UFC this ‘SUNDAY’….As Well As The Return of Josh Barnett @ Dream 13(Japan)

Well, professional boxing couldn’t deliver us the dream fight of  Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao, but mma and the UFC has did its part in helping to fill some of that void……as UFC veteran Brandon “The Truth” Vera takes on the young and talented Jon “Bones” Jones of New York.    Tune in to channel Versus, Sunday, March 21st. The event takes place in Colorado.

I suspect that the main event featuring Vera and Jones will be a very entertaining stand up match.  Although both guys fair well on the ground, both of their strengths are undoubtedly on their feet.  Both guys have a background in Muay Thai & Greco-Roman Wrestling. With that, the clinch fighting should be world-class material from these two elite athletes.  But will their talents nullify each others attacks?

Also on the card is the popular Chicagoland fighter Clay “The Carpenter” Guida (Round Lake, IL.).   Midwesterners Eric Schafer (Fond du Lac, Wisconsin) and UFC newcomer Darren Elkins (Hobart, Indiana) will also take to action.

Basically, whomever wins this main event will surely be in line for a title shot in their next 2 fights hereafter!  Huge fight?  Yeah, definitely.  However, Vera just may have more to lose than the young Jones.

Jon Jones Interview:

UFC Live: Vera vs. Jones Video Preview

Main Card:
-Jon Jones (10-1) vs. Brandon Vera (11-4)
-Junior Dos Santo (10-1) vs. Gabriel Gonzaga (11-4)
-Paul Buentello vs. Cheick Kongo
-James Irvin vs. Alessio Sakara

Preliminary Card(may not be televisied):
-Shannon Gugerty vs. Clay Guida
-Eliot Marshall vs. Vladimir Matyushenko
-Darren Elkins vs. Duane Ludwig
-John Howard vs. Daniel Roberts
-Chase Gormley vs. Brendan Schaub
-Julio Paulino vs. Mike Pierce
-Jason Brilz vs. Eric Schafer

In Japan this weekend (3/22/10) at Dream 13, Josh Barnett (24-5; 15 submissions)finally makes his return to mma action.   Barnett (32) hasn’t fought in about 13 months, as he’s been battling licensing issues due to failed steroid tests.    Nonetheless, Barnett is still regarded as one of the top heavyweight mma fighters in the world.  His skills on the ground speak for themselves.   In 2002, Barnett became the youngest fighter to ever hold a UFC belt and the UFC Heavyweight belt (24).  Notable wins include Gilbert Yvel, Pedro Rizzo, Jeff Monson, Antonio Rodrigo “Big” Nogueira, Mark Hunt, Aleks Emelianenko, Semmy Schilt(2), Randy Couture, and Dan “The Beast” Severn.  Three of Barnett’s losses came to Mirco Cro Cop.

Also on the Dream 13 card, is a featherweight championship matchup between champion Bibiano Fernandes (4th ranked featherweight) and Joachim Hansen.