UFC 74 Conference Call Notes: Vera signs new deal and could fight Sylvia; GSP talks sports psychologist; HBO information; and more!

The UFC conducted a conference call for the media today to help promote UFC 74 next Saturday in Las Vegas. UFC president Dana White, Randy Couture, Gabriel Gonzaga, Georges St. Pierre and Josh Koscheck all participated in the call.

Here’s a recap of some of the more newsworthy items that were discussed:

• Georges St. Pierre came off very well during the initial portion of the call. He said all the right things by giving Matt Serra his just due (just like he did immediately after UFC 69) and saying that we wouldn’t be seeing the old GSP vs. Koscheck next Saturday, but a brand new one. He even revealed that he’s been seeing a sports psychologist and that one thing he’s learned is that the best fighter doesn’t win a fight, the fighter who fights the best fight wins. I’ve been very critical of GSP in recent weeks but I have to give him a lot of credit for going to a sports psychologist. It shows he takes winning seriously and wants to fight to his full athletic potential. My only complaint is that towards the latter portion of the call the excuses (mental preparation, physical issues, and illnesses in his family) came out again. In defense of GSP, he was being asked followup questions and he was probably just trying to provide some detail. But he was a true sportsman at the start of the call and sounds determined. While I’m sticking to my prediction that Koscheck will beat him, I am preparing for a lot of “I told you so” e-mails and messages.

• Dana stated on the record that Brandon Vera has a new deal with the UFC. During a followup question he was asked about a possible first opponent and he said it would “probably” be Tim Sylvia. Nothing is official though and Sylvia has to deal with staph infection in addition to his recovery from back surgery. Stay tuned.

• White said that the UFC and Vera never had contract issues and that it was Vera and his old management that had the contract issues. He took a shot at EliteXC promoter Gary Shaw for making comments about Vera last year when there were reports that terms between UFC and Vera were icy.

• When asked about Andrei Arlovski’s status, Dana said “The Pitbull” would be fighting soon and that he didn’t know exactly when or against whom because there are so many matches that are being worked on right now. My thoughts are that if Vera is fighting Sylvia then why not Nogueira vs. Arlovski?

• What would a UFC conference call be without some talk about the HBO deal? Someone jokingly referenced Dana’s comments in the past that a deal with HBO would have been done in time to show a summer event. Dana laughed it off and said something to the effect of, “Well, now it will be signed in time for a winter event.” He still believes it will get done and even so far as went to guarantee it will get done before the year is out. When Dana was asked about why it’s taking so long he said that he’s probably the reason it’s taking so long. A question about what kind of events would be telecast on HBO was brought up. Dana backed off from previous stories that the UK broadcasts would be televised by HBO. While Dana said cards from Europe could possibly be televised on HBO, shows from the States will be telecast as well. He said the HBO cards will pretty much be just like the PPVs.

• Dana said he screwed up by having UFC 70 televised live. He said that UFC fans are used to watching UFC events on Saturday nights and showing the card in the afternoon wasn’t the way to go. As such, don’t expect the cards from Europe to be televised live.

• In regard to Wanderlei Silva, Dana would not confirm that he has signed with the UFC. He did say that he wants to sign Silva but it’s not a done deal and that he doesn’t want to talk about deals that aren’t done yet.

• Fedor was brought up but there wasn’t any new news. Dana once again said that if Fedor was signed he would be able to compete for the UFC heavyweight title right away.

• Dana was asked about if he had any big announcements for the call or for UFC 74 planned. He said there are no big announcements planned unless something crazy happens.

• The dead horse that is known as the steroid issue was brought up (and I’m not blaming anyone for asking about it) and Dana got very animated repeating a lot of the same comments that appeared in Steve Sievert’s recent Houston Chronicle blog. Dana really believes that government testing is pretty stringent and that if the government tested NFL players on gameday the same way fighters are rested before a fight that there would be no more football. He said the existing penalties are harsh and that fighters who use steroids when they already know that there will be consequences are “morons.”

• Randy was asked about why he’s been able to stay successful when other legends like Royce Gracie and Ken Shamrock are no longer as efficient as they once were. Randy was uncomfortable with the comparisons but did say that one big difference is that he’s remained active and hasn’t subjected himself to prolonged periods where he was away from fighting.

• Koscheck was complementary towards St. Pierre but also confident. He didn’t really want to get too much into strategy so we’ll have to wait and see what he has planned for UFC 74. He was asked if he believes he can put GSP on his back and Koscheck basically said yes.

• It sounds like no decisions about the lightweight title will be made until after Sean Sherk has his hearing before the California State Athletic Commission in October.

• Dana did not rip the IFL. That’s big news. But I guess he didn’t rip them only because he was never asked.

Randon Rant: Who should Brandon Vera fight next?

The nightmare is over; Brandon Vera is returning to the UFC and everything is right with the MMA world once again. Well, maybe not completely right until Fedor signs with a major fight promotion and we finally get to see Chuck Liddell vs. Wanderlei Silva, but Vera’s return to the active fighting scene is a great thing nonetheless.

In case you missed it, the UFC officially announced yesterday that Vera could be fighting again as soon as October. The announcement did not contain any definitive information about what date Vera will be fighting on and who it will be against.

With no mention of an opponent, the wheels began spinning in my head with thoughts of who I’d like Vera to fight in his first match back and also who I think is the most logical opponent for him based on logistics.

I wanted to share my comments with everyone but I want to first state that the analysis listed below is PURE CONJECTURE and is based on no factual evidence or inside information. I’m simply trying to have some fun by speculation so please don’t claim FiveOuncesOfPain.com is reporting anything.

Now that we have that out of the way, let me break down the list of potential candidates for Vera to possibly fight:

• Tim Sylvia - A match between Sylvia and Vera at UFC 77 has been rumored by several sites the past few weeks. I think a match with Sylvia makes a lot of sense because it presents a great storyline considering the two were in line to face each other at UFC 68 this past March. We all know what happened and Randy Couture is now the UFC heavyweight champ and Vera and Sylvia aren’t. If Vera comes out and drops the hammer on Big Tim, then you have the whole plot line that “The Truth” would be the heavyweight champ right now if it weren’t for problems with his manager. Stylistically, I’m lukewarm on the match but from a marketing perspective Sylvia is the best opponent for Vera. However, chances are we won’t see it as Vera’s first fight back because Sylvia is recovering from back surgery and a staph infection. I don’t see how he could be ready in time to fight in October.

• The winner of the Mirko Cro Cop vs. Cheick Kongo match at UFC 75 – Normally I would just bypass any mention of Kongo and just reference Cro Cop but after his loss to Gabriel Gonzaga at UFC 70, I’m not taking anything for granted. Cro Cop vs. Vera would be a strong co-main event on any UFC card and a match between the two before year’s end is not out of the realm of possibilities. However, I don’t see it happening as Vera’s first fight. UFC 75 isn’t until September 8 and UFC 77 is in October. Cro Cop has made quick turnarounds before while in Pride but I just don’t see him coming back so soon to fight an opponent the caliber of Vera. If Cro Cop defeats Kongo and Vera wins his first match back then perhaps we’d get to see the two face each other on the UFC’s card scheduled for December 29 with the winner becoming the number one contender for the heavyweight title?

• Tito Ortiz or Chuck Liddell - We can’t overlook the possibility of Vera dropping down to light heavyweight. While the UFC’s press release talked about Vera returning to the scene as a heavyweight and made no mention of a possible move to light heavyweight we have to take into consideration that the UFC’s heavyweight division is not only better but bigger than it was when Vera last fought this past November. I think we’ll see Vera drop down in weight at some point but I just don’t see it happening anytime soon. While Ortiz has not officially signed to fight Rashad Evans, it’s expected to happen meaning that all the top light heavyweights in the UFC are booked. That is, unless Wanderlei Silva has officially signed. Hmmm… Nah.

• Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira – I’d love to see it and Nogueira currently is not scheduled for another fight so Big ‘Nog vs. Vera has a legitimate chance of happening in October. From a future planning perspective, I’m not so sure it makes sense. Both fighters haven’t reached their full marketing potential and a loss by either fighter would be a major setback. A match with a lose/win proposition is really a lose/lose for the UFC when there are win/win possibilities out there. Doesn’t that make perfect sense?

• Winner or loser of Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Randy Couture match at UFC 74 – Stylistically a matchup between either Gonzaga or Couture would be great but I don’t think we’ll see Vera vs. either guy for the same reasons why I don’t think we’ll see him face Nogueira in October. Matches with Vera against either of the three are all possible in the future but the timing just isn’t right. Vera needs a win before fighting for the title and coming back in October to fight Vera might be too ambitious for the loser.

• Fabricio Werdum - A lot of people are bitching about Karo Parisyan and Andrei Arlovski (and rightfully so) not having matches lined up but why isn’t anyone championing Werdum’s cause? Is it just me or does it feel like the UFC is punishing both Arlvoski and Werdum for having a crappy match at UFC 70? If the UFC views Werdum as nothing more than a gate keeper at this point and they want to give Vera a layup then maybe this matchup might work? Then again, Werdum is a very dangerous opponent and if he upset Vera then I don’t think the UFC would feel like they could make something good out of a bad situation. If they are going to put Vera in with a dangerous opponent then they should do so against someone who carries more marketing potential.

• Wes Sims - I just wanted to see if you were paying attention. How Joe Lauzon of me?

• Andrei Arlovski – The old Pitbull vs. Vera would be one helluva match that could result in a double knockout. But the old Arlovski has been replaced by some new guy who is trying to be some fancy fighter who fights not to lose as opposed to fighting to win. If there’s anything that can bring back the old Arlovski then perhaps it’s Vera, a man who fights like he was shot out of a cannon. If Arlovski tried to fight a defensive fight against Vera then he’d have to run in circles because Vera would likely push the pace for the entire duration of the fight. If Arlovski doesn’t want to engage then Vera would likely be more than happy to bring the fight to him. Stylistically, this match has a lot of potential and the marketing potential in the short-term and long-term is also strong. Vera vs. Arlovski could sell some tickets and pay-per-views and the winner of the fight would be in a strong position to challenge for the heavyweight title in their next bout.

After a thorough review of the contenders, when you look at all the angles (potential match quality, box office appeal, and future planning) I don’t think there’s a better matchup for Vera than a bout against Arlovski at UFC 77 in October with the winner being granted a shot at the heavyweight title.

The UFC announces the return of Brandon Vera

The UFC officially announced on Wednesday that heavyweight contender Brandon Vera will be returning to the Octagon as early as October. No opponent has been named.

Vera had been in a state of limbo following a dispute with manager Mark Dion. It is believed that Dion possibly withheld contract proposals that had been made by the UFC with the possible motive of steering him to another promotion.

Vera took his grievance to the California State Athletic Commission with the intent of legally severing all ties to Dion. His hearing was believed to have taken place in late-July. No official decision has been announced but Vera is now represented by NCFC so it is assumed that his contract with Dion is no longer valid.

At the time when word of the dispute first leaked out, Vera had been in line for a title shot against then-heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia but it’s been reported that a match was never officially made because Vera had just one fight left on his contract. It’s believed the UFC has a policy of not granting title shots to fighters who have only one fight remaining on their contract with the promotion.

The UFC’s announcement gave no indication whether Vera’s potential October fight would fall under his existing contract or if a new multi-fight agreement had been reached.

Meltzer says there’s nothing to Arlovski vs. Vera rumors

UFCMania.com reported the other day that a potential match at UFC 78 between Andrei Arlovski and Brandon Vera had been discussed.

Dave Meltzer of The Wrestling Observer is reporting that according to the UFC, there’s nothing to those rumors.

You can read the UFCMania.com report by clicking here and you can access the Wrestling Observer report here.

New Brandon Vera interview

Chris Howie from MMANews.com was able to track down Brandon Vera and score a very in-depth interview with him. Vera talked about a number of subjects, including the current reason why he isn’t fighting:

Brandon Vera: Since UFC 65 I’ve been traveling the world [and] training. Training with my coach Lloyd Irvin and Rob Kamen, opening my own school – Alliance Training Center. We are going to be the only school that has Kamen 101, it’s a program Rob Kamen developed over the years. I’ve been paying a lot of legal stuff to my lawyers while trying to get rid of my manager and I contacted the CSAC [California State Athletic Commission] almost every day to get arbitration set up so I can get rid of this guy.

MMANews.com: What exactly went on with him?

Brandon Vera: I can’t really say too much because I don’t want to mess up anything with my case. I don’t really know what I can and can not say. One thing I can say is that something was told to him that was never told to me. Arbitration will be at the end of this month, in July, we should have a decision one way or the other and then I’ll go ahead and tell the whole world what happened word for word.

MMANews.com: There were rumors going around that you could have had Randy Couture’s spot at UFC 68 against Tim Sylvia for the title. Is there any truth to that?

Brandon Vera: Yes, the fight was offered to me. I did hear about the fight.

MMANews.com: Any particular reason you didn’t take the fight or does that have to do with your manager situation?

Brandon Vera: Yeah, I’ll have to go along with the whole manager situation. What I heard was that it wasn’t worth it for me to take the fight.

MMANews.com: It wasn’t worth it?

Brandon Vera: Yeah, from what I heard from my manager.

That’s just one small exchange between Howie and Vera. To read the interview in its entirety, just click here.

Brandon Vera speaks!

UFC heavyweight fighter Brandon Vera was a guest with host John Pollock on Fight Network Radio this past Tuesday. The archive of the show is now available at HardcoreSportsRadio.com.

On the show, Vera was still very vague about his current status. He mentioned to Pollock that he would like to fight not once, but twice before the year is out. How feasible of a goal that is remains to be seen.

Vera confirmed that he’s trying to split from his old manager and that he’s already gone from City Boxing (which his old manager owns) in San Diego and has started his own gym. He said that he has a hearing in front of the California State Athletic Commission soon so that he can officially sever all legal ties from his ex-manager. Vera is expecting to have a ruling before the end of the month. I was surprised to hear this because I had been told that the hearing was supposed to have already taken place. Perhaps it was pushed back?

Vera said he couldn’t talk about the reason for why he wants to split with his manager but hinted it had to do with contracts talks with the UFC. In case you haven’t heard the rumors, apparently his old manager received an offer from Zuffa and turned it down without presenting the details to Vera. There was some speculation that the ex-manager was trying to steer Vera to sign with EliteXC but those rumors were never confirmed by anyone.

He still has one fight left on his contract and confirmed that there had been talks at one point of him fighting Tim Sylvia for the heavyweight title but that it never happened. It is believed that the UFC wanted Vera to take the fight but that they didn’t want him fighting for a title with just one fight left on his current deal. When talks towards an extension weren’t fruitful, they went in a different direction which ended up being Randy Couture coming out of retirement.

A caller asked Vera how he thought he would match up against Fedor Emelianenko. He said he wasn’t sure and that he feels his trainers would be better suited to answer the question since how he would perform against Fedor would be heavily dependent on the game plan that they came up with. At a different point of the interview, he expressed interest in fighting all of the top heavyweights in the UFC and mentioned them all by name.

Vera signed a minor extension with Zuffa several months back. Basically, before the extension the UFC had until October to book Vera in his last match. The new extension allows the UFC more time to schedule the last match on his deal because Vera wanted more time due to all the upheaval that had been going on between his ex-manager and City Boxing. At the time, the move was considered a good sign that Vera would ultimately remain with the UFC.

He had mentioned in the past that he wanted to represent himself once he severed ties with his old manager. Whether that’s still his intent is unknown. But once he’s in the legal clear I fully expect him to re-sign with the UFC. One reason why an extension likely hasn’t happened yet is because his former manager could be entitled to a cut unless his management contract with Vera has legally been voided.

Brandon Vera to appear on Fight Network Radio

Mauro Ranallo has scored an exclusive one-on-one interview with Brandon Vera. Vera will be Mauro’s guest on today’s edition of Fight Network Radio at 3 p.m. ET on Hardcore Sports, which can be heard on Sirius Channel 186. The archive will be available at HardcoreSportsRadio.com.

Vera has been very quiet since splitting from his management team and former training camp, City Boxing in San Diego, Calif. This will be the most extensive interview he’s done since encountering a speed bump during his rapid ascent through the UFC’s heavyweight division.