Keith Jardine vs. Brandon Vera
Brandon “The Truth” Vera (9-2) and Keith “The Dean Of Mean” Jardine (13-5-1) are set to face each other (-185 Bisping/ +155 Leben) in a fight where both men will be trying to establish themselves as top contenders at 205 pounds and get back on track after disappointing performances.
Keith Jardine, a former contestant on The Ultimate Fighter, has had an extremely up and down career inside the Octagon. He has some very good wins, including a decision victory over Wilson Gouveia, a three round dismantling of former Light Heavyweight Champion Chuck Liddell, and a complete domination of current champion Forrest Griffin. Mixed in with those quality wins, however, are an embarassing decision loss to journeyman Stephan Bonner, and two knockout losses in the first minute of fights, against Wanderlei Silva and middle of the road striker Houston Alexander. Jardine’s mixed results can probably be chalked up to his aggressiveness. Jardine has a tendency to bullrush his opponents. Sometimes, like in his fight with Forrest Griffin, it pays off with a spectacular early stoppage. More often, though, he just walks chin-first into his own destruction.
Vera, for his part, was once considered a top young prospect at both 205 pounds and heavyweight. An accomplished Muay Thai fighter who also trains with submission guru Lloyd Irvin, Vera is a dangerous, well-rounded fighter with all the tools to succeed, especially in the Light Heavyweight division. The biggest question about Vera is definitely his motivation and dedication to training. After a series of impressive wins in the Heavyweight Division, Vera lost a lackluster decision to Tim Sylvia and then got knocked out by Fabricio Werdum, who is not at all known for his striking, in the first round. Afterward, Vera dropped to Light Heavyweight, where he won an uninspiring unanimous decision against the relatively unknown Reese Andy.
Both men have a lot to prove in this fight, clearly. In recent interviews, Vera claims to have taken his training much more seriously for this fight than any of his previous UFC bouts. In the end, I think this fight will come down to which man is more well rounded. Jardine may have slightly more punching power, but Vera is definitely the more technical and versatile striker. Factor in Jardine’s questionable chin, and I would give the advantage to Vera. Jardine is definitely the better wrestler of the two, but Vera has vastly superior jiu jitsu and is a legitimate threat to submit off his back.
Once again, I would give the slight advantage to Vera, who should be able to capitalize on these small advantages to score a unanimous decision win.
More details on this event can be found at our UFC 89 predictions page or for odds visit the UFC 89 odds page.
