WEC Status Report, May 2010
Ironically, with the biggest event and first pay-per-view of its nine year history a seeming success (WEC 48 PPV numbers have not yet been released), the WEC could see itself disbanded by this time next year. Folding the WEC into the UFC would be nothing less than an indicator of its success. Moreover, the promotion sent its light heavyweights and middleweights packing to the UFC in 2008, and welterweights made the switch in 2009. Lightweights still exist in both organizations.
A flyweight division (125 pounds) was announced in 2009, although no signings or match-ups have been scheduled nearly a year later. By all accounts, the division is on hold.
Other than MMA pundits, no one is talking about a merger. Whatever one’s opinon, it doesn’t really matter. Every fight fan knows that the WEC rules. Even questionable decisions (Chan Sung Jung lost to Leonard Garcia in a split decision) did not mar a jaw-dropping slugfest. In 2009, three of the best fights of the year (in this writer's opinion) were Urijah Faber versus Mike Brown II (WEC 41), Miguel Torres versus Takeya Mizugaki (WEC 40) and Donald Cerrone versus Ben Henderson (WEC 43). The WEC 48 PPV showcased what the WEC is all about: awesome fights, phenomenal events.
Five future events have been scheduled for this year to be aired free on Versus, including the WEC’s first event in Canada and only the third Canadian city to ever hold a major MMA event: Edmonton, Alberta. Rexall Place, home of the Edmonton Oilers, will host WEC 49: Varner vs. Shalorus on June 20, 1010, hot on the heels of UFC 115: Liddell versus Franklin, Zuffa’s first foray into Vancouver, B.C. (home of the 2010 Olympics), scheduled for June 12th. Dana White for Governor General, anyone?
Plus, there are five more live events to look forward to watching for free on Versus this year, so with that in mind, and considering the huge ramifications of the last PPV, it behoves us to take stock of the current stable of WEC champions and contenders.
WEC Lightweight Division
Champion: Ben Henderson. In the co-headliner for the WEC’s first PPV, Henderson defended his belt with aplomb, submitting Donald Cerrone in less than two minutes. It was a rematch of their epic five round WEC 48 interim title bout, which Henderson won via decision. In the meantime, Henderson defeated Jamie Varner to get the real WEC lightweight belt at WEC 46 with the same submission he used to defeat Cerrone a second time: a guillotine choke (note: half of Ben Henderson’s 12 victories have come via rear naked or guillotine choke). Simply put, Ben Henderson has dominated the best that the WEC lightweight division has put in front of him so far.
Main Contenders: The WEC lightweight division may not be exactly thriving due to its existence in the shadow of the UFC lightweight division. It seems tough for anyone in the division to get on a roll to challenge for the belt. Nonetheless, there are a few fighters who we might see vie for the strap in the next year or so: Kamal Shalorus, Jamie Varner, Anthony Pettis, Shane Roller, and perhaps Bart Palaszewski. Shane Roller and Anthony Pettis both won at WEC 48; Pettis with a huge KO of Danny Castillo. Jamie Varner, of course, just lost the belt to Henderson. Shalorus would easily be the favorite to challenge for the belt if he beats Varner at WEC 49. Shalorus owns a perfect record as an MMA fighter. Palaszewski lost a close decision to Pettis at WEC 45, but he rebounded with a submission win over the Iranian-born fighter Karen Darebedyan, a good lightweight in his own right with one prior win in the WEC. Obviously, the winner of Varner/Shalorus will fight Henderson next.
Dark Horse: Shane Roller. Roller’s clearly decisive victory over Anthony Njokuani, a fearsome and up-and-coming striker, cements him as the one to watch for in a run at the title. He lost to Henderson at WEC 40, but that might have been the fuel he needed to really improve his game. If Roller switches to a top-tier camp we might see him headline a card by the fall. He’ll probably face the loser of Varner/Shalorus.
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WEC Featherweight Division
Champion: Jose Aldo. Aldo has no doubt been enjoying the comparisons to other top pound-for-pound fighters like Anderson Silva, Georges St. Pierre, B.J. Penn or Fedor Emelianenko. Aldo can sleep easy now that he has effortlessly dispatched the three best fighters the WEC has to offer at 145 pounds. He TKO’d Mike Brown and dominated Urijah Faber, who reigned supreme in five consecutive title defenses at featherweight from WEC 25 to WEC 36.
Contenders: Other than Manvel Gamburyan, the list of featherweight contenders/up-and-comers pretty much consists of fighters who have lost to Jose Aldo or defeated Jens Pulver. Mike Brown was dispatched by Gamburyan in simplistic fashion at WEC 48, putting his dominant stretch as champ into cold storage, despite consecutive wins over Urijah Faber. Gamburyan is clearly the next challenger, with wins over Brown and Leonard Garcia. Urijah Faber and Cub Swanson, to a lesser degree than Pulver, have both been Pulverised within the division – expect to see them both drop to Bantamweight.
LC Davis and Josh Grispi are set to battle at WEC 49, both 3-0 in the WEC. Davis has defeated Nunes (and neither have fought Pulver nor Aldo) while Grispi has notched a victory over Pulver. Should be an interesting fight, since Davis has a habit of decisioning opponents, while Grispi is a strong finisher. The winner should fight the victor of the fight below to decide the next challenger, after Gamburyan, of course:
Raphael Assuncao (only has a single loss to Faber in the WEC) and Diego Nunes (who lost one fight in the WEC to LC Davis) are pitted against each other, also at WEC 49.
Dark Horse: the dark horses in this division aren’t in it! Michihiro Omigawa, Bibiano Fernandes, Takeshi Inoue, Norifumu “Kid” Yamamoto, Hiroyuki Takaya, Joe Soto...the list goes on. A lot of top-tier 145-pounders (in Japan, this division is 65 kg, or 143 lbs) fight outside the US or for the nascent American Bellator promotion. Ten years ago, a lot of top-tier fighters in the larger divisions also fought outside the US. It’s pretty safe to say the reason is money. So, let’s pay these guys what it takes to get them over here, please. And make sure they know about cutting weight: if you walk around at 145-150 pounds, you’d better be fighting at bantamweight. Chan Sung Jung, the Korean who lost to Leonard Garcia at WEC 48, is an excellent representation of the calibre of fighter that exists outside the WEC, and even he isn’t the pick of the litter.
OK, within the WEC, the dark horses are tied: Chad Mendes and Mark Hominick. Mendes trains with Team Alpha Male (Urijah Faber’s camp) and looked incredible in his Round 1 armbar submission over Anthony Morrison at WEC 48. Mark Hominick has suffered a loss to Josh Grispi (WEC 32), but that was two years ago – if he can stay injury free, his well-rounded and dangerous game will be the catalyst for a quick climb up the featherweight ladder.
WEC Bantamweight Division
Champion: the current champion is Dominick Cruz. Belts in the WEC over the last two years have changed hands faster than falling currency. That isn’t to detract from any of the champions or former champs; it’s just been a wild ride. Cruz seized the belt from Brian Bowles at WEC 47, in a stylistic tour de force where he used speed, movement and a machine gun-esque striking intensity to force a stoppage. Bowles, 8-1, defeated Torres at WEC 42 by KO. Torres, once supremely dominant in the WEC bantamweight division (37-3), has lost two straight fights.
Contenders: Contendorship at bantamweight is stacked. Joseph Benavidez, Miguel Torres, Antonio Banuelos, Scott Jorgensen, Charlie Valencia, and Eddie Wineland are all potential title-holders. Joseph Benavidez lost to Dominick Cruz at WEC 42, but has since finished both Rani Yahya and Miguel Torres. Banuelos lost a rematch to Scott Jorgensen at WEC 48 but is a gritty veteran. Valencia (5-3 in the WEC, with three straight victories) and Wineland (2-1 in the WEC with two straight wins) are arguably the closest to contention after Benavidez and possibly Torres, and they are the most crucial bantamweight bout signed for the distant future (they fight at WEC 49). Expect to see Jorgensen versus Torres in the near future, and the winner of Valencia versus Wineland to confront the winner of the latter bout to fight either Jorgensen or Torres. Benavidez appears to be the legit contender for now.
Dark Horse: Scott Jorgensen or Miguel Torres. Torres is one of the best bantamweights of all time, and two straight losses for him are not the death knell that they are for most MMA fighters. Expect Torres to come back with a vengeance. Scott Jorgensen is on a four fight win streak. Granted, calling these two guys dark horses is a bit of a stretch, but there is so much quality depth in the division there’s not a lot to choose from.
By Roy Kok
ProFighting-fans.com MMA Staff Writer