Was the move to light heavyweight a mistake for Brandon Vera?

Kelly - Vera was small for a heavyweight, but after beating Frank Mir, he looked poised to make a run at the title. Some bad advice from an ambitious agent resulted in an extended vacation from the octagon and now he’s only won one fight at 205 pounds against a non-contender in Reese Andy. I will give him some credit-the loss to Werdum was dubious and the loss last weekend to Jardine was close. But now his value as a ticket draw resembles the Dow Jones Industrial Average and he’s out of everyone’s top ten. Vera needs to beg and plead for a fight with a high-profile name who’s also struggling…say Chuck Liddell. A win against the former champion could put him back in the game while a loss to The Iceman is excusable. It’s that or go back to heavyweight where he’ll get manhandled by bigger and stronger guys.

Mike - At one time Brandon Vera was thought to be the harbinger of a new kind of MMA athlete. Olympic-level wrestling, devastating Muay Thai and world-class submissions all wrapped up in a well-coached package that—best of all—was ravenously hungry to fight. What happened? I haven’t been this disappointed since I clicked on some Tara Reid bikini shots. I feel Vera would do better in the heavyweight division, where he is the faster, more explosive athlete with the bigger gas tank. His two losses at heavyweight can be easily rationalized away: a tough call in the Werdum fight and a bad gameplan in his hug-fest with Sylvia. Prior to that, he has four consecutive stoppages on his UFC heavyweight record, including an annihilation of Frank Mir. At heavyweight, his brilliant clinch game and brutal leg kicks will be more effective on the slow-moving targets, while his quick feet and sheer agility will keep him out of harms way. I agree with you that Vera has seemingly lost something along the way, but it has nothing to do with size.

Should Michael Bisping really be a coach on The Ultimate Fighter?