Antonio Rogerio Nogueira vs. Brandon Vera Set for UFC 109 in February
Light heavyweights Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and Brandon Vera have been booked to square off at UFC 109 on February 6 in Las Vegas, the UFC today announced.
Nogueira (18-3), a PRIDE and Affliction veteran, emerged as a 205-pound contender by knocking out Luiz Cane in the opening round of his UFC debut in November, his sixth-straight win following Affliction victories over Edwin Dewees and Vladimir Matyushenko.
Vera (11-4) rebounded from a 1-3 stretch by winning back-to-back fights over Mike Patt and Krzysztof Soszynski in 2009, but suffered a unanimous decision loss to Randy Couture in November at UFC 105.
UFC 109: Relentless is headlined by Randy Couture vs. Mark Coleman and also features Josh Koscheck vs. Paulo Thiago, Nate Marquardt vs. Chael Sonnen, and Matt Serra vs. Frank Trigg.
For UFC 109 coverage and UFC rumors stay tuned to MMAFrenzy.com.
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LiL NOG should win this one, this is going to be a hell of a fight, good stuff… What happens with Vera when he loses? I just don’t expect him to beat LIL NOG even with his Thai work…
I agree with you FR. Lil nog’s got too much for vera too handle. Anyone else think vera hit the jackpot with this fight? I mean what a great opportunity for vera to get back on track. After the ko of cane, who was considered an up and comer, i thought lil nog would face a top ten lhw. Unless vera goes for the kill right away I think nog will beat him.
Jazz,
LIL NOG wants Shogun (and rightfully so, I think he won the first time but whatever) and Joe Silva can’t give Rua to LIL NOG sooo whatcha going to do, Vera’s willingness to fight damn near anyone is known and well here we have it… And don’t think that Vera is going to Circle like Cane did (though not as bad as Bisping @100) that isn’t his Thai style but I do believe that LIL NOG can close the gap and dominate when he wants to, LIL NOG’s boxing is good his Jitz is crazy good, he should be confident with Vera standing but when/if it hits the ground Vera better scramble like hell or it is ALL OVER (Goldie’s voice)
FR,
I see your point, but that fight happened a while ago, and imo shogun should be on a 3 fight win streak and champion so lil nog imho is jumpin the gun calling out shogun.
HOowever, his ko over cane should have gotten him a “top ten” dude atleast that’s what i thought would happen.
I’m a vera fan and love the guy’s style(not as of late though), but he isn’t at the top so i think him getting this fight is more great for him than it is nog.
I agree with you though, it would be very hard for vera to avoid getting subd if lil nog took it to the mat!
Um LIL NOG is on a 6 fight win streak soooo there
I get what you are saying but he does want Shogun and said he didn’t care if it was for the belt, member?
For the record, i was he11a impressed by lil nogs win over cane and I look forward to watching him fight vera.
just to add another log on the fire here
How many of the top ten LHWs actually want to face Lil Nog? IMO his boxing is better than his twin and also he’s one of the few masters of BJJ in a division that’s very striker/wrestler heavy. He provides a lot of issues for anyone, so unless/until he “establishes” himself over someone with some UFC cred where he provides an instant title shot to anyone it’s going to be hard for him to find willing top ten guys.
So if Vera loses this fight, which I think he likely will, that will put him at 5 losses in his last 8 UFC fights. Of those 3 wins, only one came against a notable foe, and that opponent was a last minute replacement who did not have a full camp to prepare properly.
Additionally, losing this fight will clearly show that Brandon Vera has really no place to go in either the heavyweight or light heavyweight divisions and he is far too big to drop to middleweight.
So I have to ask, does Brandon Vera finally get his walking papers if he loses this fight? If I were a betting man, I’d say no. I don’t understand Dana and the UFC’s love for this guy though. His fights are some of the most boring fights I’ve ever witnessed, he has no ability or desire to finish fights, and he can’t beat anything close to good competition. Why so many chances? He needs to take some lessons from his wife and start showing a little more passion in the Octagon.
IMO no, dana knowS vera won his last fight just not by the judges.
Edit~ FR702
That didn’t stop them from cutting Vinny Magalhaes after his loss to Elliot Marshall.
Oh, and of course whether or not the judges got the decision right in the Vera v. Randy fight is still a matter of debate.
I think Vera is kept around for the same reason that Bisping is- he is a draw for fans outside the U.S. Vera is a draw for Filipino fans, while Munoz and Nover haven’t really performed up to expectations/hype. Not saying Vera has (only big name he has defeated I believe was Mir), but he is more recognizable than the other 2- at least for now. This is the reason I think he hasn’t been cut.
Give Vera Jon Jones next. Then he will be cut, both literally and figuratively
if vera dunt come out kicking an punching this is guna end quick, vera could be one of the best fighters in the ufc if he didn’t hold back ive still got lil nog in this fight tho
I don’t even see why they would put Lil Nog against vera. Especially after the showing he gave against Cane. Vera is a good fighter win or lose against randy but he isn’t even in the same tier as Nog.
Put Vera and Houston in a cage and the winner keeps their job for 1 more fight
I like this a lot. And if they go to decision they both lose their jobs.
I feel both fighters had the potential to be at the top, and neither performed up to that potential.
speaking of the “Vera v Alexander” scenario Bruceleroy? just checkin
Yes- Vera vs. Alexander.
k, thank you kind sir
nogueira has shown us his power against cane, this time he shows us how well rounded he really is… i predict nogueira by arm triangle
LIL NOG is 18~3
5 wins via (t)ko…. Luis Cane, Vladimir Matyushenko, Edwin Dewees, Todd Gouwenberg and Alistair Overeem
6 wins via submission…. Dion Staring, Dan Henderson, Kazuhiro Nakamura, Yusuke Imamura, Jim Theobald, Katsahisa Fujii
7 wins via Decision… Tsuyoshi Kosaka, Guy Mezger, Kazushi Sakaraba, Alex Stiebling, Kazuhiro Nakamura, Alistair Overeem, Moise Rimbon…
3 losses…. Sokoudjou (ko), Shogun and Vladimir Matyushenko both by decision….
Well rounded no?
hey got bored and brought some numbers thats all
good info.. lil nog has the potential for a great future in the ufc, thats for sure
Not too keen on this match-up….I think with Nog’s demolition of Cane he deserves a better test for forward motion in the LHW division than Vera who is 3-4 in his last seven and coming off a loss. Who then would you rather see him fight then you ask? I think a returning Rampage would be an excellent match-up and great fight.
‘Bout time you checked in here at the frenZy, naturaldizaster!
Also, I agree that LilNog should have drawn better competition than Brandon Vera. The guy is clearly downsliding, and the last thing he needs is to get thrown a beating by LilNog.
And I don’t see what LilNog gains by beating Vera. Its not like too many members of the MMA cognoscenti would pick Vera in this fight, and LilNog could far better serve the promotion by being matched with a higher profile fighter at 205…
Hey guys I see Lil Nog taking this fight also, but just for conversation sake what strategy do you think would give Vera the best shot at pulling off an upset?
Although Lil Nog has the better jitz game, Vera is certainly a quality grappler with good wrestling and has never been submitted in his mma career. I guess my version of a decent strategy would be for him to use his striking to setup taking Nog to the ground(something Nog might not expect) and try to use control and positioning to grind out a decision. In doing this he would hopefully keep busy enough to not bore us, but also avoid not get submitted in the process.
Again, this might be a piss pore strategy and I just see Lil Nog shining in all aspects of this fight, but like I said for conversation sake what strategy do you think would give Vera the best shot at pulling off an upset? Thanks guys
I think Vera’s best strategy would be to use what he has- use those kicks to slow him down and keep the distance, use Muay-thai clinch and throw some knees and elbows up close. Rinse and repeat and avoid the ground. I realize he does have some ground skills, but why tempt it when your stand up is better?
sorry * avoid getting submitted in the process