keep the fans interested in future fights on Fox.
Simply put, this card delivered all that was expected of it and then some. Last night’s fights were exactly what I was hoping to get when the UFC first announced that they had inked a deal with Fox. It was exactly what I want to show the first time viewer who asks what this “MMA stuff” is that I write about. After a roughstart with these free cards on Fox, the UFC now stands at an even 2-2.
It wouldn’t be fair to say that the main event bout between Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and Brandon “The Truth” Vera lived up to its expectations because, let’s face it, there weren’t any. Before the fight, no one could make sense of the potential title implications behind a seemingly blatant squash fight, pitting an aging legend of our sport against a fighter who had been coasting on the brink of irrelevance. Whether we were given a quick, brutal knockout or five rounds of stalling and wheezing, few of us would have been surprised either way.
Rather, it’s fair to say that Shogun Rua vs. Brandon Vera ended up being one of the best fights that the UFC has put on Fox, and easily the most entertaining main event on the network. For four rounds, Shogun outpointed a focused, game Vera on his way to a fourth round TKO. While Vera certainly had his moments – don’t act like your jaw didn’t drop when he locked in that guillotine in the first round – in the end Shogun’s aggressive striking and takedowns were just too much for The Truth.
Shogun was as brutal and entertaining as Machida, but not as impressive in Dana White’s eyes. Props: @raiseyourhorns
After watching the UFC’s first two lackluster efforts on Fox, as well as the organization’s entertaining third effort fail to draw decent ratings, it was no secret that the UFC needed to deliver with last night’s UFC on Fox 4. With “the most impressive fighter” earning the next title shot at light-heavyweight, fighters returning to the spotlight after time in the indie leagues and fighters returning from extended layoffs – not to mention the usual
mix of fighters attempting to make a name for themselves and guys literally fighting for their jobs- it was obvious that the UFC was hoping for something special from everybody involved. Factor in the fact that the UFC was already struggling with ratings before the abysmal UFC 149 just two weeks ago, and it would seem like a night full of stoppages was in order to keep the fans interested in future fights on Fox.
Simply put, this card delivered all that was expected of it and then some. Last night’s fights were exactly what I was hoping to get when the UFC first announced that they had inked a deal with Fox. It was exactly what I want to show the first time viewer who asks what this “MMA stuff” is that I write about. After a roughstart with these free cards on Fox, the UFC now stands at an even 2-2.
It wouldn’t be fair to say that the main event bout between Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and Brandon “The Truth” Vera lived up to its expectations because, let’s face it, there weren’t any. Before the fight, no one could make sense of the potential title implications behind a seemingly blatant squash fight, pitting an aging legend of our sport against a fighter who had been coasting on the brink of irrelevance. Whether we were given a quick, brutal knockout or five rounds of stalling and wheezing, few of us would have been surprised either way.
Rather, it’s fair to say that Shogun Rua vs. Brandon Vera ended up being one of the best fights that the UFC has put on Fox, and easily the most entertaining main event on the network. For four rounds, Shogun outpointed a focused, game Vera on his way to a fourth round TKO. While Vera certainly had his moments – don’t act like your jaw didn’t drop when he locked in that guillotine in the first round – in the end Shogun’s aggressive striking and takedowns were just too much for The Truth.
This isn’t to say the fight was perfect by any means. For one, Shogun continued to struggle with his cardio, much like he did against Dan Henderson. Perhaps his conditioning woes are what convinced Dana White not to reward him with a title shot with his performance. Likewise, while Vera deserves credit for the gutsy performance he put in last night, being a punching bag for the deep end of the division will only get you so far. I’m not saying that I want Vera off of the main cards, and I’m certainly not saying that he deserves to be fired for the performance that he put in, but I am saying that I don’t want to pay to watch a Brandon Vera fight any time soon.
As for the co-main event between Lyoto Machida and Ryan Bader, there really isn’t much left to say: It delivered everything that I assumed it would. Machida knew that a knockout would give him a title shot, and he earned it with a well timed counter right hook. He may not be the most qualified challenger in recent memory, but as long as Jon Jones gets past Dan Henderson, he makes for easily the most interesting rematch (I say rematch because, like everyone else, I’d rather see Jones fight Gustafsson or Teixeira).
Submission of the Night honors went to Joe Lauzon for his triangle choke over Jamie Varner. With Varner returning to a Zuffa main card for the first time since 2010 and Lauzon coming off of a quick, vicious knockout loss to Anthony Pettis, both men made the most of their time in the spotlight with a highly entertaining three round battle. While Varner had Lauzon in trouble early on with his superior striking, J-Lau hung on to turn the fight into a nonstop, back-and-forth brawl. Lauzon begin to pull away with the contest once Jamie Varner broke his hand in the second round, and eventually earned the submission in the third. It would have been interesting to see how this one would have ended had Varner not broken his hand, but at least he has the $50k Fight of the Night bonus to show for his performance.
Knockout of the Night honors went to “Quick” Mike Swick, who made the most of his return to the cage by putting away DeMarques Johnson in the second round. Being 0-2 in your last two fights is enough pressure for a fighter in the UFC, yet alone coming off of a layoff spanning over two years. While Swick looked shaky at times – as expected from a fighter who has been out of action for so long – he rocked Johnson throughout the fight with hard rights before taking him down after catching a kick and landing a huge right hand. It’s hard to see this victory pushing Swick too far up the ladder, but it was an excellent, well deserved victory for Quick.
Full Results:
Main Card:
Mauricio Rua def. Brandon Vera via TKO, 4:09 of Round Four
Lyoto Machida def. Ryan Bader via KO, 1:32 of Round Two
Joe Lauzon def. Jamie Varner via submission (triangle choke), 2:44 of Round Three
Mike Swick def. DaMarques Johnson via KO, 1:20 of Round Two
Preliminary Card:
Nam Phan def. Cole Miller via split decision
Phil Davis vs. Wagner Prado declared a no contest (doctor’s stoppage due to unintentional
eyepoke)
Rani Yahya def. Josh Grispi via submission (North-south choke), 3:15 of Round One
Phil De Fries def. Oli Thompson via submission (rear naked choke), 4:16 of Round Two
Manny Gamburyan def. Michihiro Omigawa via unanimous decision
John Moraga def. Ulysses Gomez via KO, 3:46 of Round One
Earlier in the week Dana White stated that “whoever wins the most impressively” from the contests involving Mauricio “Shogun” Rua VS Brandon Vera and Lyoto Machida VS Ryan Bader would be deemed the #1 contender for the LHW title. After watching the events unfold the UFC’s decision remained even more of a cluster f*ck due to a devestating Machida KO and a hard-fought TKO victory by Shogun. Even before Dana White stepped to the podium for the post-fight press conference, he announced LIVE just prior to the conclusion of the UFC on FOX 4 festivities telecast, that Lyoto Machida held the golden ticket.
By the time DW made his way to the dias for the post-fight press conference, the announcement had already spread across the MMA universe but he did say – during the media frenzy – that Machida “wants it bad.” The Dragon earned a convincing KO victory against a very tough competitor. Ryan Bader’s evening ended when he charged forward and ran directly into a perfectly-timed and placed right hand counter by Machida. Good night Irene.
Earlier in the week Dana White stated that “whoever wins the most impressively” from the contests involving Mauricio “Shogun” Rua VS Brandon Vera and Lyoto Machida VS Ryan Bader would be deemed the #1 contender for the LHW title. After watching the events unfold the UFC’s decision remained even more of a cluster f*ck due to a devestating Machida KO and a hard-fought TKO victory by Shogun. Even before Dana White stepped to the podium for the post-fight press conference, he announced LIVE just prior to the conclusion of the UFC on FOX 4 festivities telecast, that Lyoto Machida held the golden ticket.
By the time DW made his way to the dias for the post-fight press conference, the announcement had already spread across the MMA universe but he did say – during the media frenzy – that Machida “wants it bad.” The Dragon earned a convincing KO victory against a very tough competitor. Ryan Bader’s evening ended when he charged forward and ran directly into a perfectly-timed and placed right hand counter by Machida. Good night Irene.
Shogun, on the other hand, had a much more difficult task as (we can only surmise) the pink-slip-motivated Brandon Vera landed repeatedly with sharp elbows early on during their contest. A back and forth battle ensued between the men and it wasn’t until the closing stages of the 4th round that Shogun was able to finalize the main event with the TKO stoppage after Vera was overwhelmed by fatigue and punishment.
Judging a main event UFC fight with title implications is difficult enough (*unless you are Cecil Peoples – then you can seemingly do Sodoku throughout the scrap then fill in a 10-9 wherever you eenie-meenie-minie-moe feel like it on the official scorecard*). Objectively judging a UFC battle that is “most impressive” is a completely different thing. Which is more impressive?
Decking a young buck contender full of piss and vinegar or stopping a veteran that has his career, income and family’s wellbeing on the line?
Well, DW and the UFC went with the former and Lyoto Machida will be the opponent for the winner of Jon Jones VS Dan Henderson. So there you have it. Machida is next in line and another CP writer is proven prophetic. The Dragon was asked who he would prefer to face, Bones or Hendo, to which he replied “It doesn’t matter.” The verbose Machida was also asked what he plans to do if he faces Jones again. His response was typical. “I have to improve my wresting.” Considering Machida was choked out (go get youself some fans) COLD while standing, we can only hope the rematch is more competitive – unless, of course, Jon Jones runs his Bentley into the Dan Henderson tree.
We have months to speculate but who you got on both Potato Nation?
*Cecil Peoples is a respected and licensed combat sports judge and the bullshit within this article is simply personal opinion*
