By: King Eddie

As Thiago Silva is removed from his bout with Shogun Rua, in steps a man who may make a few headlines as the new replacement, Brandon Vera.

We all know that at one point in time, Vera was one of the most hyped fighters in the UFC. Boasting that he would one day hold the titles in the Heavyweight and Light Heavyweight divisions at the same time. He has yet to come close to even half of that goal, and was even briefly released from the promotiion. But his upcoming bout with former champion, and top ranked Mauricio Shogun Rua, may change all of that.

A win over Rua could skyrocket Vera to the top of the lists. And as many critics grumble about his main event status, Vera just continues forward. No matter what critics say, there will be two strikers in the headlining fight. And everybody loves to see two fighters bang it out.

Shogun is coming off of one of the most amazing fights in UFC history with Dan Henderson, in which he battled his way back from what looked like defeat, and nearly took the bout for himself. Though he lost the fight via decision, he won in the hearts of the UFC fans as well as the UFC bosses.