WEC 41 Results & Review: WEC 41 - Brown vs Faber 2
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WEC 41 took place Sunday night June 7th from Arco Arena in Sacramento, California. The home of the Sacramento Kings was electric especially when former WEC featherweight champion and Sacramento’s own Urijah Faber walked to the cage. Unfortunately for Faber he wasn’t able to give his hometown fans a victory, losing on all three judges’ scorecards by wide margins to Mike Thomas Brown for the second time.
Other main card fights included an emotional Jens Pulver possibly saying good-bye to MMA fans after losing seconds into his 145-pound fight with up-start Josh Grispi. Jose Aldo secured one of the fastest KO’s in history courtesy of a flying knee to the head of Cub Swanson only eight seconds into the fight. Donald Cerrone finished a debuting James Krause with a 1st round rear naked choke to solidify his position as the number one contender for the lightweight title belt.
Here is a look at some details on the main card bouts:
Jens Pulver vs. Josh Grispi (145 lbs)
Josh “The Fluke” Grispi proved that he belongs on the main card fighting top level featherweights with his crushing defeat of MMA legend – Jens “Little Evil” Pulver.
The fight began with both fighters connecting with low leg kicks. Pulver immediately shot for a takedown and succeeded but also left his head for the taking. Grispi did just that, grabbing “Little Evil’s” head and sinking in the guillotine choke. Pulver tried to pull free but was unable to and instead was forced to tap-out.
Grispi (13-1) has now won nine fights in a row, including three consecutive fights for the WEC. He vaults towards the top of a stacked featherweight division but will probably have to win one or two more fights before a title shot is a reality. Jens Pulver (22-12-1) drops his fourth straight fight and falls to 1-4 since leaving the UFC for the WEC. And while an emotionally drained Pulver directly hinted towards retirement he didn’t fully commit that he has fought his last fight just yet.
Donald Cerrone vs. James Krause (155 lbs)
Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone rebounded from his first career loss against lightweight champion Jaime Varner in January to submit previously unbeaten James Krause in his debut with the WEC.
The 1st round started with Cerrone throwing some token leg kicks. The leg kicks were ineffective and pushed aside by Krause who secured a takedown that was set up by punches. When the fight hit the ground Cerrone almost finished Krause with two separate submission attempts. Krause managed to survive the first two submission scares and return to his feet in the center of the cage.
When the action resumed back on their feet Krause took a hard knee followed by a straight right hand. Krause was floored and Cerrone took his back and started to pepper him with short punches to the head. Krause was forced to defend the punches which flattened his body out giving Cerrone room to secure the fight-ending rear naked choke.
Cerrone (10-1, 1 NC) makes a good case for a rematch with lightweight champion Jaime Varner after the dismantling of Krause. His WEC record now stands at 3-1, 1NC in almost two years with the promotion. Krause (10-1) suffers his first career defeat in his WEC debut. He will likely get another chance to prove his worth on a card later in the year.
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Jose Aldo vs. Cub Swanson (145 lb)
Cub Swanson was expected to try and take the fight to the ground where he held the advantage compared to Aldo’s advantage in the striking department. Swanson never had the opportunity to take it to the ground as he was knocked out in less than 10 seconds by Jose Aldo.
Swanson and Aldo inched towards each other as the 1st round bell sounded. When Aldo jumped with his left knee Swanson leaned inwards and got caught solidly in the head. When Swanson hit the ground Aldo delivered three more punches before referee Steve Mazzagatti could intervene.
Aldo (15-1) unofficially becomes the number one contender for the featherweight title. He certainly makes his point with his 8th consecutive win and 5th since joining the WEC almost a full year ago. He has won via technical knockout or knockout in all five of his WEC bouts. Cub Swanson (13-3) has his two fight win streak stopped by Aldo. He will again have to put together two to three wins before being considered for another title shot. He is now 3-2 in his WEC career.
Urijah Faber vs. Mike Thomas Brown (145 lb – FW Title Bout)
In what was probably the WEC’s most highly-anticipated fight in its history, Mike Brown defended his WEC featherweight title belt for the second time since taking it from Urijah Faber in November 2008.
The 1st round was full of action beginning with a submission attempt by “The California Kid.” The front choke was not dangerous and Brown quickly escaped then delivered a combination of knees and punches. Faber countered the combo with a right hand. Brown took the hard right and dropped Faber with a right of his own. He then took dominant position then side control until Faber made it back to his feet to end the 1st.
The 2nd round started with Brown landing a hard right hand followed by a double-leg takedown. Faber managed to get back to his feet where Brown delivered a series of overhand right hands. Faber caught Brown in a loose guillotine which he was able to easily escape. Faber countered with a solid left hand and knee combination. Brown secured another takedown but finished the round with some heavy shots back on their feet.
Between rounds it was discovered that Faber had injured his right hand in an earlier round making it hard to fight effectively. The 3rd round started with a couple nice right hands that forced the fight to the ground. While on the ground, Brown peppered Faber with some solid head shots. Faber managed to get back to his feet but now backpedaling away from Brown. The third round ended with some more solid striking by Brown mixed in with some kicks and elbows from a handicapped Faber.
The 4th round was uneventful as Faber used exclusively his left hand when striking. Brown countered his right hand with a head-body combination that hurt Faber. The two traded punches from the clinch then traded elbows and knees. The 4th round ended with a solid knee, capping an overall solid round for a one-handed Faber.
The 5th and final round saw both fighters in the clinch taking turns landing knees. A nice leg kick by Faber forced Brown to take the fight to the ground where he tried to keep it for awhile. The fight eventually managed to get back to the feet where Brown slammed Faber back to the ground and took his back. Again the fight got back to the standing position where Brown delivered a knee to Faber. Faber almost choked out Brown late in the round with a front choke but lost control when Brown got back to his feet. Another dominant round was capped with a takedown by Brown to finish the fight.
Brown (22-4) won the fight on all three judges’ scorecards 49-46, 49-46, 48-47. He has now won ten fights in a row while defending the featherweight title two times. His WEC record stands at 4-0. He will likely face Jose Aldo in a title match sometime later in the year. Faber (22-3) has now lost two fights to Mike Brown, both in the last seven months. At 7-2 in the WEC, he will stay at the top of the division and wait for a third chance to defeat Brown.
By Nick Russell
ProFighting-fans.com Staff Writer
WEC 41 Main Fights:
- Mike Brown (c) defeats Urijah Faber by Unanimous Decision (49-46, 49-46, 48-47) - WEC Featherweight Championship Bout
- Jose Aldo defeats Cub Swanson by TKO (Flying Knee) - Round 1 @ 0:08
- Donald Cerrone defeats James Krause via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) - Round 1 @ 4:38
- Josh Grispi defeats Jens Pulver via Submission (Guillotine Choke) - Round 1 @ 0:33
Other WEC 41 Fights:
- Manny Gamburyan defeats John Franchi by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Rafael Rebello defeats Kyle Dietz via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) - Round 1 @ 2:55
- Anthony Pettis defeats Mike Campbell Submission (Triangle Choke) - Round 1 @ 1:49
- Antonio Banuelos defeats Scott Jorgensen by Split Decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Frank Gomez defeats Noah Thomas via Submission (Side Choke) - Round 2 @ 3:12
- Seth Dikun defeats Rolando Perez via Submission (Triangle Choke) - Round 1 @ 2:30