UFC LIVE: Vera vs. Jones

[jmt225]

Main card

• Light Heavyweight bout: Brandon Vera vs. Jon Jones
• Heavyweight bout: Junior dos Santos vs. Gabriel Gonzaga
• Heavyweight bout: Cheick Kongo vs. Paul Buentello
• Middleweight bout: Alessio Sakara vs. James Irvin

Preliminary Card

• Lightweight bout: Clay Guida vs. Shannon Gugerty
• Light Heavyweight bout: Eliot Marshall vs. Vladimir Matyushenko
• Welterweight bout: John Howard vs. Daniel Roberts
• Heavyweight bout: Brendan Schaub vs. Chase Gormley
• Light Heavyweight bout: Eric Schafer vs. Jason Brilz
• Lightweight bout: Duane Ludwig vs. Darren Elkins
• Welterweight bout: Mike Pierce vs. Julio Paulino

......................................................................................​

I highly doubt there are only 3 main card fights, but even if there are... man, what a 3-fight card that is! However, I'm kind of pissed Versus gets this kind of card. Why are they so special? Hardly anyone gets the channel, especially since Versus and Direct TV had a falling out a couple of months ago. This shit is just ridiculous and unfair.

Anyway, I'll try and catch a stream of this show, if Direct TV and Versus don't make up by the time this airs (and I doubt they do). It's one hell of a show.

Brandon Vera vs. Jon Jones.... oh man, I see a HUGE ass beating awaiting Vera in this fight. I think Jones is superior in every aspect. The guy is unique on the feet, with great, great power behind all his strikes, and of course he also holds some fantastic wrestling as well, which leads to some of the most brutal/beautiful suplexes we'll ever get to see in the sport of MMA. I predict Vera being a victim of it all in this fight, and it's going to be fun to watch.

Junior dos Santos vs. Gabriel Gonzaga is a neat fight. It'll be interesting to see where Gonzaga wants the fight to take place. Of course Gonzaga has the famous headkick knockout win over CroCop, but does that give him enough confidence for him to stand and trade with someone like Junior Do Santos, who people like myself see as a potential Heavyweight version of Anderson Silva? Or does Gonzaga, a legit BJJ Blackbelt, look to take this fight to the ground? Like I said... should be interesting to see, but I'm picking dos Santos in this one no matter what Gonzaga decides to do. I think even if Gonzaga is able to take the fight to the ground, that dos Santos is good enough to hold his own. Sure, we haven't seen him on the ground yet in his short UFC career, but come on... the guy is a protege of Minotauro Nogueria, so of course he knows a thing or two about Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Should be a great fight regardless though.

Cheick Kongo vs. Paul Buentello should be a stand-up war ending in devastating knockout. And I'm picking Cheick Kongo to get that knockout. I think now that he's been knocked out by Frank Mir, he's been working on fixing the holes he has in his stand-up, and we'll see a new and improved Cheick Kongo come this show. Paul Buentello is no one to underestimate, but I think Kongo will have the eye of the tiger in this one, as lame as that sounds.

And I fully expect Alessio Sakara vs. James Irvin and Clay Guida vs. Shannon Gugerty both to make the main card. Irvin vs. Sakara and Buentello vs. Kongo should both end quickly with knockouts, so Guida's most likely decision win should end up making the air too, lol. But yeah... I have Irvin and Guida in those two fights, and none of the other Prelims really interest me to be honest.

 

[INDYjon22]

I like this card a lot. It should be a ton of fun to watch and a great way for the UFC to start their new relationship with Versus.

Jon Jones should bulldoze through Vera just like he did against Hamill, however don't count Vera completely out. The man does have some skills and could catch Jones, but I don't think it will happen. This should be the fight where as long as Jones wins he will finally be pushed up into fights against the big names such as Forrest and Tito (if he is still around). Jones is just way to good right now to lose to somebody as inconsistent as Brandon Vera.

Junior Dos Santos should run over Gonzaga as well. Dos Santos is so dominate in every way and I fully expect to see him challenging for the Heavyweight title by the end of the year. Now, Gonzaga is no push over but if Carwin can KO Gonzaga then I am positive Dos Santos can as well. I would dare say Junior has better hands then Carwin should there is no reason for Gonzaga to survive on the feet for very long and even if it goes to the ground Dos Santos is a beast there as well.

Kongo and Buentello should be a hell of a fight. I like both guys and both guys love to strike. Buentello is deadly on the feet so Kongo should no underestimate him but I think Kongo is a tad better. However, if this fight goes to the ground with Buentello on top then Kongo is going to get TKO'ed. The man has zero to no ground game when on his back and like I said Buentello is deadly from anywhere with his hands.

I expect Sakara to KO Irvin by the end of the first. Guida should run circles around Gugerty in route to victory. Marshall is a guy to look at in the future. The man has terrific skills and this will be a very good victory for him should he defeat a good fighter such as Matyuschenko. Schaub should rebound from his lackluster performance against Roy Nelson. John Howard should be dominate in his fight. And Schaefer and Brilz should be a solid fight, both men are very good talents.

 

[Via Armbar]

I strongly believe that Bones Jones is what people want Anthony Johnson to be. He's got a great style and an incredibly well rounded game. He dismantled one of the best wrestlers at LHW in Hamill, and even with that loss his stock has risen. I fully expect who beat Vera, a man who just can't seem to pull all of his natural talent together. I'm expecting Jones to really show us what he can do in this fight and he's going to make sure people think of him as a true contender afterwards. Bones by tko early in the third round.

Now Gonzaga and Dos Santos is going to be incredibly interesting. The HW division is getting deeper and deeper and is exciting for the first time in a while. You have the obvious contenders like Mir, Carwin and Valasquez but you have the back burner guys like these two. Gonzaga is always an iffy bet. He has all the tools, but like Vera he seems to lose motivation the second things don't go his way. He's always a threat, but he needs to evolve his gameplan a bit. Dos Santos is truely the future of heavyweight fighters in the UFC. We are yet to see all of his game because the guy stops the fight halfway. He knows his plan, he knows what he needs to do and uses what he's got. Good standup, good takedown defense and a pretty good ground game make him one of the most well rounded fighters i his division. I have Dos Santos by tko in the second.

Buentello isn't the fighter he used to be. I honestly believe that his days as ''The Headhunter" are behind him. Being matched with a good striker like Kongo isn't favorable for him at all. I've always thought Kongo was overrated as a striker, but that's not to say he isn't strong in that department. With that being said, he should still be ahead of Buentello. I see Paul in the same category as Baroni. They were legitimate contenders a couple years ago, but there time has passed. They weren't well rounded enough in their prime to be able to progress like Couture. I have Kongo by unanimous decision.

This show is a perfect example of how utilizing the undercards can garner huge amounts of fans. Each one of the undercard bouts are exciting and showcase great fighters. Guida is always fun to watch and you have him supported by Bang and unpredictable guys like Irvin and you have for an awesome show.

 

[Turd Ferguson]

Good news for you guys who have DirecTV... Versus is back, so you guys will get this card Sunday night.

The three main card fights are going to be exciting. The undercard is also full of good fights, so maybe we'll get to see a couple of those fights. It's worth mentioning that this is only a two hour card, so it will probably just be one prelim thrown in.

Cheick Kongo vs. Paul Buentello should be an extremely fun fight. There's also no way it's going past the first round. Both guys are one dimensional fighters who rely on their striking. However, Kongo is more athletic, has better cardio, and has more technique in his strikes. Slugfests like these never go long, and this fight won't. I think Kongo catches Buentello here and puts him to sleep in the first.

Junior Dos Santos vs. Gabriel Gonzaga is a fight I'm really looking forward to as well. Dos Santos has been dominant since making his UFC debut. He's beaten Fabricio Werdum, someone who is highly regarded as a top heavyweight, and not to get into MMAth here, but he's beaten Gonzaga twice. The rest of the guys he's run through... a top prospect in Stefan Struve, a legend in Mirko Cro Cop, and a dangerous striker in Gilbert Yvel. Of course, with Gonzaga's ground game being very strong, one has to wonder if he'll try to take Dos Santos down, especially when Dos Santos hasn't been tested on the ground. However, Gonzaga likes to stand up and box, and chances are that's what he'll do against JDS, who is a more skilled standup fighter than Gonzaga. And although Gonzaga is such a skilled striker, he's going to leave himself open much like he did against Werdum and Carwin. I see JDS winning this by strikes in the third round.

Brandon Vera vs. Jon Jones... I have no idea how to call this. Vera's going to want to nullify Jones' 84.5 inch reach and is going to want to use the clinch in order to work his way to victory here. He gave Couture a lot of problems in the clinch. Vera's just as dangerous a striker as Jones is, and he's probably a more skilled submission artist. However, Jones has shown in the past that he's a very skilled and unorthodox striker. And a lot of what he does throws his opponents off, as they have no answer for it. Jones is also an excellent wrestler, and he can throw around his opponents like rag dolls. Can he throw around a big fighter like Brandon Vera? I wouldn't say it's out of the realm of possibility. Jones is going to need to utilize his ground game here, and he's going to need to wrestle and ground and pound Vera in order to have a shot here. Training with Greg Jackson is only going to help Jones here, and I'm sure he's only been improving his ground game. I think he'll pull it off, and I think this is going to be Jones' huge coming out party. Jones by strikes in the third round.

 

[Rizza]

Kongo-Buentello
Man, this is do or die for Kongo, I am a big, big fan of Kongo, he kinda had me sold when ever he fought Cro Cop and won. Then he really had me sold when he went on a 3 fight win streak TKO'ing all of them, then was the losses to Mir, and Cain, and Kongo isn't really even thought of anymore. Well, I don't think a win over The Headhunter will do him much for getting the train back on track, but it might lead up to a fight that will. Kongo by Stikes, or Paul gets beat bell to bell and Kongo takes the Decision. WAR KONGO!!

JDS-Gabe Gonzaga
JDS all the way here. IMO, stylistically this is the worst match up for GG. Gonzage wilts under pain and pressure. He does well, until he gets hit real good, then he is ready to go home. JDS on the other hand is the guy that has bull rushed 3 out of his 4 of his last opponents from the opening bell and won. I swear maybe if Gonzaga can get his ass to the ground, then we will see. I don't see it happening though. My prediction is JDS by a flurry of punches in the first. What happens if Gonzaga whens though, he is nowhere near the champion compared to JDS, does he get thrown in the title mix if he somehow wins?


Jones-Vera
Not the most look forward to fight of the night(That goes to seeing if my boy Kongo kicks em' some ass) but its definitely the most intriguing. The new hype train vs the original hype train. Even though Vera's not as much a hype train now as much as he is getting to gate keeper status. I am picking Vera in this one though. Jones is a crazy unorthadox striker(at least from what I have seen) and Vera's muay thai is some of the best in UFC. Just look at his fight with Randy where he destroyed the mans body with those kicks. Jones has some insane take downs too, but I think Vera's wrestling is underrated, I mean he avoided Coutures take downs, and even managed to mount him in the third round. He also might be able to do a better job at keeping it on the feet then Matt Hamill did, because I think Matt was just not expected that, then when Bones got mount, there was no getting up to try again. I think that Vera avoids the Spinning Elbows and what ever crazy shit Bones will pull out, and counters his way to a decision victory. Thats only if he can managed not to get suplexed out of his mind by Bones. I like both guys though. Jones will be back no matter what though, and this might be the end of the line of Vera loses. Maybe not being cut, but he damn sure won't main even no time soon. It will be a shame if Vera loses because I have always liked him, despite his cockiness. In the countdowns I have watched him on he seems like a a good guy.

As for the undercard, I will love it if Bang wins, I am a huge mark for the guy.
Mike Peirce should take his fight to, he really took it to Fitch in that third round. I think James Irvin will K the F O Alessiro Sakara. Irvin is tough as hell, and agressive as hell, and Alessiro has been knocked out by lesser strikers then Irvin. I hope Schuab picks up a victory too, maybe we can see him on a Main Card next time. Also John Howard, Vladmir, and Guida should be picking up victorys here. So here's to that.

 

[Via Armbar]

Am I the only one forgetting the Buentello hasn't been impressive in years? But now people are expecting him to really give Kongo trouble standing? Like I said, I believe Kongo to be one of the most overated strikers in the business. However, he's still in or around his prime, whereas Buentello hasn't been there since '04. I wouldn't count his loss to Struve as support for what I'm saying because Struve seems to be a difficult guy to hit because of his height and reach. Other than that, when was the last time the guy was impressive standing against anyone that wasn't a can? Abbott may be a name but he hasn't been a threat in half a decade if not longer. Goodridge is a shell of someone who never had a prime at all. He was pitted against Arlovski and was knocked out in the first round. Just wanted to know if anyone is seeing what I'm seeing. I'm honestly not excited for this fight at all.

 

[Rizza]

Am I the only one forgetting the Buentello hasn't been impressive in years? But now people are expecting him to really give Kongo trouble standing? Like I said, I believe Kongo to be one of the most overated strikers in the business. However, he's still in or around his prime, whereas Buentello hasn't been there since '04. I wouldn't count his loss to Struve as support for what I'm saying because Struve seems to be a difficult guy to hit because of his height and reach. Other than that, when was the last time the guy was impressive standing against anyone that wasn't a can? Abbott may be a name but he hasn't been a threat in half a decade if not longer. Goodridge is a shell of someone who never had a prime at all. He was pitted against Arlovski and was knocked out in the first round. Just wanted to know if anyone is seeing what I'm seeing. I'm honestly not excited for this fight at all.

I agree that Beuntello is on the down slope of his career, but thats why I am glad that he is fighting Kongo, This is do or die like I said before. If Kongo wins then he moves up gets a second chance, to where as if he loses he would probably get cut, regardless of who he faces, so I'm glad its somebody thats out of their prime. Im pretty sure Paul would get cut if he loses, but they might keep him around as a gatekeeper. Kinda like Heath Herring since I guess he is gone for a while now. I think alot of "Kongo's striking is overrated" thing is mostly the Mir fight. Mir was a Jits guy that knocked a kickboxer silly and finished him of easily. Mir I think had just improved his striking by light years and word didn't get out to Kongo I guess. Kongo was prepared to face a grappler and was not prepared for Frank try to stand with him and blast him with overhand left. At least thats my theory. Kongos striking is rated just right IMO, its OK, some fights he comes in looking above average. Out of seven wins in the UFC five are either KO's or TKO's. In theory he should beat the hell out of Paul, and damn it I hope so.

 

[jmt225]

Good news for you guys who have DirecTV... Versus is back, so you guys will get this card Sunday night.

Yes! I read about this yesterday and I was so very happy. I didn't want to have to watch this over the computer. But instead, I'll be sitting nice and comfortably in my awesome big recliner, with most likely a pizza, and enjoying all the fights on my television. Heaven.

Oh, and by the way guys, the Alessio Sakara vs. James Irvin fight has been bumped up to the main card, so it will open up the show. It was announced a few days ago, but I forgot to update the card here. My bad.

Nevertheless, hopefully that fight and the Kongo fight both end in the first round, so the Clay Guida fight will also end up airing on the broadcast. You know any and every Guida fight ends up being awesome, so it would be a shame to miss one of those bad boys just because of time constraints.

 

[Mufasa]

I've only seen these fights so far. There were some great finishes to the fights tonight.

Spoiler

Brandon Vera took a brutal elbow to the eye socket. Jones pretty much imposed his will on Vera. The only thing Vera accomplished were some illegal upkicks.

Kongo completely dominated Buentello with wrestling of all things. I guess he trained wrestling a lot for the Mir fight but didn't get a chance to use it until tonight. It was weird seeing the dude tap to Kongo elbowing him in thigh, but I guess it was the accumulation of abuse including the knee's to the head that did it.

Gonzaga got caught badly by JDS when he went for the kick to the body. I want to see Junior fight Cain or Mir soon.

Irvin went through all that weight cutting for nothing. He looked so sickly at the weigh in. The punch that TKO'd him hit him right in the eye. It wasn't a poke but a straight punch. Tough luck for Irvin.

Howard's come from behind knock out victory over Roberts was really impressive, though he really could have stopped after the first punch because Roberts was absolutely out.

I can't decide if Howard or Jones at the most impressive knockout. I think Howard's looked more impressive but Jones might have seriously hurt Vera with that elbow.

 

[INDYjon22]

Paul Buentello has a ton of heart unfortunately for him that doesn't matter when your getting your ass beat down by big Cheick Kongo. If Buentello had any takedown defense or submissions from the ground he would have stood a chance but the fact that he couldn't stand with Kongo at all killed him. Kongo look decent but I officially believe the man is never going to be in Heavyweight title fight, he just isn't that good.

JDS delivered as always. I keep saying he is the future of the Heavyweight division and with each passing performance that becomes more and more true. I really want to see him fight someone big now. Maybe Cain Velasquez, maybe Kongo, but that fact of the matter is he needs a definite step up in competition.

Jon Jones looked terrific in his victory lats night as. Once again, the UFC needs to step up the caliber of guys he is fighting from now on. I think he may even deserve some sort of contenders fight next, because quiet frankly we need fresh faces challenging Machida or whoever the LHW champion is and he is that damn good.

Very entertaining show once we got past the injury riddled first two fights. Also, it is nice to hear that Guida is back in the win column.

 

[Turd Ferguson]

Paul Buentello has so much heart. It's too bad he's not a good fighter. He's got guts for wanting to continue after dislocating his pinky, especially after the Sakara/Irvin debacle. Chances are that because he displayed such toughness, he'll probably get one more fight in the UFC at least. Cheick Kongo is such a dirty fighter, and really, what does getting a point taken away do when he's dominating the fight to begin with, and there's no shot of Buentello making a comeback? Kongo's going to be a guy who will always fight dirty and is basically the gatekeeper of the Heavyweight Division.

Junior Dos Santos is without a doubt, the real deal after his destruction of Gabriel Gonzaga. I think he should lock up with Cain Velasquez next in what would be a hell of a fight. That fight would be insanely awesome with major title implications. Dos Santos has run through a who's who of Heavyweights, and now it's time to get him in the cage with Velasquez to test the both of them. I still think that Dos Santos needs to have his ground game tested before getting a title shot, and fighting Velasquez will definitely be enough of a litmus test for that. A Dos Santos fight also gives Velasquez something to do until the current title picture gets cleared up.

John Howard is going to make waves this year. He's now 4-0 since coming to the UFC, and I love seeing someone from Boston do so well. What a knockout. He and Anthony Johnson have a huge grudge with each other that was supposed to be settled tonight, but Johnson bowed out with an injury. It's time for those two to go at it. To be 100% honest, I think Howard would definitely give Johnson a run for his money as well. He seems to be a lot more well-rounded than Johnson is. Hopefully that fight winds up on the main card of a future UFC event.

Jon Jones... what else can you say? I'm so glad he destroyed Brandon Vera last night. What brutal elbows, and he broke Vera's orbital bone in a few places. He's going places, and he's going to be huge. I think he'll be a UFC Champion within 2 years. He's just so talented, and as an MMA fan, I'm so glad to be along for the ride to watch his ascension. I think it's time to throw him in there with someone like Thiago Silva. He's definitely ready, and he's in that upper echelon of fighters in the UFC. If he can beat his next opponent, he has to be in line for a title shot. I have a feeling both Veras will be employed by Strikeforce very soon.

 

[jmt225]

We can talk about Paul Buentello's heart and all that stuff, but what I took away from that fight was Kongo's excellent game plan. Nobody on this Earth thought Kongo would EVER take the fight to the ground. Everybody, including myself, was expecting a stand-up war, but I guess after losing to Mir in the fashion he did, Kongo started focusing on his wrestling and ground game, and Paul Buentello was the absolute PERFECT opponent to test it against, since boxers are the easiest to catch off guard and send to the ground, and also since Buentello has not once shown an ounce of Jiu-Jitsu ability in his career. Tremendous, tremendous fight by Kongo, and hopefully he can continue to evolve into a true Mixed Martial Artist, like he's attempting to.

James Irvin, as Guy mentioned in the LD, should have never cut down to 185. The guy looked terrible last night. Absolutely terrible. He was drained, emotionless, much slower than usual, and perhaps had no power in his punches. Regardless, it is a win for Alessio Sakara, who could be going places in that MW Division. Perhaps not championship material or anything like that, but definitely someone who can keep a consistent spot in the UFC and earn big paychecks for quite sometime.

John Howard vs. Daniel Roberts was a great little fight. Daniel Roberts, first fight in the UFC, came out blazin' and looking to tear Howard apart. But Howard showed great patience and grappling, and also showed just how much power he contains in that left hand of his. Jesus... what a shot that was. I think this guy could start quickly making a name for himself in the WW Division. Daniel Roberts could as well for that matter. Definitely looking forward to seeing the both of them again in the future.

Junior dos Santos... absolutely tremendous showing. Gabriel Gonzaga is no chump, and dos Santos easily picked him apart, and got the knockout. Very, very impressive. The guy is so elusive and quick for a Heavyweight, and in my opinion, is starting to solidify himself as the best Heavyweight in the UFC on the feet. Who has shown to have the boxing skills as him in the Heavyweight division? No one, that's who. HOWEVER, we still haven't seen anyone attempt to take him down, so we don't know exactly where he is in that aspect. I'm sure working with the Nog brothers, the guy is just fine BJJ wise, but will he be able to stop a wrestler's takedown, and keep himself from being smothered for 3 or 5 rounds by someone like Cain Velasquez or Brock Lesnar? Should be interesting to see in the future.

And for the main event, Jonny "Bones" Jones couldn't have looked any better. Think about this for a second, guys.... Jones secured TWO takedowns in under ONE minutes time like it was absolutely nothing. Randy Couture, someone who some people recognize as the best wrestler in MMA, could barely get two takedowns in FIFTEEN minutes against Brandon Vera. How unbelievable is that? Jon Jones is 22-years-old... TWENTY-TWO! If he can keep up the same work ethic and improvement, there's no reason not to believe that this guy could dominate the UFC for the next ten/fifteen years. He's that damn good. Also, the guy couldn't be more of a class act, either. The UFC has something special on their hands with this dude, and it's going to be fun to follow his career. I just know it.

All in all, while off to a disappointing start, the last 3-aired fights were all great. Wish Clay Guida's win could have made the broadcast, but I'll live. But yeah.. very nice free little show, but honestly... I think UFC Fight Night next Wednesday will be that much better. Can't wait for that one, or the show this weekend for that matter. Awesome week to be a UFC fan...

 

[Turd Ferguson]

Dana came out and said afterwards that he didn't want Irvin fighting at 185 anymore.

"No more 185(-pound fights) for him," White told MMAjunkie.com. "He didn't look good. I think he's got a lot of scar tissue in his face under his eyes. That was sticking out more than his eyeballs were. He didn't look good [at weigh-ins]."

"I'm a huge James Irvin fan," he said after the fight. "I'm a fan of the guy; I really am. He's had some of the best knockouts in the UFC, and he always comes to fight. Tonight, it looked like the cut killed him. He couldn't get off. He couldn't throw any punches tonight. He was basically getting lit up by Sakara, and that's not James Irvin. That's not who he is as a fighter. The 185 cut is too hard for him."

I still don't understand what motivated Irvin to drop down to 185. His only three losses in the light-heavyweight division in the UFC were to Anderson Silva and Stephan Bonnar. His knee exploded vs. Thiago Silva. Fact of the matter is that while he isn't anything close to championship material, he's still a decent enough fighter who is always going to be a threat to his opponent, and you may get treated to an impressive knockout whenever he fights.

At least Irvin won't get cut. I honestly think that Irvin will have a job in the UFC for awhile because of the fact that he stepped up to take on the greatest fighter in the world on short notice to help the UFC combat the Affliction card. Irvin should just stay focused on being a light-heavyweight. He's not a bad fighter by any means.

 

[Mufasa]

Here's a picture of Jones landing the elbow that broke Vera's face.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vt2nBQLyZXc&feature=player_embedded
Here is a post fight interview from John Jones. He sounds like a cool dude, pretty humble for a 22 year old thrust into stardom. I can't wait to see how he does from here.

 

[Ryman]

Buentello has a big heart but everybody knows what he is going to do, he is almost the face of one dimensional. Kongo used that very smart to just muscle him against the cage and knee him. Like Guycompton said Kongo is dirty, everytime he is in the clinch he will knee you in the nuts, and that knee in the head was not by accident. Maybe they will do Kongo-Gonzaga next? Dont think Buentello will get cut cause Strikeforce och Dream could sign him.

Irvin looked almost dead, this was not a smart move by him. Wanderlei losted a lot of muscle to but he looked to be fresh and healthy but Irvin was just so drained and it showed. It looks like he doesnt get cut but he needs to go up to 205 again for his health.

Junior is just awesome, thats it. Gonzaga lost all confidence after Junior stood back up after the takedown, Gonzagas head is his biggest weakness. That and his cardio. Do Cain-Junior for the no 1 contender if the winner of Carwin-Mir is not injured to fight Brock in the summer.
Oh and Junior i think is a purple belt under the Nogs so he is used to be in his back and he will just be getting better, but can he handle a strong wrestler?

Jon Jones needs to get a big fight now, he just is that good. Dana wants to protect him and i can understand that, but come on who is he going to fight that he wont dominate who is at a level like Vera? Thiago Silva is looking for a guy to fight, and the rest of the top is already booked in a fight. And he looked HUGE, did he put on like 4-5 kg (or 10 pounds for you:)

John Howard ktfo of Roberts who looked good himself so he will be back, i hope we get Rumble-Doomsday now. Howard said in a interview that Rumble told him to go pick cotton after a little trash talk cause Howard wanted more time and not fight Rumble a year ago when Howard got offered the fight. This is Howards side of everything but if Rumble told Howard to go pick cotton i hope Howard destroys Rumble badly.

Elliot Marshall has been cut after going 3-1 in the UFC and he lost his fight via split dec. Stephan Bonnar and Mac Danzig is reading this and laughing, so weird.