UFC on FOX 4: 5 Reasons to Root for Mauricio "Shogun" Rua

UFC on FOX 4 is set to go down this Saturday, August 4. The show will be headlined by light heavyweight striking sensations, Mauricio "Shogun" Rua and Brandon Vera.

As always, UFC fans will be hoping for a good night of action-packed, competitive fights. But when we look at outcomes, there is reason to shed your objectivity for the night's main event.

Indeed, there are five very good reasons you should back Shogun over Vera.

Here, we'll take a look at those five reasons in preparation for UFC on FOX 4.

If Shogun Loses, Brandon Vera Might Get a Title Shot

In an interview with Alex Marvez of Fox Sports, Dana White noted that the main event of UFC on FOX 4 (as well as the Lyoto Machida-Ryan Bader match) will have a strong impact on the title picture at 205. 

White does not handicap the odds of any single combatant emerging as the division's top challenger, but explains that, "These fighters have a huge opportunity to show the world why they deserve to fight for the UFC title next. Winning isn't enough at UFC on FOX. This division is so competitive these fighters have to look great to separate themselves from the pack."

Presumably, the only way Vera gets a title shot next is if he lays waste to Rua and benefits from a lackluster match between Machida and Bader. A lot needs to go right for Vera, but a title shot is possible.

And is that alone not enough to hope with all your heart that Shogun wins this Saturday night?

It's nothing against Vera personally, just that if he were to get a title shot it would come at the expense of discrediting the UFC's operational practices.

Giving Brock Lesnar a title shot after amassing a 1-1 UFC record made a lot of people scratch their heads. How can the promotion justify granting a title shot to a fighter who, if he wins, will have one win over an opponent with any sort of relevance to the title picture in the last six years?

Shogun's defeat by Jones was almost as one-sided as Vera's, but of the two, it is Shogun who has a better chance at making a fight with the champion competitive.

Seriously, Vera has four light heavyweight bouts to his name—Reese Andy, Michael Paa, Krzysztof Soszynski and Eliot Marshall. Even adding Rua to that list doesn't even earn someone the right to sniff Jones' belt.

Comparatively, Shogun's four UFC light heavyweight wins have come over Mark Coleman, Chuck Liddell, Lyoto Machia and Forrest Griffin. A little more deserving, wouldn't you say?

Shogun Has More Entertainment Value on the Big Stage Than Vera, Machida or Bader

Remove his lackluster win over Mark Coleman in 2009, and Shogun has not been in a boring fight since...ever?

Need convincing that Shogun is more main-event worthy than any of the three fellows he is competing for a title shot with? Go find a tape of his most recent bout—an epic five-round blitzkrieg opposite Dan Henderson, a match regarded by some as the greatest fight of all time.

For my money, I can't get enough of Shogun in big fights, and a win over Vera is a step for procuring him one under the brightest of lights.

An argument against this logic can be made, grounded in Jones' previous slaughter of Shogun. But such a rebuttal fails to acknowledge that each of Machida, Bader and Vera have all had a crack at the champion as well, and none of them fared particularly well.

In fact, Rua lasted longer against Jones than any of the other three. And certainly, none entertained more than Rua. That loss was far from Shogun's finest moment, but he would still promise a more action-packed fight in a rematch with Jones than any other potential contender fighting Saturday night. 

Shogun Arguably Has the Best Chance to Dethrone Jon Jones

This one is debatable since all four possible contenders have failed miserably when facing Jon Jones, but Shogun likely has the best chance of upsetting the champ.

While Vera and Machida both pose threats to any opponent on the feet, Shogun is the hardest hitter of the bunch. Though Jones left little doubt that he was the superior fighter, Rua remains just one punch away from evening the score.

Any and all of Shogun, Vera, Bader and Machida would rematch Jones as a significant underdog, and for good reason.

But the biggest of the minute chances they share, rests with Rua.

A Title Shot Doesn't Mean a Jon Jones Fight, It Could Mean a Dan Henderson Fight

It is a widely held assumption that whoever emerges from UFC on FOX 4 as the No. 1 contender in the light heavyweight division will earn a match against Jon Jones.

Not so.

Whoever emerges from UFC on FOX 4 as the No. 1 contender in the light heavyweight division will earn a match against the winner of Jon Jones-Dan Henderson.

While Jones will enter that bout as a decided favorite, it is not inconceivable that he is dethroned by Hendo because, as we know, anything can happen in MMA.

If that scenario becomes reality, who better to stand opposite Henderson for his inaugural title defense than Shogun?

Considering the first fight the two had, finding an answer to that question may take a very, very long while.

Shogun Is at a Crossroads in His Career

Shogun has had so many knee problems over the past five years that his body is aging more rapidly than the average fighter's. In consequence, losses—and consecutive losses—are more difficult for Rua to climb back from than any of Bader, Vera or Machida.

Not only would a loss to Vera usher Shogun down the ladder, it would elongate his hobbled climb back to the top and make it all the more taxing.

A loss would also be telling of Shogun's precarious condition and plummeting status in the sport. That is not to say that a loss is the end all for Shogun, but it could very well signify the end of his contendership in the UFC.

While a loss may very well signify the end of contendership for one of the most dynamic and talented light heavyweights of all time, a win would announce Shogun's re-emergence as a top-dog at 205. 

Fighters like Shogun are too few and far between to watch burn out at 30. That right there is a good enough reason to back him Saturday night.