do you guys put any merit into this write up backing Brandon Vera???
Brandon Vera vs Mauricio RuaBrandon Vera +292 over Mauricio Rua
Mauricio "Shogun" Rua has been one of the top light heavyweights in the world for much of the past 10 years and is a former Pride and UFC champion. His aggressive striking style has won him 20 fights with 17 ko's and a legion of loyal fans along the way. Unfortunately, injuries have taken their toll on Rua and have led to inconsistency; looking like a terror in one fight only to look like a shadow of himself in the next. He is coming off a brutal five-round decision loss to Dan Henderson this past November where both fighters inflicted an incredible amount of punishment on each other. This does not bode well for Rua who already was showing the wear and tear of his 26-fight career.
Brandon "the Truth" Vera entered the UFC six years ago as a heavyweight and tore through the opposition with four straight finishes and looking like he had championship potential. After a one year layoff caused by a contract dispute, he hasn't looked the same and has had mixed results going 4-5 with a no contest in which he was thoroughly beaten only to have the loss overturned by his opponent's failed drug trust. The failed drug test actually saved his UFC career, as he was cut by the promotion for the loss but had to be brought back due to the language in his contract. Now he finds himself the winner of the proverbial golden ticket, getting the main event slot of a Fox broadcast against a high profile opponent where one good performance can get him a title shot.
There are no doubts about Brandon's physical abilities. His problems seem to be mental, as he just hasn't been able to put it all together for some time. This looks like a good spot for an upset. Shogun's best days are behind him and he is not a fighter that should be carrying such a high price tag anymore. "The Truth" is a well-rounded mixed martial artist and a win here could make the last few years seem like a bad memory. He shouldn't have any problems getting motivated. On the other hand, Vera isn't the big name opponent that Shogun is accustomed to taking on, which means Shogun may be in for a bit of a letdown coming off the very high profile Dan Henderson fight that was called the fight of the year and even the best MMA fight in history by some pundits. A Vera win wouldn't be as big a shocker as his +292 line would indicate.
