UFC
UFC on Fox 4's Brandon Vera "ecstatic" for "Shogun" Rua fight
Jul 1, 2012 - 5:15:27 PM UFC on Fox 4's Brandon Vera "ecstatic" for "Shogun" Rua fight

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Brandon Vera wasn't the UFC's first choice to face Mauricio "Shogun" Rua at UFC on Fox 4 next month, but he's certainly not complaining. The former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion had turned down a fight with Glover Teixeira, and then accepted the UFC's offer to face off against Vera. Regardless of Rua's motivations for the fight, Vera's just happy to be getting the chance to face him.

"I don't give a damn what his reasons are or what happened or how this came about," Vera said in an interview with MMAJunkie.com. "Everybody keeps reminding me that I'm fighting on Fox in the main event for five rounds. I don't even care about that, man. I'm fighting 'Shogun,' bro. I've wanted to fight 'Shogun' since I first saw him kicking people in the face with soccer kicks back in the day in PRIDE."

Vera's in a complete state of euphoria heading into this fight, and it's not even because of the outlet for this fight. Having the opportunity to fight someone he's had his eye on for so long, and who is such a name in the sport, is what means the most to him at this point.

"The last time I felt like this was when they told me I'd be fighting Randy [Couture at UFC 105]," Vera said. "I have nothing to lose. I need to go out there and leave it all on the line. 'Shogun' brought me in thinking I'm going to be an easy win. The UFC is basically trying to hand 'Shogun' me on a platter. I have nothing to lose, man. So I think that's why I feel so alive now. I'm game."

It's been a long and rocky road to get him to this fight, filled with losses, a release from the UFC that was quickly rectified, and more. Vera's gone through heartbreak in the cage, and hasn't been able to find the spark that led to his four fight winning streak to kick off his UFC career. However, everything he's gone through has now led to this opportunity, and he feels ready for it.

"Where I'm at today, the good, the bad, the ups and downs of my career – it's all led to this fight with 'Shogun,'" Vera said. "For whatever cosmic forces in the universe – karma, God, whatever you want to call it - I'm here, and this is my shot. I couldn't be more ecstatic."

Penick's Analysis: Vera's going to enter as the rightful underdog into this August 4 fight, but clearly that's not at all a concern to him. He's not worrying about winning this fight or what it would mean to his career if he loses it. He's getting a chance to fight a former champion when he was initially scheduled for a fight on Fuel TV this month. Not just a former champion, but a man he's idolized as well. That's what means the most to him, and maybe he'll be able to rise to the occasion to pull off the upset. It's not going to be an easy task at all, but if he manages to pull it off he'll pick up what might be the biggest win of his entire career.

[Brandon Vera art by Cory Gould (c) MMATorch.com]