UFC on FOX 4: 'Shogun vs Vera'

[Egg Shen]

He's undefeated but i dunno how highly he's thought of. Think its a case of pumping the breaks on Davis a little.

[1SinN6]

Evans vs Jackson became the boring fight it was after Dana said it was for a title shot. Not sure if thats the way to go.

 

You now also have 4 guys really really not wanting to lose on TV and lose the title shot. Might make for boring fights.

[Bus Surfer]

Not really, the winner of Rampage/Evans was guaranteed a shot (despite what actually happened) regardless of how the fight went. These 4 don't have that luxury. Playing it safe and eeking out a win doesn't guarantee a title shot.

[wandshogun09]

Evans vs Jackson became the boring fight it was after Dana said it was for a title shot. Not sure if thats the way to go.

 

Yeah but like I said, in this case he's saying 'whoever wins most impressively'. For Rampage/Evans it was just 'win this fight and you get a title shot'. Same with Lombard, the talk before that was if Lombard wins he gets fast-tracked to the title shot. That makes guys gunshy and they don't want to take risks with so much at stake.

 

This time though, there's four fighters who have been told 'win more impressively than the others and you get the shot''. Big difference imo. Now you have four guys who will be trying to outshine each other and leave no doubt who deserves the shot' most.

 

I like it. For the situation they're in it's the best they can do really with the state Jones has put the division in. And of course, if Hendo pulls it off there's a bunch of fresh fights to make.

[1SinN6]

Yeah i understand the 'win impressively', but thats just a major cop out to me.

 

Make a fight with the no 1. contendership in mind, don't make fights and then give them a gimmick.

 

Still, i stand corrected cause yeah now 4 guys know they need to impress.

[Egg Shen]

After 149, im pretty sure Dana's gonna give these guys a bit of a harsh pep talk pre-show. I also wouldn't be surprised if the UFC doesn't offer some kind of increase in bonuses for this show as well, they need a big show.

[pryko]

Not that much, it's just making the best of a bad situation. If they waited til after Jones finished Hendo and then listed any of those 4, it would be met with apathy, whereas if one of them gets a violent finish on a big Fox card, the promotion can make it seem less apathetic.

 

But as I've said before, I want Hendo to pull off the win. So many good fights there then. I'm a Jon Jones fan, but he needs some fresh fights. I don't think Gustaffson is the guy yet. He's been impressive, but he needs a decent Fox/PPV win to expose him to the masses. Let's not forget Te Huna handled him early, think he needs another signature win/name on his resume before we're talking Jones.

Do you really think by losing to Hendo, he's gonna get "fresh fights"? He'll end up fighting the likes of Little Nog, Phil Davis and Gustaffson, which yeah, point taken, are new guys he's not fought before, but in the process he's fighting guys who while he's the champion don't deserve a shot at him, and as a former champion, they're just cannon fodder for him and he's pushing those guys further away from the top tier of the division

[Shane O' Mac Version 2]

Not that much, it's just making the best of a bad situation. If they waited til after Jones finished Hendo and then listed any of those 4, it would be met with apathy, whereas if one of them gets a violent finish on a big Fox card, the promotion can make it seem less apathetic.

 

But as I've said before, I want Hendo to pull off the win. So many good fights there then. I'm a Jon Jones fan, but he needs some fresh fights. I don't think Gustaffson is the guy yet. He's been impressive, but he needs a decent Fox/PPV win to expose him to the masses. Let's not forget Te Huna handled him early, think he needs another signature win/name on his resume before we're talking Jones.

Do you really think by losing to Hendo, he's gonna get "fresh fights"? He'll end up fighting the likes of Little Nog, Phil Davis and Gustaffson, which yeah, point taken, are new guys he's not fought before, but in the process he's fighting guys who while he's the champion don't deserve a shot at him, and as a former champion, they're just cannon fodder for him and he's pushing those guys further away from the top tier of the division

Well, honestly, I'd probably move him to HW. He's already beaten everyone of note at 205 bar Hendo, and win or lose I'd like to see him trial a fight at HW.

[iamtheman]

Ref cam to be on the show

 

im sure someone on here can bring an example of this up when its been done before

[METAL ON METAL]

It's been used countless times (though not in UFC) through the likes of Strikeforce, EliteXC & PRIDE. It can be canny at times but it'll be interesting to see how much they use it because it becomes tedious when constantly shown.

 

[Egg Shen]

i think the UFC is paying the price for constantly rotating the big stars at 205, for years it was the most most star studded division and we (it has to be said sensibly) kept getting the same guys matched against each other. Tito Ortiz for example (despite being washed up) fought a host of top guys the past 3-4 years.

 

There was little room for new guys coming through, Jon Jones being the one exception. When the promotion did match a lower ranked guy against a top guy they always lost (Brilz vs. Nog, Bader vs. Ortiz, Davis vs. Evans) though but now the stars are fading away and Jones has beaten all the star names that's left, the UFC is left with a bunch of washed up challengers. I think they've realised this and that's why they've slowed down Gustaffson's rise and put Davis back down the card a little. They need to build some credible challengers, you know they are hoping Glover Teixeira smashes Rampage too.

 

ironically 205lb is a problem division in Bellator too.

[wandshogun09]

Few pics from the open workouts

 

 

Swick looks in good nick. Let's hope he doesn't stub his toe on the morning of the fight or something. I won't believe he's fighting until he's actually fighting.

 

Ariel's got his usual load of interviews up here as well;

http://www.mmafighting.com/

 

Shogun still saying the stuff about him asking to be released rather than fight Glover Teixeira was bollocks. I believe that. Why the fuck would he say that? Even Glover's manager and Glover himself don't buy that.

 

Glover quote

"I don't think it's something from Shogun. He's not guilty. It should be something from the manager. Shogun has fought the best and wouldn't have any reason to deny a fight against me. Leave that alone."

 

Ha, leave that alone. If they really thought Shogun was being a twat why did they put him in the main event of FOX with a possible title shot if he wins? Just Dana lashing out as usual. I'd believe Shogun and Teixeira's word over Dana myself.

 

Vera's still talking a good game as well. Really a lot more interested in this fight the closer it gets than I thought I would be when it was announced. Really hope to see Machida bounce back in style. Nothing against Bader but I just don't have much interest in him and I like Lyoto. He's a guy I'd actually like to see get another crack at Jones.

 

Lauzon vs Varner hasn't got much talk yet but it could be a great fight. Rooting for Lauzon, big fan of Creepy Joe. But what a comeback story it would be if Varner won. A win here would put him up there in contender fights. If he wins this and Cerrone beats Melvin, they must make Cerrone vs Varner 3. It has to happen.

[Shane O' Mac Version 2]

I wish Bonnar was more active/higher up the card. He could be used in that spot to enhance up and comers, but in featured fights, ala the card placement of Griffin/Ortiz. He's on a 3 fight win streak, has name value and hardly ever in a boring fight. Bonnar vs Davis, Gustaffson and Lil Nog would be fun, it's a shame that a guy like him isn't used more prominently in a shallow division. Hoping UFC grant him the 3rd Griffin fight, it's very winnable for him given his career resurgence of sorts while Forrest has had regression. It could give him the confidence to continue in the division as an mid-upper contender, given his recent form I'd give him a chance against anyone, save maybe Jones.

[wandshogun09]

I wish Bonnar was more active/higher up the card. He could be used in that spot to enhance up and comers, but in featured fights, ala the card placement of Griffin/Ortiz. He's on a 3 fight win streak, has name value and hardly ever in a boring fight. Bonnar vs Davis, Gustaffson and Lil Nog would be fun, it's a shame that a guy like him isn't used more prominently in a shallow division. Hoping UFC grant him the 3rd Griffin fight, it's very winnable for him given his career resurgence of sorts while Forrest has had regression. It could give him the confidence to continue in the division as an mid-upper contender, given his recent form I'd give him a chance against anyone, save maybe Jones.

 

Yeah, I'd like to see them. I don't think Bonnar would be interested in Davis or Gusty though. He's said he's got no interest in fighting up and comers now. He's mentioned Forrest, Rampage and Shogun as fights he'd jump all over if he was offered. I've brought up Bonnar vs Little Nog before as well, that would be fucking great. I think Bonnar would go for that as well.

 

I don't get why they won't give him a fight he wants to bow out on. He's not asking for title shots just a good fight against a name. They bend over backwards for Forrest even when he's being a massive bellend. Yet Bonnar, who's been great for them as a fighter, commentator (WEC), panelist on FX/FUEL, great ambassador for the UFC. And he was the other half of that 2005 fight they bum so furiously which tends to be forgotten. All they bang on about is Forrest.

 

Forrest runs out the cage in tears every 2 or 3 fights and still keeps getting name fights and Bonnar can't get shit. I'd love to see him main event a FX or FUEL card in his hometown against one of the above and call it a day there with a Lytle-like sendoff.

 

[David]

A decent preview of the event from Josh Gross;

 

By all accounts, even that of the pleasant man translating for Mauricio Rua during Wednesday's UFC on FOX open workouts, the last time the great Brazilian light heavyweight fought, it was downright brutal.

 

Rua's unforgettable contest against Dan Henderson, which Rua lost unanimously after five incredible rounds, has already drawn distant in the rearview mirror. Yet the carnage (i.e., one of the best tilts in UFC history) continued to linger with the former No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter like few bouts have.

 

Of course there had to be a toll after a fight like the one Rua (20-6) shared with Henderson. The 30-year-old Brazilian didn't break anything, went through his typical two- to three-week rest and claimed to feel fine. Still, he admitted, the "mental recovery took a little bit longer."

 

Four days away from fighting at Staples Center for the first time since Lyoto Machida won his controversial decision at UFC 104, Rua says he's prepared to step into a cage again. Saturday's contest against Brandon Vera, the main event of a four-fight bill on FOX (8 p.m. ET), is Rua's 28th over almost a full decade since he turned pro. At stake, potentially, is a shot at the UFC light heavyweight title.

 

When UFC president Dana White first announced that Rua-Vera would be a title eliminator, fans revolted. Perhaps there was an argument to be made for Rua. He'd been the champion before, losing the belt to Jones. But no one could come up with justification for Vera. Once "cocky," now "confident," Vera (12-5; only 4-5 with one no contest since 2007) was gifted with a title opportunity out of nowhere. At the age of 34, the chance comes as he "finally grew up."

 

"I've always been a Toys 'R' Us kid," the lanky fighter said with a smile.

 

There have never been questions about Rua's heart, and the Henderson contest ensured there never will be. By Vera's own admission, however, he hasn't cared much the past two years. Vera can be tough to figure out. He doesn't show his hand. So it's hard to say with conviction if his newfound seriousness is real or not.

 

That's among the reasons why Rua is as close to a unanimous choice among fans and pundits as he can be.

 

Having transplanted himself from the rainforest surrounding Belem, Brazil, to the sprawling concrete jungle that is L.A., Lyoto Machida is in the midst of a major move as he gears up for his first fight since Jon Jones made him go to sleep in December.

 

"I think sometimes you have to change your life," said Machida, who recently purchased a home in the City of Angels. "This is my time to change. All the time I was with my family. With my father and brothers. But now I have to make my own decisions. I have to make my life different with my kids, with my wife. I know my father always supports me. My brothers [as well]. But I take this like a challenge. To move here, by myself, nobody help me, just my friends here."

 

A glance at Machida's entourage on Wednesday suggests not much is different. Flanked by his father, Yoshizo, and Lyoto's brothers, Machida still walked and talked like a karateka. This is important because karate is where he began and where he holds most of his advantages, including over Saturday