UFC on Fox: Rua vs Vera

Just tuned in. Lauzon vs Varner is non-stop action. They're really going at it tooth-and-nail. End of round 2.

 

Lauzon with the triangle choke, but Varner was a late sub and he gassed.

 

Machida-Bader is coming on.

 

Rd. 1: Machida looks very light and in shape. He's 201. Bader missing a lot and Lyoto making lots of decent moves but he's trying to be evasive and that affects how hard he connects. Good kicks and a knee by Machida.

 

Rd 2: Bader ran into a right hand and gets one-punch KO'd.

 

I agree about Bader. He is just not an intelligent fighter.

Rua, even though he won, is shot to shit. He was there for the taking because he has absolutely no cardio. Machida deserves the shot by far.

 

Amazing card tonight. from top to bottom, it was one of the more entertaining card in recent history. The prelims, the main card, and the co-mains all delivered.

I've never been a big fan of Brandon Vera but the dude showed a ton of heart. He could have quit in that 2nd round but he fought hard and gave Rua a fight.

Dana White and the UFC made the right call in naming Machida the challenger for the winner of Jones/Henderson. Machida is clearly the second best LH in the world right now.

I'll be curious to see what kind of ratings FOX pulls for this card. While it was a great card, it also went head-to-head with the Olympics. It also did receive a ton of promotion leading up. It's a shame if some new fans didn't catch this card.

 

The Lauzon vs Varner fight was my favorite of the night. Great action fight. Bader really needs to stop thinking he's a striker and use his wrestling. The Shogun vs Vera fight was fun, Vera looked like he was ready to quit a couple times and showed heart by staying in there. I really wasn't sure who was going to fold first in that fight, both Vera and Shogun looked done at times. Vera was right there in the fight the whole way. What surprises me is Shogun going right after the takedowns, even he doesn't want to stand with Vera. Vera showed some great technique at times, nice kick combos. This really was a great card, especially for free.

Not sure I agree with Machida getting the shot over Shogun, Shogun did knock Machida out the last time and the first fight was pretty much a gift for Machida. They should fight a rubber match with the winner getting the Jones vs Hendo winner.

 

If they fight again, they might have nothing left by the time the winner fights Jones. They go at it hard.

 

Great card. Best card I've seen in a long time, maybe ever. Having said that Shogun as expected was crap. This guy just seems to fight in slow motion ,and his cardio is crap to boot. Shogun should retire.

Machida looked great but he just got choked the fuck out in less than 2 rounds just couple months ago so I'm not excited about a rematch at all.

 

bader is terrible. i can't believe he went for a superman punch. he should've gone for a takedown, but machida's defense is one of the best.

this jon jones consolation is kinda pointless, but then again, who else is available at light heavy.

if anything, machida still has the most difficult style for jones, so as long as he learns how to evade that standing guillotine, perhaps it will still be competitive.

he has a much better chance of beating henderson should henderson somehow dethrones jones.

 

I think Machida is still the most difficult fight for Jones. That elbow Jones landed that cut Machida really took the fight out of Machida.

But the other thing that Rua and Jones both successfully did against Machida is cut off the cage and pressure him. That forced Machida to fight at an uncomfortable pace.

I don't think that will change. Jones just has amazing range and can close distance very quickly for a big fighter. He's also shown that his timing is as good as anyones. He had better timing than Rua, Machida and Rashad. He beat them to the punch consistently.

Personally I think the UFC is rushing to find another opponent just to keep Jones fighting. I don't think Machida or Rua deserve another shot yet. Hell, Machida is 2-3 over his last 5 fights with the only wins coming against an old Couture and a very average Ryan Bader.

There are guys on the horizon like Gustaffson, Texeira, and Nedkov that could offer decent opposition. I'd like to see Mousasi come over from Strikeforce as well.