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WEC 47 Predictions: WEC 47 Fight Previews & Predictions

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Pro Fighting Fans is the home of WEC fans across the world and we now bring you the best place to find the latest WEC preview. WEC 47 is fast approaching and you can find the WEC 47 fight card and preview below.

The next event for WEC will be WEC 47 on March 6, 2010 in Columbus, Ohio. The card features a bantamweight title fight between champion Brian Bowles and the challenger Dominick Cruz as well as the first fight for fomer 135 pound champion Miguel Angel Torres as he faces Joseph Benavidez. You can also view our review of the WEC 46 results which featured a Ben Henderson taking the WEC Lightweight Championship belt from Jamie Varner. Fans can now buy WEC tickets online through Pro Fighting Fans to all of these exciting WEC events.



Preliminary WEC 47 Fights:

 

Ricardo Lamas vs. Bendy Casimir

Three-fight WEC veteran Ricardo “The Bully” Lamas (7-1) is set to welcome Frenchman Bendy Casimir into the organization as part of WEC 47’s preliminary card action. Both lightweights were victorious in their most recent fights. Lamas defeated James Krause at WEC 44 in November while Casimir earned a decision win in Russia at a Pro FC event almost one year ago.

Lamas, 27, a Chicago native who works out with the Top Notch team, carried a perfect 6-0 record with him into the WEC when he debuted in early 2009. “The Bully” surprised many with his unanimous decision victory over Bart Palaszewski at WEC 39 but was knocked out for his first career loss at WEC 42 in August when he fought Danny Castillo. Three months after his first loss, Lamas redeemed himself with his unanimous decision over Krause.

Casimir, 29, fights out of the Paris-based Haute Tension fight team. He made his professional debut in May 2001 and fought consistently over the next eight years for Shooto, Cage Wars, M-1 Global, and other international promotions. He makes his debut with victories in three consecutive bouts and is victorious in fifteen of his last seventeen fights all together. His most recent action took place almost one year ago with a decision victory in the Russian Pro FC organization against Maratbek Kalabekov.

Prediction – Lamas over Casimir via decision

 

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Fredson Paixao vs. Courtney Buck

Courtney Buck (6-2) is back in action less than two months after his WEC debut, this time replacing an injured Bryan Caraway, who was the original opponent for Brazilian Fredson Paixao (8-3, 1 NC). Paixao vs. Buck will be featured on the WEC 47 preliminary card and contested in the featherweight division. Both fighters are 0-1 in their respective WEC careers.

Paixao, 30, is a Gracie Barra Combat Team fighter who debuted as a professional in May of 2004. He fought some tough competition in Jungle Fight, Pancrase, DEEP, and GFC for three solid years before joining forces with the WEC. At WEC 40 last April, Paixao lost a unanimous decision against Wagnney Fabiano and then was handed his second loss at WEC 42 in August by Cole Province; however Province had traces of a banned substance in his system forcing the commission to change the decision to a no contest.

Buck, 27, is a Minnesota-born fighter who trains in his native state at the Minnesota Top Team. The lanky featherweight (5’ 10”, 145 lbs.) debuted less than two years ago, and prior to his WEC career, he fought in three different mid-level promotions out of Minnesota and won six of seven bouts. He debuted in the WEC in December at WEC 45; however fell victim to Brandon Visher’s punches eventually losing via 1st round TKO. Less than three months later, this time as a replacement, he will have to have a solid showing to stay in the organization.

Prediction – Paixao over Buck via submission

 

 

Danny Castillo vs. Anthony Pettis

Lightweights Danny Castillo (8-2) and Anthony “Showtime” Pettis (7-1) are both back in action on the WEC 47 preliminary card, each coming off of a loss in their most recent bouts. Castillo lost in November at WEC 44 against Shane Roller, and “Showtime” came out on the wrong end of a split decision against Bart Palaszewski at WEC 45 in December.

Castillo, 30, works out at Team Alpha Male in Sacramento, California with teammates such as Urijah Faber and Justin Buchholz. Prior to his WEC career, he won all five of his minor league fights. He had a tough task in his June 2008 WEC 34 debut facing Donald Cerrone. Cerrone easily submitted Castillo; however he bounced back in grand fashion by winning three consecutive. Wins over Rafael Dias, Phil Cardella, and Ricardo Lamas were followed with a loss against Roller at November’s WEC 44.

Pettis, 23, is a Milwaukee-born prospect that is labeled with a big upside to his already blossoming career. Pettis owned a perfect 6-0 record while fighting exclusively in the Gladiators Fighting Series in Wisconsin from December 2007 through December 2008. He won in his WEC 41 debut in July 2009 by submitting Mike Campbell via triangle choke. His progression was temporarily halted at WEC 45 in December after losing to Bart Palaszewski by a slim split decision.

Prediction – Pettis over Castillo via TKO

 

 

Erik Koch vs. Chad Mendes

WEC newcomer Chad Mendes (5-0) will get fellow undefeated featherweight Erik Koch (9-0) in an exciting preliminary card bout at WEC 47. This will be Mendes’ first attempt to pick up a WEC victory, Koch won in his WEC 45 debut in December by upsetting Jameel Massouh.

Mendes, 24, is a former All-American wrestler from Cal-Poly, but now practices his trade with Urijah Faber’s Team Alpha Male in his native California. Mendes became a professional in September 2008 and immediately began to pile up victories in the Palace FC organization. He has picked up five victories for the California-based promotion, the latest in October.

Koch, 21, is an Iowa-based fighter who has been fighting professionally for about three years. After debuting in January 2007, he appeared in the Mainstream MMA, Xtreme Fighting Organization, and Midwest Cage Championships organizations up until his December WEC debut. His victory at WEC 45 was somewhat of a surprise, many believed Massouh to be the favorite.

Prediction – Mendes over Koch via submission

 

 

Scott Jorgensen vs. Chad George

This bantamweight bout featuring Scott Jorgensen (8-3) against Chad George (11-4) is set to take place on the WEC 47 preliminary card. Jorgensen, who lost two of his first four bouts in the WEC, has rebounded to win back-to-back fights and become relevant once again in the 135-pound division. George debuted in December at WEC 45 and earned a decision victory over John Hosman.

Jorgensen, 27, is a born and raised Idaho native who now works out training with Twisted Genetiks. He debuted in the summer of 2006 and won four out of his first five bouts. He debuted at WEC 32 in February 2008 but was a hard luck loser against Damacio Page. He would get his WEC career back on track with wins in four of his next five bouts including back-to-back victories in his last two. His most recent fight earned him Fight of the Night at WEC 45 with a unanimous decision victory over Takeya Mizugaki.

George, 27, is a PKG/Fight Science fighter who debuted as a professional nearly five years ago. He built a respectable 10-4 record which included five consecutive victories to earn his WEC roster spot. He appeared at WEC 45 this December earning a unanimous decision victory over John Hosman in that debut.

Prediction – Jorgensen over George via TKO



WEC 47 Main Bouts:

 

Bart Palaszewski vs. Karen Darabedyan

Both Bart Palaszewski (31-13) and Karen Darabedyan (9-1) will be looking for another victory inside the WEC cage when they meet in a WEC 47 main card bout. Poland-born Palaszewski looked impressive in his return to the organization at WEC 45 upsetting Anthony Pettis. Armenian-born Darabedyan was successful in his debut at WEC 44 coming out on top of a split decision with Razor Rob McCullough.

Palaszewski, 26, is an eight year professional who now fights and trains out of the Illinois-based Team Curran. He fought for a variety of promotions including Total Combat, Extreme Challenge, XFO, Superbrawl, and ZST, but really earned his fight stripes when he appeared in twelve straight bouts for the IFL. His first stint in the WEC came shortly after his IFL career ended, however, after losing two of three, he was forced to win a fight outside of the WEC to earn his way back in. He did just that, and it paid off in the form of his upset victory against Pettis.

Darabedyan, 23, is a three year veteran of several mid-level organizations such as Call to Arms and Shark Fights. He was able to come out on top in eight of the nine fights to earn a lightweight bout at the WEC 44 event in November. He defeated Rob McCullough via split decision in his debut helping him gain a lot of respect within the organization.

Prediction – Darabedyan over Palaszewski via decision



Deividas Taurosevicius vs. L.C. Davis

IFL veterans Deividas Taurosevicius (12-3) and L.C. Davis (15-2) go at it in an important WEC 47 main card battle that may hold title implications in the very near future. Both Taurosevicius and Davis are perfect after two WEC fights and with a victory at WEC 47; both could be knocking on the door for a title shot very soon.

Taurosevicius, 32, is a seven year professional with experience in a variety of mid-level organizations. He cut his teeth on the major league circuit after fighting four times for the IFL from April 2007 through May 2008. After sitting out well over a year, the Lithuania native signed with the WEC and debuted at WEC 43 against Javier Vasquez. He defeated Vasquez via split decision and then earned a unanimous decision victory at WEC 46 over Mackens Semerzier in October.

Davis, 29, debuted over four years ago, however didn’t gain much recognition until his four-fight stint in the IFL during the 2007-2008 seasons. After that, he fought in Adrenaline, Affliction, and Sengoku events before landing with the WEC in the summer of 2009. He took a close split decision victory in a fight with Javier Vazquez at WEC 42 and then defeated Diego Nunes via unanimous decision at WEC 44 in November. In addition to his WEC conquests, he holds career victories against Conor Heun, Rafael Dias, and Bao Quach.

Prediction – Davis over Taurosevicius via decision

 

 

Jens Pulver vs. Javier Vazquez

Jens Pulver (22-12-1) continues to try and jump-start his MMA career back to relevance by taking on Cuban-American ground specialist, Javier Vazquez (13-4). The fight will be featured on WEC 47’s main card in the featherweight division. Pulver has dropped four consecutive bouts since his WEC 31 debut victory. Vazquez is also in desperate need of a victory, he has dropped back-to-back WEC bouts.

Pulver, 35, began his legendary career in 1999, that same year he debuted for the UFC at UFC 22. Two years later, he was fighting for the UFC title, which he gained at UFC 30. He would also go on to fight in Shooto and PRIDE shows as well as coach The Ultimate Fighter 5. He returned to fight only once in the UFC, a loss to BJ Penn at the TUF 5 finale, before joining the lighter weight classes in the WEC. He enjoyed a victory at WEC 31 over Cub Swanson, but then lost his next four fights against Urijah Faber, Leonard Garcia, Faber again, and Josh Grispi.

Vazquez, 32, is a twelve year veteran of the sport with experience in King of the Cage, Shooto, and Neutral Grounds promotions. He built a 10-2 record and then took nearly four years off from the sport. In 2007, he joined Elite XC winning his first two fights as well as an Ultimate Chaos bout in June of 2009. His three fight winning streak earned him a multi-fight contract to fight in the WEC. He has lost both of his WEC fights via split decisions, including his most recent fight at WEC 43 in October.

Prediction – Vazquez over Pulver via decision

 

> After the fights are complete, find the WEC 47 results & recap online at ProFighting-fans.com and look forward to the WEC 48 fight card & rumors for the first ever PPV World Extreme Cagefighting event!

 

Miguel Torres vs. Joseph Benavidez

Former WEC Bantamweight champ Miguel Torres (37-2) will take the first step in getting back his belt when he takes on up-and-coming Joseph Benavidez (11-1) in the WEC 47 co-main event. Torres was on quite a roll when he was upset by Brian Bowles in their WEC 42 championship bout. Benavidez rebounded from his first career loss in August to claim victory over Rani Yahya at WEC 45 this past December.

Torres, 29, has been competing as a professional for over a decade, winning twenty consecutive over a two-year period. After losing a bout in November 2003, he went on another streak winning 17 straight including five in the WEC. All but one of his WEC bouts was for a title. He defeated Jeff Bedard, Chase Beebe, Yoshiro Maeda, Manny Tapia, and Takeya Mizugaki while on his championship run. His fourth title defense didn’t go as planned; he was defeated via 1 st round KO at WEC 42 by Georgia-based Brian Bowles.

Benavidez, 25, fights and trains out of California-based Team Alpha Male with fellow WEC fighter Urijah Faber. He debuted in 2006 and was successful in seven fights before gaining notoriety in Japan with the DREAM promotion. At the July 2008 DREAM 5 event, he submitted Junya Kudo and then returned to America and the WEC. He joined the promotion in late-2008 defeating Danny Martinez and Jeff Curran before losing a decision to Dominick Cruz at WEC 42 in August 2009. His WEC 45 1 st round TKO victory over Yahya put him back in contention for a title opportunity.

Prediction – Torres over Benavidez via TKO



WEC 47 Main Event:

Brian Bowles vs. Dominick Cruz

WEC Bantamweight Champion, Brian Bowles (8-0), will defend his 135-pound belt for the very first time against rising prospect Dominick Cruz (14-1) at the WEC 47 main event. Bowles won the title with a devastating and surprising KO of Miguel Torres at the WEC 42 main event. Cruz was in action last in August 2009 at WEC 42 earning a Fight of the Night bonus with his victory over Joseph Benavidez.

Bowles, 29, is a Hardcore Gym fighter who is trained by UFC vet Rory Singer. He debuted as a professional in May of 2006 only needing three fights to prove his worth and earn a WEC contract. He defeated Charlie Valencia at WEC 28 in June 2007 in his debut. He continued his run through the WEC bantamweight division by defeating Marcus Galvao, Damacio Page, Will Ribeiro, and Torres. He was awarded submission of the night twice and KO of the night once for his efforts during his streak.

Cruz, 24, also known as “Dominator”, is a 5 foot 8 inch spark plug who trains out of Alliance MMA. He debuted in January 2005 winning nine in a row inside both the Total Combat and Rage in the Cage organizations. He lost his first fight, a WEC 26 featherweight title bout with Urijah Faber, before winning another fight outside the organization and returning at a lighter weight. Now as a bantamweight, Cruz has posted four consecutive WEC victories defeating Charlie Valencia, Ian McCall, Ivan Lopez, and Joseph Benavidez. He was rewarded with a performance bonus in his most recent fight with Benavidez (Fight of the Night).

Prediction – Bowles over Cruz via KO

 

 

By Nick Russell
ProFighting-fans.com Senior MMA Staff Writer

 

Past WEC Previews, Predictions & Recaps: