UFC on Fox 4 featured a pair of light heavyweight contests between Mauricio Rua and Brandon Vera, and Lyoto Machida and Ryan Bader.From an entertainment standpoint the night was a glowing success, showcasing no shortage of solid action and even produci…
UFC on Fox 4 featured a pair of light heavyweight contests between Mauricio Rua and Brandon Vera, and Lyoto Machida and Ryan Bader.
From an entertainment standpoint the night was a glowing success, showcasing no shortage of solid action and even producing a title contender.
Now that it is in the books, let’s take a look at how the card stacks up against its network television predecessors.
To establish an order of best to worst, the undercard, main card and main event of each Fox installment will be ranked. A first-place rank will earn the event one point, second gets two points, third get one point and fourth gets zero.
Because UFC on Fox 1 had no main card (it was just a main event), I’ve taken the liberty of classifying the Ricardo Lamas vs. Cub Swanson, Dustin Poirier vs. Pablo Garza and Benson Henderson vs. Clay Guida fights as the event’s main card. The rest of the preliminary action will make up the undercard for the purpose of this ranking.
The rankings will be based on the entertainment value of each event, as well as the importance of the fights that comprised it.
UFC on Fox 4 is finally in the books. The biggest question of the event was answered last when the UFC awarded a title shot to Lyoto Machida. He’ll face the winner of Dan Henderson and Jon Jones. The night also saw the valiant return of Brandon Ve…
UFC on Fox 4 is finally in the books. The biggest question of the event was answered last when the UFC awarded a title shot to Lyoto Machida. He’ll face the winner of Dan Henderson and Jon Jones.
The night also saw the valiant return of Brandon Vera who showed everyone his potential when he took Mauricio “Shogun” Rua to the championship rounds.
It was an amazing night of fights and one that I regret not DVRing.
Anyway, take a look at the questions answered and lessons learned for UFC on Fox 4.
The most exciting UFC on Fox event is now in the books, and so it’s time to take a look at what might be next for some of the winners and losers. LYOTO MACHIDA vs. JON JONESLet’s face it: Machida isn’t the best option to face Jon Jones for a secon…
The most exciting UFC on Fox event is now in the books, and so it’s time to take a look at what might be next for some of the winners and losers.
LYOTO MACHIDA vs. JON JONES
Let’s face it: Machida isn’t the best option to face Jon Jones for a second time. But then again, there really are no best options.
That’s the current state of the UFC’s light heavyweight division, a weight class that Jones has so thoroughly decimated over the past 16 months. Who of the four men involved in Saturday night’s two featured Fox fights would you like to see face Jones again?
Rua, who took the worst beating of his career? Bader, who was made to look less like a prospect and more like a kid learning the intricacies of MMA from an elder statesman? Or Vera, who ended up screaming in agony with a broken orbital bone the last time he faced Jones?
In reality, Machida gave Jones the best fight he’s had since assuming he ascended to the championship throne. That isn’t saying much, but we play with the cards we are dealt. I’d love to see someone like Alexander Gustafsson or Glover Teixeira get their crack. And someday, they will. But right now, they’re just not intriguing enough opponents to draw in the casual fanbase.
That leaves Machida. While he doesn’t make for the most interesting opponent for Jones, he’ll have to do because he’s the best of the realistic options at this point.
I do have one request, however: Put this fight in the main event of the December Fox card.
We’ve already paid to see it once, and I can’t imagine a lot of people will be all that interested in paying for it a second time. Plus, it would pay off the contender storyline from Saturday’s event, wrapping everything up with a nice, red bow.
MAURICIO RUA vs. ALEXANDER GUSTAFSSON
Rua needs another big win before he can convince Dana White that he really wants a second crack at Jones.
Truth is, maybe Rua just isn’t all that eager to step back in the cage with Jones. Perhaps he knows what the rest of us could sense just from watching the first fight last year: that it would take a miracle for Rua to beat Jones, even on his very best day. And Rua’s very best days are dwindling fast.
Gustafsson would provide a good litmus test. He’s often compared to Jones, and for good reason, because they possess many of the same physical attributes. But Gustafsson needs a big win before being considered ready for title contention. Beating Shogun may not mean what it once did, but it would mean enough.
BRANDON VERA vs. RYAN BADER
This one is easy. Vera didn’t beat Shogun on Saturday night, but he proved that he’s still got the fire to compete with the best in the division. After the past few years, I never thought I’d use those words to describe Vera. But here we are.
Vera accomplished the rarest of feats on Saturday night: He elevated his stock despite being finished in a fight. And while he probably will never achieve those lofty double-title standards he set for himself so many years ago, he’s no doubt earned a hall pass to stick around the promotion.
A bout with Bader, who was knocked into next week after trying to score on the increasingly frustrating Machida, makes perfect sense. Both guys are coming off losses on television, and both guys need bouts that will either keep them relevant or elevate their standing in the division. This accomplishes both.
JOE LAUZON vs. GRAY MAYNARD
Lauzon’s out-of-nowhere triangle submission win over Jamie Varner was par for the course. Which is to say it was incredibly exciting and Lauzon ended up scoring multiple fight night bonuses. Just another night at the office for J-Lau.
For his next trick, I’d like to see him paired with Gray Maynard. Maynard is treading water, nowhere close to securing another lightweight title shot in the next 12 months. I like the idea of pairing up the two former members of Team Penn from the fifth season of The Ultimate Fighter.
JAMIE VARNER vs. DONALD CERRONE/MELVIN GUILLARD LOSER
Varner pulled off the same feat as Vera: scoring fans despite his loss to Joe Lauzon in a Fight of the Year contender.
Varner has come from the brink of retirement back to the UFC, where he’s putting on thrilling performances and showing none of the immaturity that raised fans’ ire during his WEC run. Personally, I’d love to see him face Donald Cerrone. The UFC loves trilogies, and this is one that needs to be finished.
But in order for that to happen, Cerrone would need to lose to Melvin Guillard, because his standing in the division will be far greater than Varner if he defeats Guillard on Saturday night. Either way, matching Varner up with the loser of the UFC 150 co-main event makes perfect sense on every level.
PHIL DAVIS vs. WAGNER PRADO
Let’s be real: we’re going to see this one again.
After all, the first one ended with Prado bleeding his own eye blood after a nasty unintentional eye poke from Davis. Prado was understandably upset with the ref’s decision to call off the fight, but again, he was bleeding. From his eye. Not only is that disgusting, but it’s a perfectly acceptable reason to end a fight prematurely.
No harm, no foul. Well, there was some harm and it was almost certainly a foul, but we’ll get to see it again regardless.
I’d also like to send an obligatory “chill out, dude” to Rashad Evans, who laid into Davis for not using his wrestling and trying to strike in post-fight commentary on Fuel. Dude, the fight was roughly one minute old. As Davis said, there was plenty of time for wrestling.
After handily doing away with Ryan Bader at UFC on FOX 4, Lyoto Machida proclaimed that “The Dragon is back,” during his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan.Claiming to “be back” has become something of a cliche for athletes who show any sign of reboun…
After handily doing away with Ryan Bader at UFC on FOX 4, Lyoto Machida proclaimed that “The Dragon is back,” during his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan.
Claiming to “be back” has become something of a cliche for athletes who show any sign of rebounding to former glory, but in Machida’s case it might just be a statement that holds more truth than it seems.
Though the Dragon never really went away—it was more like he was hibernating—Machida had been struggling through a rough patch in his career prior to dispatching Bader last Saturday night. The Brazilian entered the fight having dropped three of his last four, including a second-round submission loss to light heavyweight kingpin Jon Jones.
But the so-called return of the Dragon is apt beyond simple results and outcomes—it signifies the renewal of the style that formerly ushered in the very short-lived “Machida era.”
During his rise to the top of the sport, Machida was often criticized for fighting defensively and coasting to decision wins instead of going for finishes. Though few questioned his ability, the criticism mounted to the point that Machida was almost unanimously regarded as boring.
Perhaps it was in response to the criticism, or perhaps it was the natural evolution of things, but Machida started to get more violent. He finished Thiago Silva and Rashad Evans in quick succession to become the UFC light heavyweight champion before losing his title to the ultra-aggressive Mauricio Rua, a loss that brought the Machida era to an end.
After that defeat, Machida dropped a lackluster contest to Quinton Jackson before earning a title shot by pulverizing Randy Couture. At that point, he was on the precipice of proclaiming the Machida era open for business once more, but current champ Jon Jones had other ideas.
What must be remembered is that even during the Dragon’s so-called absence, Machida remained a title player and an effective fighter. His losses were for the most part competitive, and he was taking on nothing but top competition.
Even so, he lacked a certain something that had been ever-present before his career downturn. And last night signified a return of that something.
The best word I can scrounge up to define what had been missing, but what was present at UFC on FOX 4, is patience. Machida has never been impatient or aggressive, but he had that look last night of being relaxed while simultaneously on the verge of exploding.
So if the Dragon is anything like a coiled Cobra sitting still, ready to lash out without warning, then the Dragon is most certainly back.
Against Bader, there was a certain methodical purpose in every movement Machida made. He was like a cat eying a mouse. The second Bader closed the distance, Machida pounced and the fight was over.
It was that which we have not seen from the former champion since he knocked out Rashad Evans in May of 2009, the last time the Dragon approached an opponent as if he were a snack to be torched and eaten.
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.
Brandon Vera and Mauricio Rua combated one another in a battle of attrition that nearly lasted four full rounds on Saturday, August 4. The bout formed the main event of UFC on FOX 4.While Shogun was able to achieve the victory most expected h…
Brandon Vera and Mauricio Rua combated one another in a battle of attrition that nearly lasted four full rounds on Saturday, August 4. The bout formed the main event of UFC on FOX 4.
While Shogun was able to achieve the victory most expected he would, he did not do so with the ease that was predicted. On the contrary, Brandon Vera made it about as tough as possible on the former champion, thwarting his title aspirations, though conceding victory.
Even in a loss the performance was a coup for Vera, who exceeded general expectations and surprised no small number of critics.
The following slideshow is a list of five things that we learned from Vera’s grueling performance at UFC on FOX 4.
The most exciting UFC on Fox event is now in the books, and so it’s time to take a look at what might be next for some of the winners and losers.