WEC 33 Preview & Predictions

by Leland Roling 3/25/2008 5:17:00 PM
WEC.tv

After a lax weekend of mixed martial arts action with only the lone ShoXC card making waves in the American market, World Extreme Cagefighting will hold its 33rd event on Wednesday night back in Las Vegas, Nevada. Featured on the event’s main card will be a Light Heavyweight title bout between current champion Doug “The Rhino” Marshall and Iraqi war hero Brian Stann. The undefeated Stann will be looking to use his size to topple the smaller Marshall. In other action, Brock Larson will make his return to the WEC cage against the veteran John Alessio. Ed Ratcliff will be looking to continue his success by using his dynamic striking abilities against a very tough opponent in Marcus Hicks. It looks to be a fantastic night of exciting bouts that should provide some validation for some of the up-and-coming talent in the WEC.

Main Event: Doug Marshall vs. Brian Stann

Brian Stann may finally be the answer that fans have been looking for when it comes to defeating Doug Marshall. With a large frame and a distinct reach and height advantage, Stann could be the immovable object that Marshall simply won’t be able to push away. In most of Stann’s previous bouts, he cruised relatively easy through the first round with crushing TKO wins over Jeremiah Billington, Craig Zellner, and Steve Cantwell. Although he hasn’t faced the stiffest of competition, his overall physical attributes make him a danger to Marshall.

Marshall may have some problems with Stann’s size, but he definitely has the aggressiveness to catch the lengthy war veteran. My biggest knock on Marshall in the past has been his sloppy striking that still seems to win him most of his battles. He’s also seemed to pick up a decent jiu-jitsu base, although it was only proven recently against Ariel Gandulla. I don’t believe Marshall can work that type of game on the ground against Stann, and I have a solid belief that Stann will be the fighter that can neutralize Marshall in the standup game.

Leland’s Predictions: Brian Stann via TKO, Round 1

This is going to be a stand-up war until someone takes one on the chin. My guess is that’s going to be Marshall. Stann has a warrior mentality and throws some nice straight punches down the middle. Marshall is more of a brawler that likes to throw looping overhand punches. He’s a little short to be fighting at light-heavyweight, so I expect Stann to be able to avoid those looping punches and beat Marshall to the punch with his straight punches. Look for Stann to finish Marshall early with strikes.

Joe's Prediction: Brian Stann via TKO, Round 1
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John Alessio vs. Brock Larson

On paper, this is a fight that fans should be looking forward to for a couple of reasons. First, Larson has only lost twice in his career and his second loss was only as recent as in August of last year to Carlos Condit. Secondly, Alessio is not only a great fighter, but he’s also a veteran with a plethora of experience against tougher competition than Larson has taken on. It should be a decent wrestling matchup for both fighters, and I’m intrigued to see how Larson will do against able competition that isn’t on the UFC level, but still has a solid skillset to counter him.

The more I look at this matchup, the more I’m beginning to like John Alessio in this fight. He has more experience, been in the cage against tougher competition, and has added power in his hands that Larson has never really had. He has a solid wrestling base, and can use the talent at Xtreme Couture gym to supplement his training. Larson has a solid record, but many of his wins are against subpar competition. He also has controlling ground and pound, but I think Alessio can neutralize Larson.

Leland’s Prediction: John Alessio via unanimous decision
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WEC 31 Recap and Analysis

by LR 12/12/2007 7:52:00 PM

Results:

Charles Valencia over Ian McCall via Submission (Guillotine Choke) at 3:19, Round 1
Brian Bowles over Marcos Galvao via TKO(Strikes) at 2:09, Round 2
Ed Ratcliff over Alex Karalexis via TKO(Strikes) at 1:26, Round 2
Bryan Baker over Eric Schambari via Decision (Split) at 5:00
John Alessio over Todd Moore via Decision (Unanimous) at 5:00
Doug Marshall over Ariel Gandulla via Submission (Arm Bar) at :55, Round 1
Paul Filho over Chael Sonnen via Submission (Arm Bar) at 4:55, Round 2
Jens Pulver over Cub Swanson via Submission (Anaconda Choke) at :35, Round 1
Urijah Faber over Jeff Curran via Submission (Guillotine Choke) at 4:34, Round 2

Paulo Filho escapes defeat

Paulo Filho was being dominated. Chael Sonnen was looking confident and winning the standup battles. What's wrong with this picture? Arguably ranked the #2 Middleweight in the world, Paulo Filho was expected to have a fairly tough battle with Olympic quality wrestler Chael Sonnen. It was a much more lopsided fight early on. Chael managed to catch Filho in the first couple of exchanges and then work his wrestling for most of the bout. Instead of using a gameplan that Frank Mir was suggesting he use for most of the fight, Sonnen didn't stick with his standup after tiring Filho with his ground work. Sonnen shot and eventually Filho caught Sonnen in an armbar that ended the fight.

In addition to a bad performance by Filho, the ending of the fight also had some controversy. Filho managed to sink in a painful armbar on Sonnen who was visibly hurting from the pull of Filho's giant biceps. The referee stepped in and stopped the bout before Sonnen tapped and proclaimed the fight over. Sonnen argued immediately that he never tapped. From my perspective, the referee saved Sonnen's arm from being the first LIVE compound fracture to be broadcast in MMA. Sonnen should not allowed himself to get into that position. Frank Mir was right, shooting on Filho is something that is always dangerous and should be avoided. His strength is unmatched in the Middleweight division.

Urijah Faber continues his reign

Many fans believe Jeff Curran had a legitimate shot at stopping the relentless and quick attack of Faber. There were also some comments by Curran's trainer regarding his standup as being much better than Faber's striking. Curran never had a chance to show us. From the get go, Faber used combinations of punching and shooting to put Curran in some tough spots. Early in the fight however, Curran did manage to get Faber's back and maintain it for most of the round. Faber eventually escaped, but didn't manage to hurt Curran until the second round.

With some ground and pound techniques, Faber cut Curran with a nasty elbow, pounded his face in with huge punches, and absolutely pushed a horrendous pace over the extent of the battle. Eventually, Faber impressively sunk in a choke on the Brazilian ju-jitsu black belt to maintain his belt.

Jens Pulver impresses

In a surprise submission win, Jens Pulver proved that he isn't done yet. At 145 lbs., he still remains undefeated after defeating Cub Swanson by an anaconda choke at only :35 seconds into the bout. Swanson's hype before this battle had increased in the MMA community to epic proportions. It was surprising considering that Swanson really doesn't seem to have overly impressive skills in one area against great competition. This was his first test, and he failed.

After the fight, Pulver mentioned that instead of training to use his left hand; he has been training to grapple. This is one aspect of MMA that simply seperates the men from the boys. Fighters who grow in this sport deny stubborness and become well-rounded fighters. If only Pulver's wisdom could crack Chuck Liddell's game.

Other matchups

Doug Marshall continued his reign as the Light Heavyweight champion with an odd win over Ariel Gandulla, an ATT prospect. Instead of using his sloppy standup brawling style, he went for a flying knee, missed, but was able to put Gandulla in an armbar while Gandulla worked a ground and pound game. Impressive to say the least from a guy mainly known for simply brawling inside the cage.

Charlie Valencia defeated Ian McCall with some devastating striking over most of the first round. Valencia stood much like a patient boxer, waiting for McCall to attack and countering with big punches. At one point during the fight, Valencia landed a crushing uppercut and then combo'd into a suplex from hell. Definitely one of the more impressive combinations I've ever seen, and I encourage you all to check it out. Valencia set up a guillotine choke from all of the striking and action to win it in round 1.

On the upset note, Brian Bowles beat highly touted Marcos Galvao with some good takedown defense and striking. He continually caught Galvao with punches, and it became increasingly worse and worse for Galvao as the fight went on. Eventually, Galvao ate a punch dead center on the chin and went down. Surprising upset win for Brian Bowles, likely putting some merit to his standing in the rankings world of the division.

And on a final note, I picked Ed Ratcliff to defeat Alex Karalexis despite the many people who thought I was crazy. In fact, I only saw that Jeff Comstock over at BloodyElbow.com and Jordan Breen actually picked the karate practitioner to win. Why did I pick him? I don't think Alex Karalexis is as good as he's been said to be and watch this video. Ratcliff disposes of his opponent in the video via a spinning back kick, Chuck Norris style. Very impressive. He also had some fairly good ground and pound during the fight. I'm glad the research paid off.



WEC 31: The Complete Breakdown

by LR 12/10/2007 6:40:00 PM

Newsday (Source)Only four days following the spectacular Ultimate Fighter Finale, Zuffa once again puts on another great show on paper in World Extreme CageFighting 31. A sister promotion to the UFC, WEC has seen a resurgence in its stance in the MMA market with a television deal with Versus and supporting programming that continues to market the WEC well. The card on Wednesday night will only feed the hunger for likeness to the UFC. The event features three... count 'em three title bouts. Urijah Faber will defend the Featherweight crown against Jeff Curran, Doug "The Rhino" Marshall will defend his Light Heavyweight belt against Ariel Gandulla, and PRIDE veteran Paulo Filho, arguably ranked #2 at Middleweight, will defend his title against an able Chael Sonnen. Here's some more in-depth looks at each matchup and myself and John McKiernan weigh in our picks.

WEC Featherweight Title Bout
Urijah Faber vs. Jeff Curran

If there is one defining aspect of one fighter over another, it's experience. Curran (28-8-1) has a plethora of international and national experience in the cage. He has fought some of the best in the world, and still remains an underdog in this battle. Namely, he has recently beaten Rafael Assuncao, Wagnney Fabiano, Charles Bennett, and Antonio Carvalho all within the last 3 years. Fighters who are not slouched in the striking or ju-jitsu arena of the MMA skillset. He's taken on Matt Serra and "Kid" Yamamoto and taken them the distance. We can safely say that Curran is no stranger to high-level competition.

There is one aspect of his skillset that he lacks, and that is his ability to end fights. He is always a danger to submit his opponent, but he also has a tendency to miss holds and allow opponents to slip away from him. Stephen Ledbetter, his most recent win at WEC 29, was a perfect example of that. The question really becomes whether or not his great ju-jitsu background can counter Faber's relentless attack.

Urijah Faber (19-1) is an animal in the cage. His relentless attack has sometimes been likened to that of a Clay Guida, but he has knockout power along with a solid wresting game on the ground. The major X-factor in this fight is Faber's ability to keep the fight standing and putting the leather on Curran's face. If he can keep the fight standing, Faber will prevail. If the fight goes to the ground, Curran must avoid the devastating power that Faber can unleash on the floor.

Leland's Prediction: Urijah Faber by second round TKO

Faber is powerful, has the ability to avoid submissions, and is very strong in both his standup and ground game. Curran's ju-jitsu abilities are world-renowned, but he will have to avoid the fists of fury from Faber. I see Faber putting him out.

John's Prediction: Urijah Faber by second round TKO

Tougher fight for Faber than many expect.  Curran is well experienced with almost thirty wins.  Faber has explosive athletic ability, should look to keep this fight standing and will be able to.  The face of the 145 LB division in the U.S. gets his 20th win.

Joe's Prediction: Urijah Faber by third round TKO

Faber’s wrestling is too good, and he has shown good submission defense in the past. While Curran has great jiu-jitsu, I don’t think he’s going to be able to submit Faber. Faber will look to keep the fight standing for a bit, but then I expect him to take the fight to the mat where he’ll finish Curran with strikes sometime in the 3rd round.
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WEC Middleweight Title Bout
Paulo Filho vs. Chael Sonnen
Graciemag.com (Source)

Arguably the #2 ranked Middleweight in the World, Paulo Filho (15-0) made his WEC debut in winning fashion with a surprising TKO win over the veteran Joe Doerksen at WEC 29. Filho, primarily known for his ju-jitsu skills on the ground, has fought and defeated some of the best in the world in the weight class. Kazuo Misaki, Ryo Chonan, Murilo Rua, and Yuki Kondo have all fallen to Filho either by decision or by the feared armbar. Filho has some extensive ground game, but his striking has always been lacking. Sonnen will be a test in Filho's standup game to an extent, but Sonnen's ground tactics may not be able to nullify Filho.

Chael Sonnen (19-8-1) is an interesting matchup for Filho. Sonnen is known to have some great knockout power, but he's been known to fade and go the distance on multiple occassions. His one weakness against better competition has been the submission. This is where Filho may have the opportunity to win this fight if Sonnen doesn't land a big punch early. Sonnen has been racking up wins in BodogFight for the last year, and recently won at SportFight 20 up in the Northwest. There is an opponent that Sonnen has lost to convincingly 3 times that really sums up what Filho's gameplan will be, that's Jeremy Horn. Horn has defeated Sonnen three seperate times, two by submission. I wouldn't put Horn on the same level as Filho on the ground, although he is a very good grappler. It does outline a big problem in Sonnen's ground game though.

Leland's Prediction: Paulo Filho by 3rd round submission

This is an interesting fight due to the fact that Filho hasn't faced a hard-nosed wrestler in awhile, if at all. Sonnen will have power, and I think it will take Filho some time to work on the ground. Nonetheless, I believe Filho will submit him late in the bout.

John's Prediction: Paulo Filho by 2nd round submission

15-0 and Sonnen is no joke, but also not the guy to give Filho his first loss. The Brazilian is the undisputed #2 Middleweight world (possibly #1 in my mind) and has subbed a number of guys better than Sonnen. Wrestling and ju-jitsu is too good.

Joe's Prediction: Paulo Filho by 1st round submission

Filho is too strong and his grappling is too good for Sonnen. Sonnen has shown weakness in the past against fighters that have a good submission game. I think this fight will go similar to Filho’s last fight with Doerksen, but he’ll be able to finish this time with his grappling. Look for a submission, most likely an armbar, in the first round.
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WEC Light Heavyweight Title Bout
Doug Marshall vs. Ariel Gandulla

I'll make this short and sweet. Marshall (6-2) is a straight brawler. He has good knockout power and standup skills, but to be honest, I've only seen him roll on the ground once to win a fight. This fight wasn't made for a ground war, and it will certainly be a standup fight. Ultimately however, someone is going to shoot for the takedown to ground and pound their opponent or try to clip their opponent's chin and put him to the canvas for the ground and pound. Either way, strikes will end this fight.

Gandulla (4-0) isn't overly impressive in his standup or ground and pound tactics. He's more reserved than Marshall will be as Marshall seems to be overly aggressive at times. Could this be a strength? It's possible because I expect Gandulla to be taller than Marshall, and I think he'll have an easier time keeping Marshall at a distance. Does this equate to a victory for Gandulla? I'm not completely convinced, but I may go with the upset pick.

Leland's Prediction: Ariel Gandulla by TKO, 2nd round.

Marshall's striking is sloppy, and I believe Gandulla's patience can outlast the onslaught. He has some good power and the ability to elude the big blows. Marshall just isn't championship material in my eyes.

John's Prediction: Ariel Gandulla by TKO

Gandulla has proven he's tough and I see an upset.  ATT will have Ariel ready.

Joe's Prediction: Doug Marshall by TKO, 1st round.

As much as I want to pick against Doug Marshall here, I can’t. Marshall is strictly a brawler who likes to bang out his victories. I think Gandulla will be overwhelmed by Marshall’s assault and succumb to strikes early in the first round.
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Jens Pulver vs. Cub Swanson

Fightsport.com (Source)One of the toughest fights for me to pick because I believe Jens is a class act in mixed martial arts. He's a warrior and trains just as hard as anyone out there and expects results because of it. Mainly known for his striking skills, Jens Pulver (21-8-1) has fought along side the best for a majority of his career. Most notably known for defeating BJ Penn at UFC 35 in a matchup that BJ was expected to win, Pulver went on to fight internationally against many of the best fighters in the world, although not having a whole lot of success. He was beaten by Hayato Sakurai and Takanori Gomi while fighting in PRIDE's Bushido series, and fell on hard times recently by losing to Joe Lauzon and BJ Penn in the UFC. Now, Jens will try his hand at a weight that he should have been fighting at his entire career. The featherweight in the division and around the world has recently garnered more interest and more fighters and has now allowed Jens to move down and fight legitimate competition.

Swanson (11-1) will be no easy fight for Jens Pulver. His most impressive battle as of recent was against Micah Miller at WEC 28. He showed a well-rounded skillset, great striking, some good ground tactics that enabled him to escape Miller on the ground and outlast him. He did a lot of damage once escaping holds and eventually tired Miller. Will we see this type of fight? Considering the fact that Pulver seems uninterested in heading to the mat, I would imagine a good standup war. Swanson does have a good ground game though. He has some nice takedown technique, and it could become a big problem for Pulver.

Leland's Prediction: Jens Pulver via second round TKO

Nearly everyone is picking Swanson, and I like Jens in this fight for the simple reason that he has dynamite in his hands. Swanson looks to be an easy pick, but Jens looks ultra motivated for this war. I think having 2 recent losses and coming down to his natural fighting weight will help tremendously. Look for Jens to feel out Swanson, and then attack in the second.

John's Prediction: Jens Pulver via first round KO

Coming off of two losses, one to a legend and a very devastating upset loss to Joe Lauzon, Pulver needs this win. Swanson is no cupcake, but he's never fought Pulver. All the pressure rests on Jens' shoulders, and the former champ will show he still has the hands that earned him the UFC belt.

Joe's Prediction: Jens Pulver via second round TKO

This fight is going to come down to Jens’ takedown defense. If he flops around and looks like he did against Joe Lauzon, this will be a very short night for him. However, I think Jens is truly motivated and is ready to make an impact in the 145lb weight class. He has excellent boxing and great power. I think Cub will try to stand and trade for him until he feels Jens’ power, but by then, it might be too late. Look for Jens to wear Cub down and finish him with strikes in the second round.
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Quick Hits

Brian Bowles (3-0) vs. Marcos Galvao (6-1)

Leland's Prediction: Galvao by unanimous decision

All of his fights have went the distance, showing some great cardio. He has a solid ju-jitsu background and has experience fighting some decent battles in Shooto as well. Bowles is a very green fighter, only having one fight in the WEC and two others against low-level competition that didn't present a challenge. I think Galvao will be a challenge and his ju-jitsu alone may be too much for Bowles.

John's Prediction: Galvao by unanimous decision

The Shooto veteran will make a succesful WEC debut.  Look for good jits from Galvao.

Joe's Prediction: Galvao by unanimous decision

Marcos Galvao is a Shooto veteran and possesses some good ground skills. Bowles is a green fighter, and hasn’t faced good competition so far. Galvao should win this fight on the judge’s scorecard.
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Bryan Baker (5-0) vs. Eric Shambari (7-0)

Leland's Prediction: Shambari via unanimous decision

I haven't been terribly impressed with either fighter. Baker was in trouble against Jesse Forbes and managed to reverse his luck and defeat Forbes. Schambari, on the other hand, hasn't been decisive in the WEC as far as finishing opponents goes. He has, however, continued to win against greener competition. I think both will bang, but get tired toward the middle of the fight. I think Eric can do enough early to win this one by decision.

John's Prediction: Shambari via decision

Past two opponents Art Santore and Logan Clark are solid, while giant Baker will be tested.

Joe's Prediction: Baker by second round TKO

The only fight I’ve seen of Baker was his fight with Jesse Forbes. He was getting outclassed for the most part, but managed to come from behind to pull off the victory. I think he’ll do the same against Shambari. 
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John Alessio (20-10) vs. Todd Moore (9-0)

Leland's Prediction: Alessio via first round submission

Alessio has a plethora of experience, but is susceptible to the submission himself. Most of his losses are against top competition, competition that Todd Moore hasn't seen before. I believe Alessio will be too much for him and will be a much tougher opponent than Moore's past opponents. This should be a win for Alessio.

John's Prediction: Alessio via first round submission

Alessio could be a star in the WEC on the way back after a loss to Condit. This is top level fighter, WEC will finally give the mainstream opportunity the seasoned vet has earned.  Moore is undefeated, but large increase in opponent quality here.

Joe's Prediction: Alessio via first round submission

Alessio is a well rounded fighter. He has some decent strikes, and an underrated ground game. He’s had some notable fights, particularly against Diego Sanchez and Carlos Condit. This fight should showcase some more of Alessio’s skills. Moore is undefeated, but he has yet to face any real competition. Alessio is too big of a step up for him at this point in his career. 
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Alex Karalexis (9-2) vs. Ed Ratcliff (5-0)

Leland's Prediction: Ratcliff by second round TKO

Ratcliff has a karate/grappling background as well as some decent striking ability. From what I've seen, his style is very quick and explosive, allowing him to move in for the kill and move away from the counters. I'm going to take the upset pick here.

John's Prediction: Karalexis by first round KO

This fight will have some fireworks! Alex has some real nice hands, and he's a way better fighter from the TUF series than he's given credit for.

Joe's Prediction: Karalexis by unanimous decision

Karalexis has some pretty good power, but tends to rely on his overhand right too much. He has a pretty good wrestling game and I think that’s where the difference in this fight will be. Look for Karalexis to start off striking, but he’ll eventually take the fight to the mat. I don’t think Ratcliff will have the takedown defense needed to stay off his back. Karalexis won’t finish, but it will be a dominating performance.
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Ian McCall (6-0) vs. Charlie Valencia (8-3)

Leland's Prediction: Valencia via second round TKO

Valencia actually has some power when he isn't being pummeled by some of the best in the WEC. I look for him to stop McCall's streak here.

John's Prediction: Valencia via decision

Valencia has fought two stars on this card, Faber and Swanson. Tough guy, I like him here.

Joe's Prediction: Valencia via second round TKO

I like Charlie Valencia in this fight. He has faced top flight competition, and lost, but he always brings it in each of his fights. Look for Valencia to finish this fight with strikes late in the first round or early in the second. 



WEC 30 Recap: McCullough blows Crunkilton away, Beebe outlasts Yahya

by LR 9/5/2007 5:21:00 PM

The main card wasn’t all that unbelievable, but it did have some standout fights on it.

Crunkilton came out with a good combo and head kick to start it out, but McCullough countered with a barrage. McCullough landed a huge right that knocked Crunkilton down and then the onslaught continued. Crunkilton would scramble to his feet only to get rocked again and again. Mir was flabergasted at the fact Crunkilton was trying to stand with McCullough and literally was saying “What the hell is he doing?”. McCullough easily overpowered Crunkilton with his standup.

Chase Beebe vs. Rani Yahya delivered. Rani Yahya came out, and tangled with Beebe from the get go. A small exchange and Yahya shot the legs and got Beebe to the ground. As Beebe was trying to transition on top of Yahya, Rani grabbed Beebe’s leg as he tried to scramble to his feet and sunk in a great kneebar. Beebe was visibly in tremendous pain, but was able to slip out of it. Yahya continued to try submissions throughout the first round, mainly armbars, but failed to do so, but won the round. For the next four rounds, Beebe put on a wrestling clinic is stuffing Yahya’s ju-jitsu. Beebe was able to get Yahya’s back and sink hooks in for 3 out of the 4 remaining rounds and basically nibble away at Yahya with small jabs and choke attempts. Yahya became gassed in the 3rd, and barely hung on by the 5th round.

Stann vs. Billington was somewhat of a joke. Everyone expected Stann to come out and dominate, and that’s exactly what happened. He tagged Billington early and was able to just punch him down to the ground and win easily with some ground and pound. Stann’s size over Billington was incredible, and the reach advantage was just too much from the get go. It was clear Billington’s standup was much too slow, and allowed Stann to basically pick a spot and hit it.

Miguel Torres vs. Jeff Bedard went much as it was expected. Sherdog actually has Miguel Torres ranked thanks to Jordan Breen’s great knowledge of the low weight classes, and it was rumored Shooto was trying to obtain him. He came to the WEC, and dominated a ground and pound wrestler in Jeff Bedard. Bedard took Torres down early and Torres worked off his back, sinking in a triangle choke from the bottom easily.

Bryan Baker vs. Jesse Forbes wasn’t a bad fight. A lot of people did not know who Baker was, but he proved it tonight. Forbes came out with a straight punch that rocked Baker. Forbes went in for the kill, but Baker was able to fend off the attack and eventually outlast the assault. Baker was able to throw some big punches and land a few. The biggest advantage for Baker was his wrestling. He was able to dominate Forbes on the ground, and eventually sunk the hook in and flatten Forbes on his stomach, mounted on his back. He rained down a load of punches and the fight was over. Good win for Baker, keep an eye out.

Blas Avena vs. Joe Benoit, Benoit had Clay Guida in his corner and it immediately had me thinking this may last a while if it comes down to cardio, but Blas came out much like he did against Tiki, with pure adrenaline. Blas immediately grabbed Benoit’s head and sunk in a guillotine choke that ended the fight 29 seconds in.

Overall, not a bad fight card, but not unbelievably spectacular. Mir’s commentating wasn’t half bad, but in some of the fights, the action was happening so quickly, he couldn’t keep up, notably the Baker vs. Forbes fight. Mir’s sidekick was pretty horrible, saying some of the chokes were sunk in deep when they weren’t even in, but overall, his play by play wasn’t bad. That’s what Mir is there for, color commentary.

They announced the new WEC/Versus deal during a break as said above and had a good interview with Urijah Faber, Faber did mention he had heard Curran say he was going to knock him out, and Faber replied by stating that he didn’t think Curran had knocked anyone out… ever.



WEC 30 Analysis: Remaining fights revealed, Pulver out of due to knee injury

by LR 8/21/2007 7:05:00 AM

It's been a horrendous month for the Miletich family. Staph infection has pretty much ripped through the gym, and Jens Pulver ended up getting it. But.. he didn't secede to it, he just ended up rolling his knee during training and is now out for the WEC 30 main card. The WEC revealed some of the NEW main card fights along with some of the undercard fights for the evening. I'm hoping we can see a few undercard fights as well since some of them are intriguing. The remainder of the card looks like this:

John Alessio (19-10) vs. Marcelo Brito (6-1)
Ian McCall (4-0) vs. Coty Wheeler (6-0)
Bryan Baker (4-0) vs. Jesse Forbes (4-1)
Donald Cerrone (7-0) vs. Sergio Gomez (6-1)
Blas Avena (1-1) vs. Kevin Knabjan (7-3-1)

Some very interesting fights on this card. I won't go too in-depth with these fights as they don't mean a whole lot as far as contendership goes right now. Some of the names are definitely familiar, but some won't be. Blas Avena came off a big win over Tiki Ghosn at WEC 29, and he's right back in there for WEC 30, interesting fight. Sergio Gomez was featured on TapouT! for an episode airing on Versus in which they followed his pre-fight and post-fight against Marcus Hicks. Jesse Forbes fought Matt Hamill in his only loss at the TUF Finale 3. That's just a few facts for anyone not recognizing some of these names.

Breakdown of WEC 30
Stann has been training with Dan Henderson and Randy Couture from time to time. I've read that he is shifting to Xtreme Couture to train. That's a promising sign for Brian Stann. He owns a 4-0 record, all wins by TKO. If he's in training with great wrestlers such as Henderson and Couture, look for a ground and pound clinic. He also has fairly good standup. Jeremiah is a straight boxing and grappling fighter. He has about half his wins via submission and half via KO/TKO. He is the Revolition Cage Fighting Champion, and is considered a force on the ground. If he can outmaneuver Stann, he may be able to pull off a chokeout. I'm going to have to take Stann in this fight however. He has superior training, and I look to see a lot of improvement from him in this fight.

John Alessio (19-10) vs. Marcelo Brito (6-1)
Alessio is well known for his bout with Carlos Condit back at WEC: Condit vs Alessio. He's known for some good ju-jitsu skills along with some straight knockout power to boot. He's coming off a win over Alex Serdyukov at WEC 28, and has fought a few bouts in the UFC, namely against Thiago Alves, Diego Sanchez, and Pat Miletich. He has also fought UFC fighters Jonathan Goulet and Jason Black, all fights resulting in a loss. He's going to be going against another ju-jitsu fighter out of Brazil in Marcelo Brito. I haven't really seen much out of this guy other than his hero is listed as Homer Simpson, come on, that itself deserves a win. I will say this, Marcelo has one video out on Youtube, of his camp in Brazil. It's a rundown shithole. And there is one thing about guys training out of rundown shitholes, they have nothing to lose. Look for this to be possibly an upset fight. Alessio is susceptible to submissions, but Brito uses a lot of Muay Thai. It may not be good for Brito to stand with Alessio's knockout power. I'm going to say Alessio has this one, but look for a possible upset.

Ian McCall (4-0) vs. Coty Wheeler (6-0)
A fight that looks to be pretty damn unintriguing. McCall is a ju-jitsu fighter, at least from the looks of his camp, Next Generation. It looks like McCall has some power, whereas Wheeler is strictly a submission fighter and by the look of his photo, one weak standup fighter. Wheeler trains out of Carlos Condit's camp, but Condit's camp really lacks any unbelievable talent, except for Carlos. My gut says McCall's power is going to take Wheeler, but I really have no idea on this fight. Wheeler seems to have the submission skills, but he has fought pretty much only guys who were fighting their first fight. McCall has at least fought some veterans fighters. McCall by TKO/KO.

Bryan Baker (4-0) vs. Jesse Forbes (4-1)
Forbes is barely more popular than Bryan Baker, and that's only because he got killed by Matt Hamill at TUF Finale 3. Forbes hasn't fought anybody worth a damn since. Forbes seems to be the wrestler and Baker is a striking fighter with some type of wrestling ability. Forbes looks to definitely have better ground skills. Forbes by ground and pound or choke.

Donald Cerrone (7-0) vs. Sergio Gomez (6-1)
You may love Gomez from watching Tapout! on Versus, but Cerrone is a ju-jitsu wrecker. He's won all of his fight via submission, and Gomez basically had the Hicks fight on lockdown until he was caught in a submission. I think Cerrone will take this one in the same manner.

Blas Avena (1-1) vs. Kevin Knabjan (7-3-1)
This one, I'm undecided. Kevin Knabjan is out of Hellhouse, Clay Guida's training camp, and if he's out of there, he has unbelievable cardio. But Blas came out with a vengeance against Tiki, and Kevin has one fight on his record that is almost similar. He was straight beatdown in about 30 seconds by Brock Larson, so I'm wondering if Blas can overwhelm him out the gate. I'm going to take Knabjan, just because I want to see some Guida love rolling into UFC 74.

That sums up my final breakdown of the WEC 30 card. These analysises are short and sweet, and not very in-depth, but most of these guys are out to prove they can fight and deserve the shots at titles and a UFC contract later on. I think once we see these guys get more fights in, we'll have a better feel as to how these guys will perform later.



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