In what is in effect a title eliminator bout, Ryan Bader will look to make it three-straight victories when he takes on former UFC champion Lyoto Machida.Already a pivotal bout in the light heavyweight division, the contest gained even more importance …
In what is in effect a title eliminator bout, Ryan Bader will look to make it three-straight victories when he takes on former UFC champion Lyoto Machida.
Already a pivotal bout in the light heavyweight division, the contest gained even more importance as Dana White let it be known the winner may be rewarded with a title shot.
Machida brings with him a blend of styles but is predominantly a karate fighter on the feet. He used his elusive style to capture UFC gold by defeating Rashad Evans at UFC 98. Bader was on the cusp of a title shot but was soundly defeated by the current champion Jon Jones.
Both men will be attempting to secure a rematch with the UFC champion Jones by putting on an impressive performance.
UFC on FOX 4 is set to go down this Saturday, August 4. The show will be headlined by light heavyweight striking sensations, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and Brandon Vera.As always, UFC fans will be hoping for a good night of action-packed, competitive fights…
UFC on FOX 4 is set to go down this Saturday, August 4. The show will be headlined by light heavyweight striking sensations, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and Brandon Vera.
As always, UFC fans will be hoping for a good night of action-packed, competitive fights. But when we look at outcomes, there is reason to shed your objectivity for the night’s main event.
Indeed, there are five very good reasons you should back Shogun over Vera.
Here, we’ll take a look at those five reasons in preparation for UFC on FOX 4.
At UFC on Fox 4, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua will look to avoid the first losing streak of his career in a puzzling main event against a downtrodden Brandon Vera.For the better part of the past three years, Vera’s only victory has come against UFC castoff El…
At UFC on Fox 4, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua will look to avoid the first losing streak of his career in a puzzling main event against a downtrodden Brandon Vera.
For the better part of the past three years, Vera’s only victory has come against UFC castoff Eliot Marshall, yet he finds himself in a position to redeem his recent troubles on MMA‘s biggest stage. Meanwhile, Rua is only a few fights removed from losing his light heavyweight title to current champion Jon Jones. A dominant victory over Vera in a Fox-televised event could put the Brazilian back on track for a rematch with Jones.
Though Rua and Vera will compete in the card’s final fight, many consider a co-main event between Lyoto Machida and Ryan Bader to be the main attraction at UFC on Fox 4.
Machida will be returning to the Octagon following a loss to Jones in a bout where he looked better than most against the dominant titleholder. Like Rua, Vera and Machida, Bader is also seeking a rematch with Jones after winning his past two fights.
To promote UFC on Fox 4, which will be held at Staples Center in Los Angeles, a pre-fight press conference will be held on Thursday at 2 p.m. ET. Event headliners Rua, Vera, Machida and Bader will likely join UFC president Dana White for the presser.
Video of the press conference will be streamed live on the above video player. After the presser, stay tuned to Bleacher Report MMA for all the latest on UFC on Fox 4 and the rest of your MMA needs.
The last time Mike Swick won a fight in the UFC Octagon, The Hangover had just dropped in theatres. Not the sequel with the Tyson tattoo and all the same jokes on repeat—the original Las Vegas classic, the one that led UFC star Joe Stevenson to m…
The last time Mike Swick won a fight in the UFC Octagon, The Hangover had just dropped in theatres. Not the sequel with the Tyson tattoo and all the same jokes on repeat—the original Las Vegas classic, the one that led UFC star Joe Stevenson to mistake my colleague Jeremy Botter for Zach Galifianakis at a party poolside at the Mandalay Bay.
Gaga had just hit big with “Poker Face”. Peyton Manning still had an intact neck. Charlie Sheen was in the top-rated sitcom in the world and kept his craziness to himself.
What am I trying to say?
It was a long time ago.
Now, more than two-and-a-half years since his last fight in the cage, Swick is attempting an improbable comeback, returning to action on Fox against Demarques Johnson. Can it be done?
We only say no because it has never happened before.
Of course comebacks aren’t unheard of. Mike Vick returned from prison and picked up right where he left off on the gridiron. Ted Williams did a stint in World War II and returned to the American League as the same deadly hitter he’d been when he left.
Closer to home, or at least in the realm of combat sports, Muhammad Ali was sidelined for three years after a conviction for draft evasion and returned to reclaim his heavyweight crown.
MMA legends, however, haven’t found it quite so easy. Brock Lesnar was never the same after a bout with diverticulitis. Pancrase founder Masakatsu Funaki returned to the ring after a retirement of almost seven years. His contemporary Bas Rutten did the same. Neither looked like the same fighter he had been.
To be fair, those were both old men, past their expiration date, desperately seeking one final run under the bright lights. Swick is different. He was cut down in his prime, first by an esophageal spasm that made it impossible for him to train.
When he finally seemed to have things under control, a devastating ACL injury sidelined him once again. Now it’s been so long that the feel of competition, the pressure of standing across the cage from another foaming at the mouth fighter, are nothing but distant memories.
Most similar to Swick, undoubtedly much to his chagrin, is former light heavyweight kingpin Frank Shamrock. Shamrock retired from the sport, nursing bad knees and a worse pay check. When he returned to the cage in Strikeforce after spending most of the previous five years on the sideline watching the sport he’d helped build explode in popularity, he wasn’t the same fighter.
Like Swick, Shamrock was still in his early 30s. But in a case like this, age doesn’t seem to matter. You lose something in the years between competition. Whatever it is that drives a fighter forward, makes him willing to sacrifice whatever it takes to succeed, doesn’t make the return. Physically the body may heal. But mentally it is never the same.
“The major concern is that although motor skills are very resistant to forgetting, the performance at such levels is a very, very fragile coordination between mind, body and emotion,” Howard Zelaznik, a professor of health and kinesiology at Purdue University told the LA Times.
If Swick can make it back to the top of his game, he presents a new challenge for all the main players in the welterweight class. He’s been gone so long that there has been a changing of the guard at the top of the division.
“I’m excited about the division,” Swick told Bleacher Report’s Duane Finley. “It’s a jam-packed division with a lot of talent and I can’t wait to get back in there and mix it up.”
It seems everyone had an opinion on the UFC’s decision to match Mauricio “Shogun” Rua in the main event at UFC on Fox 4 against Brandon Vera this Saturday. Most of those were detractors wondering why a legit top-five light heavyweight…
It seems everyone had an opinion on the UFC’s decision to match Mauricio “Shogun” Rua in the main event at UFC on Fox 4 against Brandon Vera this Saturday. Most of those were detractors wondering why a legit top-five light heavyweight like Rua would take a fight against a man whose career is hanging by a thread.
The fact that this fight is taking place at all and that the winner is being touted as the next title contender is a testament to the poor state of the division rather than of the skills of the fighters themselves.
Jon Jones wiping out of all the top light heavyweight contenders, leaving some of the most experienced and well-heeled fighters in the world as also-rans, is wholly responsible for this state of affairs.
After Dan Henderson, there are few fighters left at that weight class worthy of a shot. Jones has cleaned out the division and those upcoming stars waiting in the wings, such as Alexander Gustafsson and Phil Davies, still lack the experience and need another win against a top-five opponent to be considered contenders.
That leaves division stalwarts such as Rua and Lyoto Machida, men who’ve already tasted defeat at the hands of Jones, fighting for a shot.
But what exactly does a win against such a perfunctory character in the UFC, such as Vera, do for Rua’s stock?
It’s no secret that the Brazilian was originally offered fellow countryman Glover Teixeira but refused the fight—either because he was scared of a potential loss or didn’t feel that win would bring him anywhere closer to the title.
That belief is clearly misplaced. Despite his deeper history in the organisation, Vera’s cache is hardly greater than Teixeira’s. And if Dana White is hinting that a win against the Filipino-American would bring Rua a title shot, then there’s no reason to believe that a win against Teixeira would not have done the same.
After a storm of protest on Twitter, White rescinded his promise that the victor between Rua and Vera would get a shot, instead giving that honour to any one of the light heavyweights who proves himself with a dominant victory on Saturday.
That fact alone shows what little worth a win over Vera is regarded by the wider UFC fanbase. But, at the same time, it means that Vera is considered a much easier fight for Rua. And, considering that there is no obvious next contender to fight for the title, Rua will find it much easier to dominate and prove himself against Vera than he would have against the relatively unknown and dangerous Teixeira.
UFC on Fox: Shogun vs. Vera is taking place on August 4, 2012 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, Calif.
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Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and Brandon Vera highlight a jam-packed card as the UFC returns to Fox on Saturday night. The winner of the main event could receive a shot at the light heavyweight title, which means there will be more than pride on the line when…
Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and Brandon Vera highlight a jam-packed card as the UFC returns to Fox on Saturday night. The winner of the main event could receive a shot at the light heavyweight title, which means there will be more than pride on the line when they face off.
Lyoto Machida and Ryan Bader will also battle in what’s basically a second main-event fight. It’s an important matchup for both guys, as they look to position themselves in the championship picture with an impressive victory.
The events on Fox hold plenty of importance for UFC as the promotion looks to widen its appeal, so expect an exciting night of action. Here’s a look at all the key information, including the fight card and predictions for the night’s biggest bouts.
Where: Staples Center in Los Angeles, Calif.
When: Saturday, August 4
Watch: Main Card starts at 8 p.m. ET on Fox; Preliminary Card starts at 5 p.m. ET on Fuel TV
Fight Card
Main Card (Fox)
Light Heavyweight Bout: Mauricio Rua vs. Brandon Vera
Light Heavyweight Bout: Lyoto Machida vs. Ryan Bader
Lightweight Bout: Joe Lauzon vs. Jamie Varner
Welterweight Bout: Mike Swick vs. DaMarques Johnson
Preliminary Card (Fuel TV)
Featherweight Bout: Cole Miller vs. Nam Phan
Light Heavyweight Bout: Phil Davis vs. Wagner Prado
Featherweight Bout: Josh Grispi vs. Rani Yahya
Heavyweight Bout: Phil De Fries vs. Oli Thompson
Featherweight Bout: Manny Gamburyan vs. Michihiro Omigawa
Flyweight Bout: Ulysses Gomez vs. John Moraga
Rua’s Keys to Victory
Being aggressive in the first round is the most important thing for Shogun in this fight. If he can gain an early edge, it will allow him to set the pace he wants and even force Vera to the ground, where Shogun should have a significant advantage.
Rua last fought in November against Dan Henderson. It was a terrific back-and-forth affair between two wily veterans. Ultimately, Shogun came up on the short end, however. Another key on Saturday will be taking lessons from that fight and implementing them against Vera.
Rua is the favorite heading into the bout, which puts added pressure on his shoulders. He must deal with that effectively if he wants to beat Vera, who has been given a golden opportunity.
Vera’s Keys to Victory
Vera has never really lived up to the hype. He has shown flashes of being a potential title contender during his UFC career, but has never been able to put it all together. That leads to the first key for the underdog, which is consistency.
In order to beat a talented fighter like Shogun, Vera can’t afford to have the same lapses in concentration he’s struggled with in the past. The ability is there, he just needs to realize and utilize it. He still has some good years ahead of him if he can figure it out.
The other thing Vera must do is defend early. Shogun will be looking to score a quick knockout. If the American can avoid that with defense and counters, he improves his chances of winning exponentially.
Undercard Fight To Watch: Lyoto Machida vs. Ryan Bader
This should be an extremely entertaining fight. Both guys understand that it will take a resounding victory in order to earn a title shot, which means they won’t be holding back anything in an attempt to upstage the main event.
Machida comes off a loss to light heavyweight champion Jon Jones, leaving a sour taste in his mouth since December. Expect him to come out with a chip on his shoulder, and that’s bad news for Bader. Machida is at his best when he’s out to prove something.
Bader won’t go down easily, though. He comes off a marquee victory over Quinton Jackson in February and should enter riding high. It’s a chance for him to prove he belongs alongside the elite fighters in the division, leading to a close bout.
Machida by decision
What They Are Saying
Dana White has attempted to increase the excitement level for Saturday night’s two big fights by giving all four stars the opportunity to earn a title shot, based on a report from USA Today.
“Whoever wins the most impressively on Saturday night gets the shot at the title,” White said.
“I put together the fights that fans want to see,” White said. “The fans didn’t like the Rua and Vera choice, so here it is: The guy that wins most impressively on Saturday night out of the co-main event and the main event will get the shot at the winner of Jon Jones vs. Dan Henderson.”
Main Event Prediction
Shogun and Vera have a minor advantage. They will know heading into their fight what happened between Machida and Bader, basically giving them a mark to beat in order to get a title shot. So the quality of both matchups should rise.
In the end, I give the slight advantage to Shogun. He will be looking to bounce back strong from the loss to Henderson and should be able to fight at whatever pace he sets. That will be hard for Vera to handle in a high-pressure situation.
The last time 