This Saturday, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua is set to take on veteran Brandon Vera at UFC on FOX 4 taking place in Los Angeles, California. For Rua, it’s a chance to re-establish himself in the light heavyweight division after crushing defea…
This Saturday, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua is set to take on veteran Brandon Vera at UFC on FOX 4 taking place in Los Angeles, California.
For Rua, it’s a chance to re-establish himself in the light heavyweight division after crushing defeats to Jon Jones and Dan Henderson. For Vera, it’s a return from the wilderness, being on the brink of getting cut from the UFC and now facing a top five opponent who could help him leapfrog in the rankings.
Elsewhere on the card, there are other light heavyweights facing similar predicaments. Lyoto Machida, once the darling of the division, is also looking to comeback from a championship fight loss to Jones last December, and he faces Ryan Bader; formerly riding a 12-fight undefeated streak until he too fell to Jones. But now Bader has the momentum of two victories behind him, and a win over Machida will be the most significant in his career.
With Phil Davis also on the card, the light heavyweight division is in for a complete shakeup come Saturday. However, some young and up-and-coming fighters from the lighter divisions will also be hoping to make their mark in what promises to be a well-rounded and tensely fought contest.
In a shocking turn of events, UFC president Dana White revealed that the winner of the UFC on FOX 4 main event this Saturday will face light heavyweight champion Jon “Bones” Jones for the second time. White confirmed the news with MMA Junkie this …
In a shocking turn of events, UFC president Dana White revealed that the winner of the UFC on FOX 4 main event this Saturday will face light heavyweight champion Jon “Bones” Jones for the second time.
Rua, the man Jones defeated for the title back at UFC 128, received high praise from his boss despite being just 2-2 in his past four fights.
“‘Shogun’ Rua just came off a ‘Fight of the Year’ last year,” White said regarding Rua’s unanimous decision loss against Dan Henderson at UFC 139.
“He’s probably one of the best fighters of the last decade. Think about it. This guy knocked out ‘Rampage’ (Jackson), knocked out Chuck Liddell, knocked out Mark Coleman, knocked out Lyoto Machida, knocked out Forrest Griffin, knocked out Alistair Overeem twice, submitted Kevin Randleman. A win vs. [Vera] puts him right back in position, and then he’s probably the No. 2 guy in the world.”
Meanwhile, “The Truth” hasn’t won consecutive fights since 2009 and is 1-2-1 in his past four fights, most recently narrowly defeating Elliot Marshall at UFC 137.
Vera, who once claimed he would be the first fighter to hold the UFC light heavyweight and heavyweight titles simultaneously, was excited to hear that his upcoming bout would be a title eliminator.
“Like I said before, this is already a blessing in disguise, and by Dana throwing [the title shot] out there, it’s like winning the lottery twice,” he said.
Vera was finished in the first round of his March 2010 encounter with Jones, suffering a broken cheek bone as the result of some vicious elbows from the then-rising star.
Given that both Vera and Shogun were soundly defeated by Jones already, the decision to give either fighter a crack at the champion again after winning two fights in a row seems like a curious one.
Despite White recently saying that the winner of Ryan Bader and Lyoto Machida could earn a title shot as well, it looks like the co-main eventers will be on the outside looking in regardless of the outcome of their fight.
The champion has also finished both Bader and Machida inside the Octagon as well, both with a variation of the guillotine choke.
Jones next defends his title against Henderson at UFC 151, which is scheduled for Sept. 1.
“They brought me into this fight as a fish for Shogun to eat.”
So said Brandon Vera during yesterday’s hour-long “UFC’s Road to the Octagon” special on FOX, which previewed next weekend’s UFC on FOX: Shogun vs. Vera card in Los Angeles. Vera is well aware that few people are giving him a chance in the night’s headliner — especially considering that he hasn’t had an impressive victory in over three years — but the opportunity to fight Shogun and return to elite-fighter status has given him new motivation for training.
“They brought me into this fight as a fish for Shogun to eat.”
So said Brandon Vera during yesterday’s hour-long “UFC’s Road to the Octagon” special on FOX, which previewed next weekend’s UFC on FOX: Shogun vs. Vera card in Los Angeles. Vera is well aware that few people are giving him a chance in the night’s headliner — especially considering that he hasn’t had an impressive victory in over three years — but the opportunity to fight Shogun and return to elite-fighter status has given him new motivation for training.
The “Road to the Octagon” special also previews the Ryan Bader vs. Lyoto Machida co-main event. Coming off his grisly loss to Jon Jones — his third loss in his last four fights — Machida may have more to lose if he doesn’t turn in a good performance on Saturday. As for Bader, the TUF 8 winner has momentum again coming off a pair of wins over Jason Brilz and Quinton Jackson, so this fight will determine where he stands in the division. A win sets him up as a title contender. A loss could give him a reputation as a guy who collapses when it counts.
We’ll leave you with one last fish analogy. Here’s Machida discussing his tendency to drop his left hand while throwing his flurries of straight punches: “Some people see it as a mistake. When you go fishing, it’s better to have a nice piece of bait. That way you can catch a bigger fish.”
(In order to cut company expenditures, the UFC recently fired Joe Silva in favor of the new, cost-efficient method of matchmaking seen above.)
If you are the type of person who is quick to pick up on patterns, you may have noticed that more than a couple of our articles today have featured a headline ending in either the cynical question mark or even the full-on flabbergasted question mark followed by an exclamation point. And indeed, everything from Frank Mir’s temporary descent into the Strikeforce ranks to the idea that a Los Angeles hockey team did something worth writing about has left us nearly speechless. But this one tops them all, Potato Nation.
Besides the fact that Shogun was, at the risk of receiving even more hate mail than usual, owned by Jones at UFC 128, the man has gone win-loss in his past six fights for Christ’s sake. Can we at least let him collect two wins in a row before we declare him the top contender in the division? And the last we checked, it isn’t 2006 anymore, so how a win over Vera justifies a title shot is simply beyond any measure of sound reasoning that we could possibly offer you. Is this just a ploy by The Baldfather to try and hype the hype-less card that is UFC on FOX 4, or is the UFC’s matchmaking department on a permanent lunch break? As if the Mendes/McKenzie pairing wasn’t odd enough, now this nonsense happens.
And if you think that was the only baffling decision made by the UFC that we’re going to cover in this article, join us after the jump for an equally ridiculous potential matchup at 205 lbs.
(In order to cut company expenditures, the UFC recently fired Joe Silva in favor of the new, cost-efficient method of matchmaking seen above.)
If you are the type of person who is quick to pick up on patterns, you may have noticed that more than a couple of our articles today have featured a headline ending in either the cynical question mark or even the full-on flabbergasted question mark followed by an exclamation point. And indeed, everything from Frank Mir’s temporary descent into the Strikeforce ranks to the idea that a Los Angeles hockey team did something worth writing about has left us nearly speechless. But this one tops them all, Potato Nation.
Besides the fact that Shogun was, at the risk of receiving even more hate mail than usual, owned by Jones at UFC 128, the man has gone win-loss in his past six fights for Christ’s sake. Can we at least let him collect two wins in a row before we declare him the top contender in the division? And the last we checked, it isn’t 2006 anymore, so how a win over Vera justifies a title shot is simply beyond any measure of sound reasoning that we could possibly offer you. Is this just a ploy by The Baldfather to try and hype the hype-less card that is UFC on FOX 4, or is the UFC’s matchmaking department on a permanent lunch break? As if the Mendes/McKenzie pairing wasn’t odd enough, now this nonsense happens.
Apparently attempting to soften the blow of such a ridiculous statement by following it up with an equally insane one, White also stated that, were Shogun to lose (or win in unimpressive fashion), then the winner of the Machida/Bader fight would receive the next title shot.
…
I now know what Bill Murray’s character felt like in Groundhog Day, because I am either reliving the same dream over and over again, or the UFC matchmakers have seemingly forgotten that Lyoto Machida was just choked unconscious by Jones at UFC 140, or that Bader was taken to lunch by Jones at UFC 126. What I’m saying is…
Now, whereas one could possibly see how Bader has earned a shot if he gets past Machida — he will have knocked off two straight ex-champions in as many fights — he also outgrappled an overweight and apathetic Rampage Jackson in one of those wins. And unless Machida is able to defeat Bader by flying crescent Shaolin monk kick, it will be hard to understand why he’s earned another shot so quickly. Meanwhile, Alexander Gustafsson has put together a five fight win streak (and not to mention, hasn’t already faced Jones and lost in dramatic fashion before) and wasn’t so much as mentioned in the list of potential contenders.
Granted, Jones has yet to defeat Dan Henderson, but if he does, is this really where the UFC wants their champion to go from here? Essentially, Jones will be returning to the scene of a rape to give one of his victims another go-around on the off chance that they still wont identify him this time. While we’re at it, why not give Travis Lutter another shot at Anderson Silva?
It may sound a bit dramatic, but if Jones beats Hendo at UFC 150, we will officially have crossed over into some alternate universe where Eric Koch is the most deserving fighter currently receiving a title shot, outside of the interim champs at bantamweight and welterweight. Think about that for a second.
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.
It has been a very frustrating couple of years for M-1 Light Heavyweight champion and TUF 8 finalist Vinny Magalhaes. After winning the M-1 belt with a mounted gogoplata submission over Victor Nemkov in April of 2011, then defending it with a head kick TKO of Mikhail Zayats the following October, Magalhaes found himself in a bit of contract limbo with the well documented shysters at M-1. In short, they refused to offer him any more fights under his current contract while simultaneously trying to ink him a new one. Like we said, shysters.
Anyway, after nearly a year on the shelf, Magalhaes got desperate. So desperate, in fact, that he tried selling his belt on Ebay, which was valued at an astounding $99,999 before it was suddenly pulled off the market for reasons that have yet to be explained. However, it appears that Vinny has finally reached an agreement (re: his mercifully release) with his M-1 counterparts, as word has broke that the champ, who has gone 7-1 since being ousted from the UFC following a pair of losses to Ryan Bader and Elliot Marshall, will return to the sport’s highest promotion at UFC 151, which goes down from the Mandalay Bay in Vegas on September 1st. His opponent has yet to be named, but Tatame has the scoop:
Vinny “Pezao” Magalhaes is back to the UFC. The light heavyweight, who lost to Ryan Bader on the TUF 8 Finale, signed a contract with the organization and is set to fight at UFC 151, on September 1st, TATAME learned with sources.
Videos of Magalhaes’ title win and defense await you after the jump, along with the skinny on a potential signing in the UFC’s flyweight division.
It has been a very frustrating couple of years for M-1 Light Heavyweight champion and TUF 8 finalist Vinny Magalhaes. After winning the M-1 belt with a mounted gogoplata submission over Victor Nemkov in April of 2011, then defending it with a head kick TKO of Mikhail Zayats the following October, Magalhaes found himself in a bit of contract limbo with the well documented shysters at M-1. In short, they refused to offer him any more fights under his current contract while simultaneously trying to ink him a new one. Like we said, shysters.
Anyway, after nearly a year on the shelf, Magalhaes got desperate. So desperate, in fact, that he tried selling his belt on Ebay, which was valued at an astounding $99,999 before it was suddenly pulled off the market for reasons that have yet to be explained. However, it appears that Vinny has finally reached an agreement (re: his mercifully release) with his M-1 counterparts, as word has broke that the champ, who has gone 7-1 since being ousted from the UFC following a pair of losses to Ryan Bader and Elliot Marshall, will return to the sport’s highest promotion at UFC 151, which goes down from the Mandalay Bay in Vegas on September 1st. His opponent has yet to be named, but Tatame has the scoop:
Vinny “Pezao” Magalhaes is back to the UFC. The light heavyweight, who lost to Ryan Bader on the TUF 8 Finale, signed a contract with the organization and is set to fight at UFC 151, on September 1st, TATAME learned with sources.
Videos of Magalhaes’ title win and defense await you after the jump, along with the skinny on a potential signing in the UFC’s flyweight division.
Magalhaes vs. Nemkov finish
Magalhaes vs. Zayats (finish comes at 15:33)
Although you’ve gotta imagine that Vinny will fare much better in the UFC his second time around, based on the evidence, do you think we may very well be looking at a contender to Jon Jones’ (or possibly Dan Henderson’s) throne?
And speaking of hot prospects, rumor has it that inaugural/former Tachi Palace Fights flyweight champion and current bantamweight champion Ulysses Gomez has signed with the UFC as well. The rumor was started by none other than the man himself, who Tweeted/retweeted the following:
Currently 9-2 in professional competition, Gomez is a submission specialist who most recently earned said bantamweight belt with a third round submission via guillotine over Cody Gibson last December. Gomez joins such prospects as Gunnar Nelson and Tom Watson to have recently signed with the UFC, and will make for a great addition to the UFC’s compact but stacked flyweight division.
And if you’re wondering who the mysterious “Formiga” is that UFC matchmaker Sean Shelby is referring to in that tweet, it would be none other than Jussier “Formiga” da Silva, a 14-1 Jiu-Jitsu powerhouse and fellow TPF veteran that is currently the #2 ranked flyweight in the world according to Sherdog (that is, if you believe in the “bullshit rankings system” created by the JewishMMA media with the sole purpose of pissing off Josh Koscheck). It was announced that da Silva signed with the UFC just a few days ago, and it’s not looking like he will be given a walk in the park for his big debut.
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. 
Ulysses Gomez@uselessgomez