UFC on FOX 4 Results – Shogun stops Vera, Machida earns title shot

Shogun and Brandon Vera engage during their 4 round war…

… while Lyoto Machida stands over Ryan Bader after knocking him unconscious

As its’ been a couple of days since this event I’ll just give a few brief thoughts on a fantastic evening of combat from Los Angeles. There was not a single fight on the card that disappointed.

Mauricio Rua def. Brandon Vera via TKO at 4:09 of Round 4.

After being counted out by almost everyone, Brandon Vera put on one of the performances of his career to take Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua into the deep waters of the 4th round, but it still wasn’t enough to best the former UFC champion. shogun looked dangerous early on, and one couldn’t help but think that the Shogun of a few years ago would have had ‘The Truth’ out of there within 2 rounds after he connected with several good punches.

Vera battled back in the 2nd and into the 3rd, keeping Shogun on his back, as well as landing to some crisp combinations beginning with some clean straight punches followed up by some nasty leg kicks. Both fighters were exhausted well before the 4th round, leading many observers to criticise their condition. While it is true that these guys may have been fresher in years gone by, the fact that they were pushing a pretty relentless pace contributed enormously to their fatigue.

At the end of the 4th round, the combination of this fatigue and Shogun landing a few lethal shots in a row resulted in Vera falling face down on the mat. Despite the complimentary barrage of ground and pound, no further shots were needed, vera was out.

Lyoto Machida def. Ryan Bader via KO at 1:32 of Round 2.

The co-main event was a much simpler affair, as Lyoto Machida fought pretty much the perfect fight, avoiding the attacks of his opponent, hitting him with kicks and delivering counter punches. Throughout the 1st round, Bader was swinging at air as Machida circled away, and in the 2nd he finally got sloppy enough throwing a right hand that ‘The Dragon’ was able to stop him in his tracks with a counter-right that separated the former TUF winner from his senses.

To the business of title shots. I would certainly agree that Machida is deserving of the shot at Jon Jones as his performance was flawless and I think that he still ha the best chance of beating the seemingly invincible UFC champ. However, I still would expect Jones to beat Machida again (he is probably better suited to a drop to middleweight, but more on that another time), and if Dan Henderson can somehow find a way to take the title, the decision to pull the trigger on giving Machida the title shot, and not leaving room to line up a Hendo/Shogun remautch could cost the UFC millions of dollars

Joe Lauzon def. Jamie Varner via submission (triangle choke) at 2:44 of Round 3 – wins $50,000 sub-of-the-night bonus, both fighters win $50,000 fight-of-the-night bonus.

The deserved winners of the fotn bonus, Varner and Lauzon engaged in a back and forth war for the better part of 3 rounds. Jamie Varner looked to be hitting top form once again as he battered ‘JLau’ with a barrage of thunderous body punches and hooks to the head, though Lauzon seemed relatively unfazed by the attack, and he was able to survive until Varner apparently broke his hand at some point in the 2nd round.

After unfortunate turn, Varner’s punches were probably lacking a bit of the fizz that they previously had, and Lauzon was able to capitalise by firing back, putting the former WEC champ on his arse, and taking his back. The submission (in the gif below) was particularly impressive from Lauzon because it didn’t come from a sustained spell of dominance like he had in round 2. He initiated a scrable after being taken down, and was able to work his right leg over the shoulder during the process of a second take down to secure triangle position. A superb submission attack while he was essentially in mid-air.

Mike Swick def. DaMarques Johnson via KO at 1:20 of Round 2 -wins $50,000 KO-of-the-night-bonus.

What a return for Mike Swick, 30 months out and he wins the KO bonus after coming back from adversity against a tough opponent. DaMarques Johnson threatened in the 1st round, and kept Swick on his back for much of the 2nd half of the round. It seeemed as though he was really feeling the effects of having such a long time out of the cage. But then..

..Swick hit a nice knee-tap as a counter to a kick, and threw a punch mid-takedown that connected as Johnson’s head bounced back off the mat, making him go limp instantly.

And now for a few quick thoughts on the prelims

Nam Phan def. Cole Miller via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28).

A great little war that lived up to my loft expectations. Phan really deserved the win because of hus superior striking, with his left hooks to the head and body particularly effective weapons

Phil Davis vs. Wagner Prado was declared a no decision (doctor’s stoppage due to unintentional eyepoke).

An ugly finish to a fight which was a shame really. Fortunately they are scheduled to rematch at UFC on FX 5 in October

Rani Yahya def. Josh Grispi via submission (North-south choke) at 3:15 of Round 1.

Once on tap to contend for the UFc featherweight title, Grispi looks set to be bounced out of the promotion after entering into the ground game of one of the most talented grapplers at 145lbs. A risky move, and one that Rani Yahya took full advantage of.

Phil De Fries def. Oli Thompson via submission (rear naked choke) at 4:16 of Round 2.

A much needed win for BJJ specialist DeFries who was able to hurt Thompson on the feet before submitting him. Thompson will probably be bounced from the promotion after this, while the big man from Sunderland improves his UFC record to 2-1.

Manny Gamburyan def. Michihiro Omigawa via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27).

‘Th Anvil secures himself another chance in the UFC, while Omigawa will probably get his walking papers. Not a bad fight, but probably the least explosive of the night.

John Moraga def. Ulysses Gomez via KO at 3:46 of Round 1.

Moraga showed that rare quality in the lighter weight divisions, heavy hands and legitimate KO power. Gomez didn’t get the chance to flex his grappling muscles as he was dispatched in brutal fashion inside the 1st frame. The fledgeling UFC 125 lb class has another prospect to watch out for.

Don’t forget to follow TRIANGLECHOKEMMA on facebook and twitter.

UFC on FOX 4 Preview

Brandon Vera, Mauricio Rua, Lyoto Machida and Ryan Bader will all be looking for a rematch with Jon Jones by winning on Saturday night

Not that it makes any difference over here because it’ll be on ESPN as usual, but the the UFC returns to network TV inthe U.S. with UFC on FOX: Shogun vs. Vera this Saturday night. with a 4 fight main card, with 2 of those fights carrying potential title contendership implications. So, without further ado (and ignoring the absurdity of some of the potential opponents for Jon Jones), let’s have a look at these 4 contests that will be providing us with violent entertainment.

Light heavyweight (5 rounds) – Mauricio “Shogun” Rua vs. Brandon Vera

Ah the much maligned main event. After allegedly ducking Glover Texieria, Shogun settled on a fight with Brandon Vera, who he viewed as a much more recognisable name with UFC fans. I’m sure he also regarded him as less of a test, as Vera should be defeated fairly easily by the former UFC champion and PRIDE grand-prix champion (he probably would have dealt with Glover pretty handily too, but never mind).

Vera has never really put it together at light heavyweight, and most people thought he only deserved a draw in his victorious return against Elliot Marshall. I still think he is capable of winning fights in the division, but certainly not a fight like this that could supposedly lead to a title fight against one of MMA’s all-time greats.

Shogun is a more powerful striker than Vera, he is stronger in the clinch, and his submissions are more dangerous. The only area where Vera probably has an advantage is with wrestling thanks to his greco-Roman background, but that should be negated by all of the above. ‘the Truth’ can take a licking, so he could stick around for a little while, but it is hard not to imagine Shogun getting some sort of stoppage victory in a 5 round fight.

Light Heavyweight – Lyoto Machida vs. Ryan Bader

Badre looked very competent against a faded Rampage during his last outing in Japan, but he will have his work cut out for him against a dynamic and elusive striker like Machida. I can only imagine ‘The Dragon’s’ evasive in-and-out selcction of straight punches and kicks to be kryptonite for Bader’s rudimentary striking. The TUF 8 champion has the power to hurt anyone, but he will be too slow to catch his opponent, and he is not particularly quick to get out of the way of incoming shots, particularly shot of the kind of velocity that will be thrown by Machida.

Bader’s best chance to win would be to secure a takedown and control his smaller foe, but even then I would have thought that the karate expert will be able to return to his feet, and eventually land some sort of missile on on the American’s chin and clam a T/KO win.

Lightweight – Joe Lauzon vs. Jamie Varner 

This is a tough one to pick. Joe Lauzon tends to annihilate lesser fighters with an aggressive submission attack set up by some competent striking, though he struggles with fighters that are approaching his level. I would have put Jamie Varner in the former category until a couple of months ago when he revived his career with the upset of the year, crushing Edson Barboza, knocking him out in the first round after having a rough time in fights after losing his WEC belt.

This should be competitive, and is a bit of a pick ’em, though I would expect whoever takes the upper hand early will cruise to victory. Both guys like to start quickly and are difficult to finish, but they’re both kind of flaky too. I’ll back Varner to ward off some early heat from Lauzon and start to control the fight, and cruise to a UD win.

Welterweight – Mike Swick vs. DaMarques Johnson

So Mike Swick returns to action for the first time since February 2010 when he lost to Paulo Thiago at UFC 109. just to put that into perspective, back then Jon Jones was coming off a controversial loss to Matt Hammil, BJ Penn had just dispatched Diego Sanchez and was considered unbeatable and the best lightweight ever and Kimbo Slice was undefeated in the UFC.

Really, who knows what is going to happen after such a long period of time off with such serious illness AND injury. If Swick was fighting a few months after his last fight, I would have no hesitation picking him for this fight. He was quick, strong, and came forward with a dangerous attack of boxing and submissions. DaMarques Johnson is the kind of fighter that loses to the kinds of fighters of Swick’s level. However, who know’s how Mike Swick is going to look. He could come out with a fire lit under his backside and blitz the TUF UK vs. USA runner-up inside the first round, he could play it safe and grind out a terrible decision, or he could be completely overwhelmed and be soundly beaten. It’s hard not to root for Swick given his troubles, and I would like to see him capture his form of old, though if pressed I’d imagine he’ll get a boring win.

Prelims

Definately a set of fights to pay attention to, particularly those taking place at 145lbs or below where pairings of fighters will be engaging in some all-out barnburners. Phil Davis might also provide some entertainment as he takes on the undefeated Brazilian Wagner Prado, but the British heavyweights will most probably fight like British heavyweights and provide the least skilled mixed martial arts of the evening. I suppose there’s always the potential for an explosive/appauling finish though, so there’s always a silver lining (of sorts) to even the least appetising of contests.

Featherweight – Cole Miller vs. Nam Phan

Light heavyweight – Phil Davis vs. Wagner Prado

Featherweight – Josh Grispi vs. Rani Yahya

Heavyweight – Phil De Fries vs. Oli Thompson

Featherweight – Manny Gamburyan vs. Michihiro Omigawa

Flyweight – Ulysses Gomez vs. John Moraga

Don’t forget to follow TRIANGLECHOKEMMA on facebook and twitter.

UFC on FOX 4 preview – Dana White discusses all things UFC

Oh Dana. “Do people really watch the Olympics?”

Along with his sillinesss, the UFC president also discusses Anderson Silva’s future, Frank Mir, Daniel Cormier and Tim Sylvia, his thoughts on fighters retiring, and why he changed his mind about who would be getting a light heavyweight title shot after tomorrow’s UFC on FOX 4.

Don’t forget to follow TRIANGLECHOKEMMA on facebook and twitter.

UFC on FOX 4 pre fight interviews

There’s an avalanche of interviews with the major players of UFC on FOX 4 over on MMAFiighting’s youtube channel, but I’ll provide you with a couple of the choice cuts anyway. Lyoto Machida philosophises about returning from a loss, his fight with Ryan Bader and a potential future at middleweight, and Mike Swick talks about his fight with DaMarques Johnson and his long road to recovery from illness and injury.

Seriously, Swick last fought at UFC 109 in February 2010. FEBRUARY TWO THOUSAND AND TEN! Mark Coleman was still fighting back then. Goodness gracious.

Don’t forget to follow TRIANGLECHOKEMMA on facebook and twitter.

5 Fights to watch – August Edition

Even if it’s just Henderson/Edgar II that lives up to the hype in August, we’re in for an amazing month of MMA

It’s that time again, as I take a look at what should tickle your fancy across 2 UFC events, the 3rd of Bellator’s 2012 Summer Series shows and the surprisingly prompt return of Strikeforce during the month of August. Once again I’ll be highlighting 5 fights to watch out for, whilst trying to stay away from major headlining fights, because you’ll be hearing enough about them (although there is another exception this month, because it’s awesome).

Ulysses Gomez vs. John Moraga – UFC on FOX 4, August 4th

This Saturday’s UFC event is pretty great, with a lot of potentially fantastic fights on tap. On the other hand many of those fights could end up being absolutely terrible. Fighters may be conservative, not tun up in the best shape, and British heavyweights could simply live up to realistic expectations. One bout that I am certain will be exciting involves the debut of Ulysses Gomez.

We’ve already seen the flyweight guys light up a few events this year, and it should be a regular occurrence for the rest of the year and into 2013 as the weight class grows. Gomez is the former Tachi Palace Fights flyweight champion (the U.S. promotion with the first real legitimate 125 lb division, and he always brings it, even when he loses. He’s a sick grappler, and not afraid of throwing some leather either. I don’t know all too much about John Moraga, but as a flyweight, I’m sure he will be a an excellent opponent for a compelling fighter.

Cole Miller vs. Nam Phan – UFC on FOX 4, August 4th

Shock. Lighter-weight fight looks like it will be fun. While this may not be the most relevant fight in the world (both fighters are coming off losses), both guys enjoy a good brawl, even when it is not in their best interests. Cole Miller is a tall featherweight, with excellent BJJ, but he likes to trade punches and he has lost fights because of that particular penchant. However, it makes for entertaining brawls. Nam Phan would love the chance to stand up with Miller, taking advantage of his long frame by ripping punches into the body.

If the fight remains on the feet, the fans will definitely win, and probably so will Phan, though I would still expect a enthralling battle if Miller works for the takedown and tries to implement his grappling.

Donald Cerrone vs. Melvin Guillard –  UFC 150: Henderson vs. Edgar II, August 11th

Donald Cerrone has been featured on this list before, and he probably will be every time he has a fight scheduled because he is so very rarely in a boring fight. Hast fight with with Jeremy Stevens was not the barnburner that many had expected, but it was entertaining as Cerrone utilised his technical superiority to out-strike and outclass ‘L’il Heathen’. Melvin Guillard will provide a similarly explosive foil in this match, and he can really ruin any lightweight’s day with his ferocious striking and remarkable athletic defensive wrestling. He is also a flake, and could just as easily get lit up by ‘Cowboy’. Either way, this will be fun.

Benson Henderson vs. Frankie Edgar II – UFC 150: Henderson vs. Edgar II, August 11th

The main event that I had to include this month. Ben Henderson and Frankie Edgar have been involved in the fight-of-the-year in each of the last 3 years. Their fight earlier this year is one of the frontrunners for this year’s fight of the year. Lightweights. 5 rounds. Rematch. Mark your calendar, this will be spectacular.

Pat Curran vs. Patricio Freire – Bellator 73, August 24th

Patricio Pitbull has been sitting on the sidelines for ages. He won Bellator’s Season 5 featherweight tournament, but had to wait until Pat Curran beat Joe Warren to have an opponent for his shot at the title. Pat Curran has looked monstrous at featherweight, and is now ranked as the #2 fighter in the division behind José Aldo by Sherdog.com, and that’s all the indication you need to know just how good this guy is. However, just for fun, let’s remind ourselves what he’s capable of with some highlight videos.

Freeire is no slouch mind, scoring 3 finishes in his 5 Bellator wins. He should also really be undefeated after being robbed against Joe Warren in the Season 2 featherweight final. Let’s remind ourselves of this man’s cababilities too shall we?

So there you have it, 5 fights. All at lightweight or lower. When will everyone finally throwing down PPV money for these guys? Surely by now it’s obvious that they provide the best action.

Don’t forget to follow TRIANGLECHOKEMMA on facebook and twitter.

UFC on FOX 4 preview: Shogun vs. Vera Road to the Octagon

The last time the UFC promoted an event on FOX, it was awesome, but no-one watched it. This time, I guess they’re pulling out all the stops to make sure people are aware of what is going on with UFC on FOX 4, and they’ve put together a rather nice programme called Road to the Octagon.

It’s a pretty nifty piece of promotional material, allowing all of the fighters to chat for a bit, and not just spout the same old canned quotes that are featured in so many pre-fight packages. Also, Brandon Vera, Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua, Lyoto Machida and Ryan Bader are all shown in plenty of highlights that really show off each guy ar their best, while also pulling no punches and showing where they have stuttered in their career. If anything this allows a stronger narrative to be created as these men are show to have fought back from adversity and all that.

The whole package even had me going for a second, and made me think that the main event is a great, competitive match up. In fact, it is a poor fight, that Shogun should COMFORTABLY win, probably inflicting some serious damage on Vera, who really has not looked like a top calibre fighter since beating Frank Mir in 2006. Two thousand and six! The rest of the card is pretty good though, and should deliver some pretty good action.

If you’re as familiar with all of these fighters as I am the show starts to drag a bit (I’ve literally seen some of these highlights hundreds of times by now), but to the less initiated fan, it is essential viewing really.

Don’t forget to follow TRIANGLECHOKEMMA on facebook and twitter.