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WEC 42 Predictions: WEC 42 Preview & Predictions

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 42 is fast approaching and you can find the WEC 42 fight card and preview below.

The next event for WEC will be WEC 42 on August 9, 2009 which will feature the Bantamweight Championship fight between WEC Bantamweight Champion Miguel Angel Torres and top contender Brian Bowles. You can also view our review of the WEC 41 results which featured the WEC Featherweight Championship bout as Mike Brown defended his belt against former champ Urijah Faber in a 5-round Unanimous Decision. Fans can now buy WEC tickets online through Pro Fighting Fans to all of these exciting WEC events.

What - WEC 42: Torres vs. Bowles

When – Sunday, August 9, 2009 at 9 PM EST

Where- The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, NV

TV – Versus

Significance – WEC Bantamweight Championship Bout

In what should be a superb weekend of MMA action, WEC 42 takes place Sunday, August 9 directly following UFC 101. Although still not as well know as its elder cousin, the UFC, World Extreme Cagefighting is starting to cause the MMA community to take notice. Its last card, WEC 41: Brown vs. Faber 2, was its biggest event to date. WEC 42 is another great card that should only build on that momentum.

Bantamweight king Miguel Torres is set to defend his belt against #1 contender Brian Bowles. Torres has defended his belt three times and is widely regarded as one of the best fighters in the world, but the undefeated Bowles should prove to be one of his toughest tests yet.

Also on the card, Jeff Curan takes on Takeya Mizugaki, Joseph Benavidez fights Dominick Cruz and Richard Lamas faces Danny Castillo. Here’s a break down of each fight, as well as Pro Fighting Fans' predictions.

> Fans can buy UFC apparel & merchandise as well as No Fear clothing and other MMA gear online through Pro Fighting Fans!

Preliminary WEC 42 Fights:

Phil Cardella vs. Ed Ratcliff – Featherweight Bout

Ed Ratcliff (6-1) returns to the WEC after almost a year and a half absence, taking on seven year veteran, Phil Cardella (8-3). Cardella was welcomed back after losing in his only WEC appearance followed by a win outside of the WEC. Ed Ratcliff has a pair of WEC wins, but lost last March via submission to Marcus Hicks in his most recent action.

Cardella won 5 of his first 6 bouts, fighting for promotions like Renegades Extreme Fighting and World Fighting Championship. A May 2007 win over current WEC fighter Rafael Dias, when both were in the GFC promotion, earned his ticket into the WEC. He fought hard, losing a tight decision to Danny Castillo at WEC 39 and was quickly shown the door. But, after another solid performance at Sharkfights 4 in May, as is customary with the WEC, they asked Cardella back.

Ed “9MM” Ratcliff stopped four consecutive opponents, fighting exclusively for Total Combat from July 2005 through November 2006. Among the opponents that Ratcliff knocked out, a young IFL and Affliction vet, Brett Cooper. The WEC took notice, giving “9MM” a position on the WEC 27 card in May of 2007. He knocked out Johnny Sampaio and followed it up with another KO win over Alex Karalexis seven months later. Ratcliff’s streak was stopped when Hicks easily slapped a guillotine on Ratcliff at WEC 33 in March of ’08.

Prediction – Ratcliff over Cardella via TKO

Rani Yahya vs. John Hosman – Bantamweight Bout

Rani Yahya (14-4) welcomes newcomer John Hosman (13-4-1) into the WEC bantamweight division. Yahya is on a two fight win streak, the latest win coming after choking Eddie Wineland out at WEC 40 in April. Hosman earned his pass into the WEC on the strength of a five fight win streak, the last two coming in the Xtreme Fighting Organization.

Yahya, a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu specialist won 10 of his first 11 bouts, submitting 9 of those opponents. In October 2006, Yahya challenged Gesias Cavalcante in a K-1 Hero’s event, losing in 39 seconds via guillotine choke. He bounced back, winning his next two fights before suffering back to back losses against Chase Beebe and Kid Yamamoto. The Rickson Gracie student has only fought twice since the beginning of 2008, winning both WEC bouts, including a slick submission executed on Eddie Wineland four months ago, marking his 13 th career submission win.

Midwest Training Center’s John Hosman debuted four years ago for the XFO, stopping Marcus Cobb with a 1 st round submission. It wasn’t until February 2007 that Hosman caught fire, winning 8 of 9 and stopping all but two of his opponents. In December 2008, Hosman returned to XFO with back to back wins including a May submission victory against Courtney Landis that helped land a spot with the WEC. In all, Hosman has produced stoppages in 11 of his 13 victorious bouts.

Prediction – Yahya over Hosman via submission

Diego Nunes vs. Rafael Dias – Featherweight Bout

Both fighters come into this featherweight bout, fresh off of wins in their most recent WEC action. It has been eight months since Diego Nunes (12-0) outlasted Cole Province in their WEC 37 bout. Rafael Dias (12-5-1), a WEC vet with two promotional fights under his belt, took Mike Budnik the distance, winning a unanimous decision at WEC 40 in April.

Nunes bounced around several foreign promotions since his 2004 debut, producing stoppages in all but one bout. The former lightweight, joined the WEC last year and used his striking together with a late takedown in sealing a victory over Cole Province. The WEC 37 bout marked only the second time that Nunes was taken past the 1 st round.

American Top Team trained Rafael Dias topped TUF 5 veteran, Brian Geraghty in his professional debut, winning a May 2004 split decision. He continued his success, winning 7 of his next 8 bouts. He suffered a slight setback in May 2007, losing back to back fights to WEC’s Phil Cardella and former UFC lightweight Per Ecklund. The 29 year-old got right back on track with wins in 4 of his next 5 bouts, helping to punch his ticket into the WEC. Facing Danny Castillo at WEC 36 in November of last year, Dias was too aggressive and lost his debut match via 2 nd round TKO. He made up for the loss by winning a one sided decision over Mike Budnik in April at WEC 40.

Prediction – Nunes over Dias via KO

LC Davis vs. Javier Vasquez

Wrestling specialist, LC Davis, will jump into the cage to take on Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace, Javier Vasquez in an undercard tussle. Davis (13-2) will return to the ring for the first time since his March loss in the Sengoku featherweight grand prix tournament to Michihiro Omigawa. Vasquez (13-2) is staying busy after returning from a year and a half retirement, most recently defeating last minute replacement Mark Kergosien in 19 seconds with a guillotine choke.

American Jiu-Jitsu Academy fighter, LC Davis, is a former wrestler who has made the transition into MMA seemingly effortless. Over the last three years, Davis has participated on Titan FC, Adrenaline MMA, Affliction and Sengoku promotions. He began his career with nine consecutive victories.

Davis’ first loss came when he lost to Wagnney Fabiano at the IFL World Grand Prix Finals by 1 st round armbar. Since that loss Davis bounced back, winning four in a row before losing in his most recent bout. When entered into the Sengoku 7 th battle featherweight grand prix, Davis looked to be in a good position to be successful, getting a 1 st round pairing with former UFC fighter, Michihiro Omigawa. Omigawa got the best of Davis, defending his takedowns and not allowing him to force his ground game. Omigawa was definitely the aggressor and came away with a unanimous decision victory.

Javier “Showtime” Vasquez is a thirty two year old jiu-jitsu expert who has been competing professionally for eleven years. He made his mark as a King of the Cage fighter, compiling a 5-1 record for the Midwest based organization. The Millennia Jiu-Jitsu fighter has also fought for Shooto, Elite XC, and most recently Full Force International.

After almost ten years in the sport, in 2007, “Showtime”, believing that he had had enough, announced his retirement. At the time he had a record of 12-2 with impressive victories against Robert Emerson, Rumina Sato and JC Pennington. Eventually realizing that he wasn’t through with MMA, Vasquez returned to the cage after almost two years of retirement. Scheduled to fight Din Thomas, Vasquez instead battled Mark Kergosien, after Thomas couldn’t make weight and slapped a guillotine choke on him 19 seconds into the 1 st round.

Prediction – Vasquez over Davis via unanimous decision

Marcus Hicks vs. Shane Roller – Lightweight Bout

Marcus Hicks (8-2) and Shane Roller (5-2) will go head to head to try and sort out a cluttered WEC lightweight division. Hicks has lost two in a row, the most recent being a WEC 39 split decision loss by “Razor” Rob McCullough. Roller was defeated in April at WEC 40, losing to fast rising lightweight, Benson Henderson via 1st round TKO.

“The Wrecking Ball”, Marcus Hicks, arrived on the MMA scene with five stoppages in his first five bouts. When getting the call to join the WEC, Hicks continued his hot streak, stopping three more opponents. Sergio Gomez, Scott McAfee, and Ed Ratcliff all were victims of his quick WEC start. He was denied his chance at the WEC lightweight championship, at WEC 35, when the champ, Jamie Varner executed a well planned striking game to defeat Hicks. He was handed back to back losses after Rob McCullough won a tight split decision at WEC 39.

Roller, a former Oklahoma State wrestler and current Team Takedown fighter, was surprised in his MMA debut, losing to Jake Pruitt via TKO in 2007. He rebounded by winning three straight while fighting for three different organizations, eventually earning his way into the WEC. In August 2008 at WEC 35, Roller demonstrated his potential by easily submitting Todd Moore. He followed that win up four months later, at WEC 37, with an equally impressive 1 st round guillotine choke victory against Mike Budnik. With momentum on his side, Roller ran into a roadblock at WEC 40, losing via TKO to Benson Henderson.

Prediction – Roller over Hicks via submission

Fredson Paixao vs. Cole Province – Featherweight Bout

Both Fredson Paixao (8-3) and Cole Province (5-1) are trying to rebound after losing in their WEC debuts. Paixao, a highly touted grappler out of Brazil, was defeated by decision, after title contender Wagnney Fabiano outclassed him in the striking department at WEC 40. Province debuted at WEC 37, losing to Diego Nunes via unanimous decision.

Fredson Paixao fought primarily in Brazil early in his career, defeating WEC bantamweight Rani Yahya in his debut while fighting for Jungle Fight. His first career loss immediately followed, losing to Yoshihiro Maeda in Pancrase. Paixao continued to compete outside of the United States against top fighters, winning 5 of 6. After his second career loss, Paixao put together back to back wins to get into the WEC. In his debut, he couldn’t get his game going against the much more aggressive Fabiano, who put Paixao on the ground late in the fight to seal the deal.

Province, a 28 year old, two year veteran of MMA, debuted in the summer of 2007 with a submission victory over Matt Ott. He continued his success, fighting for Masters of the Cage and Freestyle Cage Fighting organizations. Four out of five wins coming via submission earned Province a look from the WEC. Making his debut last December, Province was matched against undefeated and fellow WEC rookie, Diego Nunes. Nunes scored with striking and takedowns on his way to a one sided decision victory.

Prediction – Paixao over Province via submission

Leonard Garcia vs. Jameel Massouh – Featherweight Bout

Former title contender, Leonard Garcia (12-4) will attempt to get back on track against journeyman Jameel Massouh (21-5) in a 145 pound tilt. In March, at WEC 39, Garcia had his chance to take the featherweight belt away from Mike Thomas Brown; instead he was manhandled by Brown, losing via submission just over a minute in. His opponent, Jameel Massouh, a Freestyle Academy Fighter, lost in his only WEC attempt at WEC 40 via unanimous decision to Rafael Assuncao.

Trained by Greg Jackson, Garcia is known for his aggressive approach. He began in May of 1999, winning 9 of his first 10 while fighting mostly for the Colorado based Ring of Fire. His impressive run earned him an opportunity with the UFC, where he went 1-1, then also led him to his current job in the WEC. Combined with a WEC fight early in his career, “Bad Boy” has won three of four with Jens Pulver and Hiroyuki Takaya among his recent wins.

Jameel “The Sergeant” Massouh, 24, made his debut in 2005 and won his first eleven bouts. He moved around fighting for Madtown Throwdown, Freestyle Combat Challenge, and Hardcore FC, among others, early in his career. It was a run that began in September 2008 that made him a Zuffa employee, winning five in a row while fighting for five different organizations. When arriving at WEC 40, “The Sergeant” proved to be a tough out, however, he was not tough enough, losing via unanimous decision against Assuncao.

Prediction – Garcia over Massouh via submission

WEC 42 Main Bouts:

Ricardo Lamas vs. Danny Castillo

Both Ricardo Lamas (6-0) and Danny Castillo (7-1) get a taste of main card action as they look to take a step up the lightweight division ladder. Lamas made his promotional debut in March on the WEC 39 card, getting the best of former IFL fighter Bart Palaszewski. Castillo fought on the same card, winning a tight split decision over Phil Cardella.

Lamas is a Chicago native who fights out of the Illinois based Top Notch fight team. He began his professional career last January and submitted his first two opponents with a guillotine choke. He strung together five in a row, catching on with the WEC in March against experienced veteran Palaszewski. The longtime IFL fighter had almost a 40 fight advantage over Lamas, but it didn’t seem to matter as Lamas outlasted him in every way on his way to a unanimous decision victory.

Danny Castillo is a Team Alpha Male member who fought for Gladiators Challenge, Cage Combat FC, and Palace FC before joining the WEC. Since arriving on the WEC scene, Castillo has surprised many with his performances. After a lackluster submission loss in his WEC 34 debut to Donald Cerrone, the Sacramento native won back to back bouts. Last November at WEC 36, Castillo stopped Rafael Dias via TKO then followed up with another impressive victory over Cardella at WEC 39.

Prediction – Castillo over Lamas via submission

> After the fights are complete, find the WEC 42 results & recap online at ProFighting-fans.com and look forward to the WEC 43 fight card on September 2, 2009 in Youngstown, Ohio!

Joseph Benavidez vs. Dominick Cruz

Joseph Benavidez (10-0) is set to take on Dominick Cruz (13-1) with a possible bantamweight title shot up for grabs. Benavidez has back to back WEC wins in the books, the most recent coming at WEC 40 against “The Big Frog,” Jeff Curran. Dominick Cruz continued his success in his second stint with the organization, defeating Ivan Lopez at the same event.

Team Alpha Male fighter, Benavidez debuted in June of 2006, winning his first seven bouts while fighting for six different organizations. He caught on with DREAM last summer expecting to fight Norifumi Yamamoto at DREAM 5. The bout fell apart and instead Benavidez submitted Junya Kudo with a 1st round guillotine. After four consecutive submissions, Benavidez caught the eye of the WEC officials and earned a position on the WEC 37 card. He jumped way up the 135 pound division after back to back unanimous decision victories, starting with Danny Martinez and ending with Curran.

Dominick Cruz, a 5 foot 8 inch California native, won his first 9 bouts while fighting for Arizona based Rage in the Cage and California based Total Combat organizations. In March of 2007, Cruz got his first crack at the WEC but was not ready for Urijah Faber, easily getting choked out in the 1st round. He was dismissed from the organization following the WEC 26 loss, but scored an impressive KO win outside of the WEC and returned a year later. His second WEC stint has been nothing but successful, adding Charlie Valencia, Ian McCall, and Ivan Lopez to his list of victories.

Prediction – Benavidez over Cruz via submission

Takeya Mizgaki vs. Jeff Curan

Trying to snap a three fight losing streak, Jeff Curran (29-11-1) is set to take on former bantamweight contender, Takeya Mizugaki (11-3-2). Curran was in action in April at WEC 40, losing to Joseph Benavidez in his bantamweight debut. Mizugaki had a chance to fight for the title in his only WEC fight to date, taking longtime champion Miguel Torres the distance before losing a judge’s decision.

“The Big Frog,” 31, has been competing for over a decade, dating back to January 1998 in Extreme Challenge. Bouncing around from organization to organization, he finally found his way into the UFC, losing to Matt Serra at UFC 46 via unanimous decision. After his one and only UFC appearance, Curran again played the role of journeyman, winning 14 of 15 bouts for several small and mid level organizations over the next three years. In 2007, Curran arrived as an instant contender for the new look WEC. Unfortunately, Curran hasn’t had much success since winning his debut at WEC 29 over Stephen Ledbetter, losing consecutive fights to Urijah Faber, Mike Thomas Brown, and Joe Benavidez.

Takeya Mizugaki began his career by winning his first six matches, all with the Shooto organization. After running into some trouble, posting a 0-2-2 record over his next four fights, Mizugaki got right back on track with five consecutive wins for GCM – Cage Force. His solid winning streak with a top Japanese promotion caught the attention of WEC officials, giving him an immediate shot at longtime bantamweight champion Miguel Torres at WEC 40. He fell short, losing by unanimous decision, but gained much respect by taking one of the best pound for pound fighters the distance.

Prediction – Curran over Mizugaki via unanimous decision

WEC 42 Main Event:

Miguel Torres vs. Brian Bowles

WEC Bantamweight Champion Miguel Angel Torres will face Brian Bowles in the WEC 42 Main Event.

Miguel Torres (37-1) will try and make his fourth defense of his WEC bantamweight title belt against legitimate contender, Brian Bowles (7-0). Torres was taken the distance for the first time since joining the WEC in his last bout, a unanimous decision victory over Takeya Mizugaki. Bowles hasn’t fought in eight months, dating back to a 3rd round submission win against Will Ribeiro a WEC 37.

“Angel” has been as consistent as one could be throughout his lengthy career. While fighting for a handful of small promotions, Torres banged out 20 straight wins to start his career. His only career loss was at Ironheart Crown 6 in November 2003, losing to Ryan Ackerman via unanimous decision. Since that loss he has compiled another extended streak, winning his last 17 bouts, spanning over five years. In that span, he picked up the Ironheart bantamweight belt as well as the WEC belt. He earned that WEC belt when he stopped Chase Beebe at WEC 32, in just his second WEC match. Defenses against Yoshiro Maeda, Manny Tapia, and most recently Mizugaki have made the East Chicago, IL native look unbeatable and have cemented Torres' status as one of the best pound for pound fighters in the world.

Challenger Brian Bowles possesses many talents including the ability to finish fights. Over his three year and seven fight career, Bowles has stopped all of his opponents. The 29 year-old Hardcore Gym fighter has only seen action for three different organizations. He coupled with the WEC in June 2007 at WEC 28, stopping Charlie Valencia via submission. Opponents such as Marcus Galvao, Damacio Page and Will Ribeiro continued to drop, as Bowles moves into a comfortable number one contender position in the WEC Bantamweight division.

Prediction – Torres over Bowles via split decision

By Nick Russell with introduction by Travis Fleming
ProFighting-fans.com Staff Writers

Past WEC Previews, Predictions & Recaps:

• WEC 41 results & review
• WEC 40 results & review
• WEC 39 results & review
• WEC 39 preview & predictions
• WEC 38 Recap: A Fan's View
• WEC 38 Recap & Review
• WEC 37 Recap & Review
• WEC 36 Recap & Review
• More MMA news articles at ProFighting-fans.com