His solid performance even in defeat to Henderson helped pave the way to Shogun again nearing the top of the heap. Photo by Josh Hedges.
Short and blunt—with a sincere, “Yes”, Dana White finally confirmed that the fight between Mauricio Shogun and Brandon Vera this coming Saturday will determine the next challenger to the UFC light heavyweight belt.
The choice seems indicative of the dearth of new names rising to the top of the division, given how Shogun, who is coming off a loss to Dan Henderson last November, and Vera have both suffered devastating defeats at the hands of current champion Jon Jones, who will be putting his title up for grabs against the seasoned Dan Henderson this coming September 1.
Now Lyoto Machida, who will be taking on Ryan Bader this Saturday, was being tipped as a possible challenger but, with the recent announcement from White, he’ll have to beat his American opponent and then wait a little while longer for his chance to reclaim the belt that was once his.
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