Category: WEC (Page 3 of 5)

Benavidez talks Fabiano, Faber

Joseph Benavidez discussed his upcoming fight with Wagney Fabiano, as well as teammate Urijah Faber’s drop to the bantamweight division with Nate Lawson of HeavyMMA.com.

Following his disappointing, yet narrow split-decision loss to Dominick Cruz at WEC 50, Joseph Benavidez was looking to take some time off.

The 135lbs contender had just faced the top bantamweight on the planet, former champion Miguel Torres, and submission ace Rani Yahya all within one year. You could say he deserved a break.

However, when the WEC came calling for the Team Alpha male product to step in for former champion Brian Bowles against Wagnney Fabiano at this month’s WEC 52, Benavidez did not have to think long about cutting his time away from the cage short.

“When the fight came up with Wagnney Fabiano, it was kind of a no brainer,” Benavidez told HeavyMMA today. “I was definitely looking to fight before the end of the year. You know, definitely wanted to get in that third fight of the year. I had already taken some time off, and it’s kind of hard man. I’m just a fighter and when someone offers me a fight, it’s always something I want to do. I’m always training and it always feels like the right decision for me.”

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Fabar the key to Bantamweight success in UFC?

That’s what Jeremy Botter of HeavyMMA.com writes:

Next Thursday night, long-time WEC poster boy Urijah Faber will make his bantamweight debut against Takeya Mizugaki.

If “The California Kid” comes away with a win, he’ll make an even more important debut in early 2011.
By beating Mizugaki, Faber would set up a second meeting current bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz. The two met a handful of years ago when Cruz challenged for Faber’s featherweight title; the loss remains the sole blemish on the current champion’s resume. With all due respect to Cruz, Faber is the 135-pound fighter who holds the key to solidifying the WEC divisions as viable pieces of the puzzle.

Faber is one of the few stars to crossover from the WEC who have the pre-established stardom to help deliver the lighter weight-classes to the new audience in the UFC. The leader of Team Alpha Male is already a known quantity in the business, and while he’s lost three of his last five fights, the move down to the 135-pound division could be the kind of career renaissance that return Faber to the pound-for-pound rankings he called home for quite some time.

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WEC to merge with UFC

Dana White during the press conference for the Ultimate Fighting Championship 109 event at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas on February 4, 2010.

Jeremy Botter of HeavyMMA.com fills everybody in on the big news out of the Mixed Martial Arts world today:

The long-awaited merger between the Ultimate Fighting Championship and younger sibling World Extreme Cagefighting has finally come to fruition.

UFC President Dana White made the announcement during a media conference call on Thursday.

The final two WEC events will be held in November and December. After the final event, the WEC lightweight division will roll into the UFC’s version of the weight class, while the other weight classes will be known as the UFC featherweight and UFC bantamweight championships.

“As the UFC continues to evolve and grow globally, we want to be able to give fans title fights in every weight division,” said White. “This is a big day for the sport and the athletes who will have the opportunity to fight on the biggest stage in the world.”


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HeavyMMA.com: Things learned from WEC 51

E. Spencer Kyte of HeavyMMA.com breaks down the things he learned from WEC 51.

Jose Aldo is Unstoppable
We all know that no one is really unstoppable, except maybe Megumi Fuji, but Jose Aldo is the closest thing we have to an unbeatable fighter on the men’s side of things right now.

Once again, Aldo demolished a top contender, feeling out Manny Gamburyan for the first round before burying the Armenian judoka early in the second behind a quick right, a big uppercut and some speedy ground and pound. Watching how quickly the bantamweight champion goes from stalking to finishing the fight is incredible, and it’s one of the reasons Aldo is in the midst of such a dominant run.

What is scary about Aldo is that (1) we still haven’t seen his jiu-jitsu game and (2) he certainly looks like he could climb to 155 and do just as well as a lightweight. His blend of speed, power and killer instinct doesn’t come along all that often. He’s going to be hard to stop.

Read the full article here.

WEC 51 Main Card Results: Aldo vs. Gamburyan

In case you missed the action, Nate Lawson of HeavyMMA.com has the results from WEC 51, including the Aldo vs. Gamburyan bout.

Jose Aldo vs. Manny Gamburyan for the WEC Featherweight Title
Gamburyan started off strong with a big right hand, but Aldo looked completely fine with his power. Aldo looked to get his timing down, while the challenger looked to get to work quickly. Two minutes into the fight, and Aldo seemed content to display his patience. The fans, however, were not thrilled, pleading for some action. Aldo went back to the same style he had in his fight against Urijah Faber, landing several big kicks to the leg of Gamburyan. With 10 seconds to go, the challenger looked for a takedown, but the incredible balance of Aldo prevented that from happening.

Gamburyan came out with some leg kicks of his own to start the second, followed by a takedown, which Aldo easily avoided. Aldo looked completely focused, trying to find his opening to finish the fight. He found one with a quick one-two that staggered Gamburyan. A follow-up uppercut sent Gamburyan to the floor, and Aldo went to work. The Brazilian sensation unloaded on his downed opponent, putting him out after an incredible amount of punishment. Aldo def. Gamburyan via knockout at 1:32 of Round 2.

Read the full article here.

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