UFC 102 Preview: Can You Handle The Truth?

"The Polish Experiement" Krzysztof Soszynski (18-8-1, 3-0 UFC) vs. Brandon "The Truth" Vera (10-3-0, 6-3 UFC)

Story So Far

Soszynski was tabbed as a replacement for the injured Matt Hammil and is currently riding a six-fight winning streak, including three straight impressive performances inside the Octagon following his time on Season 8 of The Ultimate Fighter.

Once upon a time, Vera was considered a legitimate contender to the heavyweight crown, as he reeled off eight consecutive wins to begin his career, including a stint as WEC Heavyweight champion and stopping former UFC champion Frank Mir in under 70 seconds.

But a length layoff because of a contract dispute and back-to-back losses raised a lot of questions, with the UFC believing the answer resided at 205. So far, the verdict is still out, as Vera has gone 2-1 in the light heavyweight division, defeating Mike Patt and Reese Andy, while losing to fellow UFC 102 competitor Keith Jardine.

Conventional Wisdom

Soszynski has become a crowd favorite in a very short time. In addition to his actions in the ring and antics in the house on Season 8 of TUF, his appearance on UFC 100 Countdown laughing at Michael Bisping's assertion that he would knock out Dan Henderson stole the show.

Three straight impressive performances, including a knockout win over Andre Gusmao on short notice and a pair of Submission of the Night awards, have warranted a step up in competition for the Winnipeg native.

Vera is the more experienced fighter, at least in terms of competing on a higher level against routinely tougher competition, and possesses some of the most dangerous Muay Thai in all of MMA today. That being said, he is maddeningly inconsistent, to a point that some have wondered whether this fight is a must-win for the one-time rising star.

Despite his experience advantage, many people are torn on this fight, as Soszynski has looked extremely impressive since moving to Temecula, California to train with Team Quest full time, while Vera has been, well, Vera.

WKR Analysis

How's this for analysis: Brandon Vera is an over-confident douchebag.

Serious, how does this guy still talk about being a champion at both heavyweight and light heavyweight simultaneously when he can't string together consecutive wins?

While Vera is clearly the strongest test Soszynski has faced in the UFC, that doesn't necessarily paint the appropriate picture. The former IFL competitor used to fight at heavyweight and has been in the ring, although on the wrong side of things, against Ben Rothwell, Mike Whitehead, Mike Kyle and UFC 102 debutee Chris Tuscherer.

Not that losing to bigger guys necessarily means anything, but it's certainly not Soszynski's first rodeo. He's had more professional fights than Vera by a two-to-one ratio and certainly benefits from the teaching and training available to him at Team Quest.

Fun Fact

Before making the move to Mixed Martial Arts, Soszynski was a professional wrestler in his native Canada. A popular "heel" in various Canadian promotions, Soszynski's interest in MMA was piqued by former WWE superstar  the late Allen Coage, who fans may remember as Bad News Brown / Bad News Allen.