UFC on FOX 4 – Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua vs. Brandon Vera preview
‘UFC on FOX 4′ is almost here and MMABay rounds up our preview of the main card action by taking a closer look at the much criticised but nonetheless, intriguing, main event between light-heavyweight title hopefuls, Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua and Brandon Vera. An impressive showing for either would possibly warrant a title-shot so will the ‘Shogun’ of old show up at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California? Or will Vera ensure that ‘The Truth’ hurts the Brazilian this weekend? Find out after the jump…
Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua (20-6, 4-4 UFC)
Few top light-heavyweights have endured such a turbulent time in the UFC as former PRIDE standout, Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua, but despite coming off another loss last time out, the Brazilian is one emphatic showing away from a rematch with division champion, Jon Jones.
‘Shogun’, of course, is no stranger to holding the UFC light-heavyweight title having demolished Lyoto Machida at UFC 113, knocking out the champion after losing a close decision when the two Brazilians first met at UFC 104. The Chute Boxe legend seemed primed to go on a tear, but his reign came to an abrupt end when he defended his title for the first time at UFC 128.
The muay thai stylist was unfortunate enough to face the unstoppable Jon Jones in New Jersey and what followed bordered on the sadistic as ‘Bones’ completely battered the veteran for three rounds, finishing him with knees and elbows in the third. Bruised but unbroken, ‘Shogun’ returned with a vengeance at UFC 134 last summer, avenging an earlier loss to Forrest Griffin by knocking out the former champion in round one in front of his home fans.
The BJJ black-belt then squared off with fellow PRIDE legend, Dan Henderson, at UFC 139 in a war that was voted ‘Fight of the Year’ as the two knockout artists beat each other black and blue for five straight rounds. ‘Shogun’ finished the fight strongly, but the beating he took in the earlier rounds was enough for the judges to hand ‘Hendo’ the decision.
As it stands, ‘Shogun’ does not deserve a rematch with Jones but with options few and far between, a dominant performance this weekend could push Rua into the hot-seat.
Brandon Vera (12-5, 8-5 UFC)
Looking to spoil ‘Shogun’s return to action will be Brandon ‘The Truth’ Vera, a man who has fallen a long way since proclaiming he’d hold both the UFC light-heavyweight and heavyweight titles at the same time.
After enjoying some success at 265lbs, the Filipino-American made a positive start to his light-heavyweight career but things began to unravel for Vera following a controversial decision loss to Randy Couture way back at UFC 105. The Team Lloyd Irvin / Alliance MMA man then severely under-estimated rising star, Jon Jones, and literally had his face broken by elbows for his naivety.
It took Vera almost a year to recover, and he returned to face Thiago Silva at UFC 125 for what would be another miserable evening. Silva dominated ‘The Truth’, even embarassing him by playing the bongos on his back before horribly breaking his nose with open-hand strikes. Vera lost the decision and was promptly released by the UFC – but not for long, as Silva handed in a fake urine sample and the fight was overturned to a No Contest.
As a result, Vera was recalled to face Eliot Marshall at UFC 137 in what was clearly supposed to be a tune-up fight. Marshall didn’t comply, and after rocking Vera twice and breaking his arm with an armbar as the fight ended, was unlucky to lose a debatable decision to ‘The Truth’.
Few could have expected Brandon Vera to ever feature in the title picture again and if ‘The Truth’ pulls off the upset, expect the internet to implode.
The Verdict: Vera is being written off here, big-time, and for good reason – despite his obvious talents, ‘The Truth’ has looked decidedly average for a couple of years now and if his last fight is anything to go by, this could be a massacre.
But let’s look at the facts. ‘Shogun’ is hot or cold these days and his fitness has been in some doubt for a while now after all those wars in PRIDE. The Brazilian also struggles with wrestlers and Vera has an admirable greco-roman background. Finally, ‘Shogun’s definitely the more dangerous striker but he’s still fairly sloppy, while Vera has a slick, polished muay thai game and rarely loses his cool.
It is definitely within the realms of possibility that Vera keeps his distance, picks his shots well and uses his wrestling base to stifle Rua this weekend. Possible, but very unlikely. ‘Shogun’ has a point to prove and the tools to do just that, so expect the veteran to come out blazing like he did in fights with Chuck Liddell and Lyoto Machida, the second time, as he gets a nasty stoppage early in the second round. Rua, (T)KO, 2nd round.
By Steve Davies.
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