| |
 |
|
 WEC
47: Pulver gets pulverized, Benavidez bounces back, Cruz is crowned
By Phil
Lanides
WEC 47 took place last night in Columbus,
Ohio, and what promised to be an exciting card full of quality
fights certainly delivered. Some of the biggest names in the
promotion took part in 47, including former UFC fighters Leonard
Garcia and George Roop, Bart Palaszewski, Javier Vasquez, future
Hall of Famer Jens Pulver, former WEC Bantamweight Champion Miguel
Torres, and Dominick Cruz and Brian Bowles in a battle for that
bantamweight strap. In addition, California was well-represented on
the card, as Chad Mendes, Karen Darabedyan, and Joseph Benavidez
were featured. All in all, it was a night of surprises, upsets, and
career-changing performances.
The event drew 8,345 attendees, according to WEC head Reed Harris.
If the number is confirmed by the Ohio State Athletic Commission,
than it will be the fifth-highest attended WEC event in its history.
Here are the quick preliminary (untelevised) card results:
• Scott Jorgensen defeated Chad George via submission (guillotine
choke) at 0:31 of round 1
• Chad Mendes defeated Erik Koch via unanimous decision (30-27,
30-27, 30-27)
• Anthony Pettis defeated Danny Castillo via knockout (head kick) at
2:17 of round 1
• Leonard Garcia vs. George Roop declared split draw (29-27, 27-29,
28-28)
• Fredson Paixao defeated Courtney Buck via submission (rear-naked
choke) at 2:39 of round 1
• Ricardo Lamas defeated Bendy Casimir via knockout (knee) at 3:43
round 1
The undercard featured a bit of everything, with submissions,
knockouts, a decision, and even a draw. Big winners include Scott
Jorgensen, who took a big career jump in lifting Chad George off the
ground with a guillotine en route to the submission win. Anthony
Pettis rebounded from a difficult loss to Palaszewski to deliver a
highlight reel KO via head kick at Danny Castillo’s expense, while
Fredson Paixao and Ricardo Lamas breathed new life into their WEC
careers. Unfortunately, the same couldn’t be said of fan favorite
Leonard Garcia and George Roop. It was an entertaining fight, but
Garcia was deducted a point late in the 3rd round due to a low blow,
and the fighters had to settle for a rarely-seen split draw.
Here are the full results of the main card:
Bart Palaszewski (34-13) defeated Karen Darabedyan (9-2) via
submission (armbar) at 4:40 of round 1: At only 26 years old, Bart
Palaszewski is a veteran of over 50 fights. But though his opponent
has one-fifth the experience he does, many felt that Palaszewski
would end up on the losing end of this one. And if he did win, it
would certainly be on the feet, and not on the mat. But they were
wrong. The RoufusSport fighter loves to stand and bang. But this
time, it wasn’t needed. Darbedyan showed he has some work to do with
his grappling, as he left his arm out there for the experienced
veteran to take hold of. With twenty seconds left, he was forced to
tap as a result. After losing two in a row, Palaszewski has now
reeled off three straight wins, and is close to regaining his
contender status. Darabedyan saw his seven-fight win streak stopped.
L.C. Davis (16-2) def. Deividas Taurosevicius (12-4) via majority
decision (29-29, 29-28, 29-28): It was a bout that was about as
evenly-matched as one could hope for. Davis and Taurosevicius went
move-for-move, with neither seeming to gain much of an advantage. In
the end, it was L.C. that did just enough to get the nod. Neither
fighter lost much in the fan’s eyes, and both combatants proved they
are to be taken seriously. Davis gets his third straight win, and is
most likely in line for a shot at a contender in his next bout.
Javier Vasquez (14-4) defeated Jens Pulver (22-13-1) via submission
(armbar) at 3:41 of round 1: In what probably signals the end of his
storied career, pioneer lightweight Jens Pulver went down in defeat
to another longtime fighter in Javier Vasquez. The crowd was firmly
entrenched behind “Lil’ Evil,” but sadly for the fans, it was not to
be. And the manner in which Vasquez did it was very intelligent. He
skirted the fight on the feet, preferring to bring it to his world:
the mat. Once the fight moved there, it was only a matter of time,
as the SoCal featherweight moved from position to more dominant
position. In the end, it was enough to get the victory. Speaking of
the crowd’s positive reaction to Pulver in the fight, “I would have
been in corner, too. I'm just as big of a fan of Jens Pulver as
anybody else. It was an honor to fight him.” But Vazquez got the win
as he envisioned, and was obviously pleased. “I couldn't have
scripted it any better,” said “Showtime.” Pulver, for his part,
seemed to think he’s done. “It's over. The vintage, the authentic. I
don't know how many times I can cry in front of all of you,” he
stated. “I'll never say that (I'm retiring), but I'm telling ya'll,
I love you way, way, way too much to put you through this again.” If
it sticks, we’ve just seen one of the all-time greats ride off into
the sunset.
Joseph Benavidez (12-1) defeated Miguel Torres (37-3) via submission
(guillotine choke) at 2:57 of round 2: For the first time, Miguel
Torres is facing consecutive losses in his career. After losing the
belt to Brian Bowles, Torres now has to head back to the proverbial
drawing board. Urijah Faber’s teammate, Joseph Benavidez, cut
through all the hype and dominated the former champ. He opened up a
nasty gash with an elbow, drawing a lot of blood from Torres. As the
two scrambled on the mat in the second round, Benavidez sunk in the
fight-ending choke, and might have secured himself a title shot in
the process. “I just went in there to fight a fight,” said Benavidez
after the fight. “It was just another fight for me. I've been
waiting for this fight for forever, so I was totally prepared for
it.” Torres will have to work at rebuilding his career.
Dominick Cruz (15-1) defeated Brian Bowles (8-1) for the WEC
Bantamweight Championship via TKO (doctor's stoppage) at 5:00 of
round 2: When Brian Bowles knocked out Miguel Torres for the belt in
August of last year, it was viewed by many to be a huge upset. At
47, it was Bowles’ turn to face that monster, as Dominick Cruz
utilized his speed advantage to frustrate the champ and take his
belt. It was a masterful performance. Bowles was visibly aggravated,
and it was clear his hand was hurt. When the doctors took a look at
the hand at the end of the second round, they discovered it was
broken, and stopped the fight. “The first punch I threw in the whole
fight, I broke my hand,” said the former champ. “It threw me off. My
mind starting thinking about my hand.” As far as his future goes,
Bowles knows where he stands. “I'm sure I'll have to fight somebody
before I fight for the belt again.” Cruz, meanwhile, was happy with
his performance. “He's got heavy hands. He popped me a few times in
the mouth. I just had to move a lot, just like I said I was going to
do. I executed the game-plan.” So what’s next for the new champ?
With Benavidez’s big win, he’s probably lined himself up to rematch
with the new champ.
Fight night bonuses went to Leonard Garcia and George Roop for
“Fight of the Night,” Joseph Benavidez for “Submission of the
Night,” and Anthony Pettis for “KO of the Night.” Each fighter
received a $10,000 bump in pay for the night. Overall, the night
must be considered a win for the UFC’s sister promotion. A new
champion was crowned, new stars cemented themselves, while a couple
of the “older guard” made their presence known. The WEC’s next event
will be on pay per view, their first such offering. Things are about
to get more interesting.
For more from Phil
Lanides check out
http://www.examiner.com/x-9970-San-Jose-MMA-Examiner
http://www.fightofyourlife.com/
|
