| 21 March 2010
We've been spoiled as of late as MMA fans, with events seemingly taking place every weekend. That is why the current dry period we are in - no major MMA events the past two weeks - has been so painful. Well the wait is over - an oasis has appeared in our MMA-less desert. And better yet, we've got two events on Sunday to entertain us - UFC Live: Vera vs Jones and DREAM 13.
UFC Live: Vera vs Jones
Normally anything that Dana White says should be taken with a grain of salt - the man is so full of hyperbole and bluster he makes Don King blush. But when White states that the UFC's live debut on Versus is the best card the organization has ever presented for free, he is probably correct. The top three matches on the card could have been made headliner/co-headliners on a PPV and no one would have complained. Plus, the card is so strong that Clay Guida has been relegated to the unaired, undercard portion of the evening.
The main event, of course, is Brandon Vera versus Jon Jones, which should be a humdinger. Vera is about as inconsistent of a fighter as you're going to see, capable of stirring performances followed by uninspiring ones. Any time a "big name" guy shows up across the cage from Vera he seems to crumble under the pressure. The question is, does Jon Jones count as a "big name" guy yet? He definitely is the most exciting up-and-coming fighter in the UFC light heavyweight ranks right now, who so dominated his disqualification loss to Matt Hamill that it is being considered a win. Vera is the biggest test young Bones has had thus far in his career, and a win over him would help propel him closer to the top of the 205 lb class. Similarly, a win for Vera would be a big feather in his cap and trick us (once again) into thinking that he will someday put it all together.
The co-main event matchup between Junior dos Santos and Gabriel Gonzaga is just as compelling as the Vera/Jones match. dos Santos should be in line for a heavyweight title shot - unfortunately his timing isn't good as Frank Mir-Shane Carwin are next in line for Brock Lesnar. However, rather than taking a safe match while he awaits his turn with Lesnar, dos Santos is taking on the very dangerous (and experienced) Gonzaga. This is a very important fight for both guys - after a crushing loss to Carwin a year ago Gonzaga wants to prove he is still among the cream of the crop of the heavyweight class while dos Santos has to win to ensure he will get his title shot. dos Santos definitely has the most to lose in this match - whether this pressure helps or hinders him in the cage will be the key to this fight.
If you haven't entered our MMA Pick 'Em contest for UFC Live: Vera vs Jones yet, get your entry in here.
And check back with The MMA Manifesto at 9:00pm Eastern on Sunday night for a live play-by-play and chat of UFC Live: Vera vs. Jones.
DREAM 13
Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, Japan's premier MMA outfit, DREAM, will be hosting their 13th event, called, fittingly, DREAM 13 (starts at 3:00am Sunday night/Monday morning Eastern). Unfortunately the card is less than dreamy, but the main event, for the DREAM Featherweight Championship, should be a good one, pitting current champ Bibiano Fernandes versus former DREAM Lightweight Champ Joachim Hansen. Fernandes has only lost twice - to Kid Yamamoto and Urijah Faber, while Hansen beat Shinya Aoki to win the lightweight title (Aoki beat him in the rematch). Also on the card is former UFC Heavyweight Champ (and killer of Elite XC) Josh Barnett, former Elite XC Lightweight Champ K.J. Noons and Ryo Chonen, who famously submitted Anderson Silva in 2004. While there aren't a whole lot of compelling matchups on this card, DREAM rarely disappoints once the bell rings.
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