Vera is currently ranked at number 25 at light heavyweight on the USA Today/BE Consensus Rankings, while Marshall is currently unranked. Vera has steadily slipped down the chart over the last couple of years, but a win would at least keep him in the top 25. A Marshall win would go a long way towards earning some ranking points for him. This light heavyweight UFC 137 fight will be on the preliminary card, which will be streamed live on Facebook. The Facebook stream begins at approximately 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT.
How do these two stack up?
Vera: 34 years old | 6'3" | 78" reach
Marshall: 31 years old | 6'3" | 77" reach
What have these two done recently?
Vera: Thiago Silva (NC) | L -Jon Jones (TKO) | L - Randy Couture (UD)
Marshall: L - Luiz Cane (TKO) | W - Chris McNally (SUB) | W - Adriano Camolese (UD)
How did these two get here?
Brandon "The Truth" Vera debuted in the UFC waaay back in 2005 as a heavyweight, bragging about being the first guy to win the title at both HW and LHW. Four straight wins, including a 69-second TKO stoppage of Frank Mir, earned him a shot against former champ Tim Sylvia. Vera broke his hand early and dropped a decision, and a weird stoppage win by Fabricio Werdum chased Vera to light heavyweight. He won 3 of his first 4, only losing a razor-thin split decision to Keith Jardine. He then fought Randy Couture, and was quite frankly robbed when Couture won a decision. He was then destroyed by a fast-rising Jon Jones and dismantled by Thiago Silva, which was enough to earn his walking papers from the UFC. A positive drug test from Silva earned him one more shot though.
Eliot "The Fire" Marshall was a contestant on TUF 8 that actually lose his prelim fight, but earned his way into the house anyway due to an injury. He was eliminated in his second fight by eventual winner Ryan Bader. He actually fared quite well in the UFC, picking up three straight wins. None of them were very exciting though, and when he lost a split decision to Vladimir Matyushenko at UFC on Versus 1, he was unceremoniously dumped by the promotion. Three straight regional wins earned him a last-minute replacement spot against Luiz Cane, but Banha finished him via TKO in just over two minutes. Marshall is undoubtedly fighting to stay in the promotion tonight.
Why should you care?
Loser leaves the UFC. Frankly, this has all the makings of an ugly fight but the implied stipulation at least adds a little bit of drama.
More UFC 137 preview coverage from Bloody Elbow after the jump.
UFC 137 Weigh In Video: BJ Penn and Nick Diaz Almost Come To Blows - Matthew Roth
UFC 137: Mirko Cro Cop vs. Roy Nelson Dissection - Dallas Winston
UFC 137 Penn vs Diaz: Staff Predictions
UFC 137 Weigh-In Video and Results - Tim Burke
UFC 137: Cheick Kongo vs. Matt Mitrione Dissection - Dallas Winston
UFC 137: Scott Jorgensen vs. Jeff Curran Dissection - Dallas Winston
Judo Chop: B.J. Penn's Back Control - Ben Thapa
UFC 137: The Sober Reality of Nick Diaz's Continued Presence in MMA - Leland Roling
UFC 137: Dana White Video Blog, Part 2 - Matthew Roth
Judo Chop: Nick Diaz's Ground Game - Ben Thapa
UFC 137: George Roop vs. Hatsu Hioki Dissection - Dallas Winston
UFC 137 Striking Breakdown: Mirko Cro Cop Filipovic - Fraser Coffeen
UFC 137 Press Conference Recap: Jon Anik to Broadcast Booth, UFC on Fox Undercard on Facebook and Fox.com - Brent Brookhouse
UFC 137 Video: B.J. Penn Challenges Cesar Gracie, Admits to Being 'Hookwinked' By Him - Tim Burke
UFC 137: Roy Nelson 'I'd Have to Cut Off A Leg To Make 205' - Matthew Roth
Bad Boy Presents Bloody Elbow Radio - Episode 92: UFC 137 Preview - Matt Bishop
UFC 137 Video: Nick Diaz Goes In-Depth About Press Conference Fiasco, Not Loving Fighting - Tim Burke
UFC 137: The Card That Could Have Been and the PPV Repercussions - Matthew Roth
UFC 137 Video: B.J. Penn Talks Fighting Nick Diaz and Future Title Shots - Brent Brookhouse
UFC 137: B.J. Penn Explains Lack of Hype for Nick Diaz Fight - Brent Brookhouse
UFC 137: Nick Diaz Wishes He'd Stuck to Boxing Plans - Brent Brookhouse
UFC 137: George Roop Discusses Bout With Hatsu Hioki, Death of Shawn Tompkins - Tim Burke
UFC 137 Video: Danny Downes Fighter Diary In Preparation for Ramsey Nijem - Anton Tabuena
UFC 137: Tyson Griffin vs. Bart Palaszewski Dissection - Dallas Winston
UFC 137: Penn vs. Diaz Betting Lines - Tim Burke
UFC 137: Penn vs. Diaz Countdown Video - Tim Burke
UFC 137: Dennis Siver vs. Donald Cerrone Dissection - Dallas Winston
UFC 137: Matt Mitrione's Rapid Rise the Exception, Not the Rule - Leland Roling
UFC 137 Roundtable: Analyzing Nick Diaz's Chances Against B.J. Penn
UFC 137: Nick Diaz Discusses Looking Up to B.J. Penn, Gameplanning - Tim Burke
UFC 137: Breaking Down the Striking of Matt Mitrione - Fraser Coffeen
UFC 137: B.J. Penn Not Offended By Nick Diaz At All - Tim Burke
UFC 137: Penn vs. Diaz - Best Bets for Fight of the Night - Brent Brookhouse
UFC 137: Donald Cerrone's Unlikely Run May Land Him in Title Contention - Leland Roling
UFC 137: Facebook Card Dissection - Dallas Winston
UFC 137: Dana White Video Blog, Part 1 - Tim Burke
UFC 137: Cesar Gracie - If Nick Diaz Finishes B.J. Penn, He Should Get GSP Next - Tim Burke
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