UFC on FOX 4: Brandon Vera vs. Shogun Rua is the new main event

The wait is over. We reported that Brian Stann had to pull out of his UFC on FOX 4 main event fight with Hector Lombard due to an injury. The UFC has scraped that entire fight and replaced it with a light heavyweight fight between Brandon Vera (12-5, 1NC) and former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Shogun Rua (20-6).

Rua was originally scheduled to fight Thiago Silva at UFC 149, but that was scraped when Silva had to withdraw from the bout with an injury. So now Rua has been pulled from the UFC 149 card and moved to the UFC on FOX 4 event. Vera was scheduled to fight on the UFC on FUEL event in July against James Te Huna, but will now be moved to the UFC on FOX 4 event as the headliner.

The UFC on FOX 4 event was set to be the UFC debut for former Bellator Middleweight Champion Hector Lombard. However, with the changes, it’s not clear when he will debut in the UFC.

Rua is coming off the epic war against Dan Henderson where he ultimately lost a unanimous decision in a fight that saw him take a ton of damage before coming back strong in the later rounds at UFC 139. Rua is (2-2) dating back to 2010 with wins over former champions Forrest Griffin and Lyoto Machida while losing to Jon Jones and the aforementioned Dan Henderson.

Vera is (1-3, 1NC) in his last five bouts and is coming off a lackluster unanimous decision win over Eliot Marshall at UFC 137. Vera was once thought to be the future of the light heavyweight division, but those days are long gone for the UFC veteran. However, a win over Rua would certainly be the biggest victory to date and could send a jolt of life back into his career.

The UFC on FOX 4 event is set for August 4th in the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Stay close to ProMMAnow (www.prommanow.com) for future updates on Hector Lombard and the UFC 149 card.