The Muskoxen

To all of you who don’t already know, the World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) is like the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s (UFC) little brother for all intents and purposes. The WEC caters to fighters smaller in stature, but definitely not lesser in talent. They have world class fighters and great fight cards, and the best part of all is that its fight cards are broadcast for free on the Vs. network (and in HD where available).

The only difference (besides the fact that it’s lesser known than the UFC and price tag) is the weight classes. The WEC has fighters in three weight classes: Bantamweight - 135 lbs. or less, Featherweight – over 135 lbs. to 145 lbs., and Lightweight - over 145 lbs. to 155 lbs.  Whereas the UFC’s weight classes start at Lightweight - over 145 lbs. to 155 lbs. and goes to Welterweight - over 155 lbs. to 170 lbs., then to Middleweight - over 170 lbs. to 185 lbs., then Light Heavyweight – over 185 lbs. to 205 lbs., and finally to the big boys of the Heavyweight division - over 205 lbs. to 265 lbs.

I’m sick of hearing people saying that the WEC fighters are wannabe UFC fighters, or that they’re “not good enough” to fight in the UFC. It’s not that at all – they’re just too little. For those of us in the know, however, we were recently blessed with a great fightcard from the WEC.

In a highly anticipated rematch, Mike Brown defended the belt that he took from Urijah Faber by taking Urijah the distance and winning a unanimous decision. I’m not taking anything from Mike Brown (he deserved the win), but I’m wondering what it says about him as a fighter that he couldn’t finish off a badly injured Faber? Urijah broke his right hand at the end of the first round and was relegated to throwing elbows for the remainder of the fight. At some point he apparently hurt his left hand, too, but toughed it out to last all five, five-minute rounds.  As I said earlier, Mike deserved to win, but I think that he should have been able to finish Faber. Or maybe Faber’s just *that* good?  I mean, he did almost choke out Brown in the waning moments of round five… had his hands not been hurt, he surely would have. It was a great fight, and I have no doubt that Urijah will return to the ring and dominate this division again, but who’s next in line for a title shot?  See the next paragraph for the answer to this question.

Jose Aldo made it known that he should be next in line for a title shot in this division with his absolute ANNHILATION of Cub Swanson in just eight seconds of the first round.  He ran out and threw a flying knee that rocked Swanson, cutting above his eye  and sending him to the mat immediately covering to avoid further damage.  The ref wisely called the fight and Jose announced to the world that he is a force to be reckoned with in this division. (we already knew this, but this just cemented the fact).

Donald “The Cowboy” Cerrone won by submission (rear naked choke) at 4:38 in the 1st round over James Krause.

Josh Grispi won by submission (guillotine choke) at 0:33 in the 1st round over Jens Pulver.  In a not so shocking announcement after the fight, a teary eyed Pulver announced his retirement from MMA.  He alluded to it after his second loss to Faber stating that he was, “feeling old.”  Well, as much as I hate to admit it, he’s looking old these days.  Lil Evil still has the heart and desire, his body’s just fading.  His speed just isn’t there anymore.  He will always have a fighter’s chance because of his big left hook, but it’s becoming increasingly difficult for him to land it at this stage in his career.  He’s a pioneer in this sport and deserves the UTMOST credit and respect due.  He’s been fighting professionally damn near as long as his last opponent has been alive.  That says something to me.  That it’s time for him to hang ‘em up!  LOL!  Seriously though, I know he wants to keep fighting, but at some point, you just gotta swallow your pride and move on.  Whatever he decides, I will be a fan.  He’s been a highly respectable ambassador for MMA as a whole and I know that he will continue to work behind the scenes training new up and comers and promoting the sport.

Anthony Pettis won by submission (triangle choke) at 1:49 in the 1st round over Mike Campbell.

Antonio Banuelos won by a split decision at 5:00 in the 3rd round over Scott Jorgensen.

Seth Dikun won by submission (triangle choke) at 2:30 in the 1st round over Rolando Perez.  I have to comment on this one in more detail because Seth Dikun did something in this fight that I have never seen done before.  Dude JUMPED into the triangle!    Allow me to explain, the two fighters were in a standing clinch when Seth jumped up, wrapped his legs around Rolando’s neck, fell to the ground and choked Rolando Perez out.  It was an amazing display of athleticism to say the least, but it also shows how quickly this sport is progressing.  Fighters are putting new spins on age old martial arts techniques.  It’s astonishing to watch.  For those of you who may not know what a triangle choke is, it’s a variation of the figure four where an opponents neck and one arm are wrapped up by the other fighter’s legs, wherein the fighter’s legs make a triangle shape.  The opponent is then choked out because the blood flow through the carotid arteries is restricted – you have legs against a neck, it’s no contest.  Anyway, it was amazing to see.  

If you missed this fight card, the Vs. network is re-airing it tomorrow night, June 10, at 8:00 PM ET. Watch it if you can. DVR it, if you can’t. You can thank me later.

The next WEC live event is the Bantamweight Championship fight between Miguel Angel Torres vs Brian Bowles on August 9 at 9:00 PM ET  - mark your calendars!  Miguel Angel Torres is an amazing fighter, and Bowles is a very worthy opponent.

UFC news:  I wanted to mention a quick blurb about everyone’s favorite street fighter. Kimbo is fighting on the next UFC The Ultimate Fighter reality show. Taping starts this week, I believe. It’ll be interesting to see how he fares. Anyone have any predictions?  The only thing I’m 100% sure of is that the UFC and Spike will milk this for all it’s worth and that Kimbo will not be one of the first to fight.  The coaches for this season are Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Rashad “Sugar” Evans.  Should be interesting.  OK, UFC and Spike… you’ve got me hooked!

Boxing fight news: In other fight news, for those of us who still appreciate a good old fashioned boxing match, this Saturday offers up what promises to be a good fight in the Welterweight division.  Airing on HBO at 10:35 PM ET at Madison Square Garden, Miguel Cotto will fight Joshua Clottey in a 12 round title bout.

This fight is a tough one for me, but I think I see Cotto taking a decision in this one. Clottey has really good defense and is very strong and has a good chin, but Cotto has power in both hands, and great body work. I just don't see Clottey producing enough offense to win on points. But I think it'll go the distance and be a close one on the cards.  Anyone got other thoughts/opinions?  Post them, I’d love to hear them.

OK, this is much longer than I’d anticipated it being, but if you’re still reading I really appreciate it.  Post a comment that says you read it all, if nothing else!  LOL!

I’ll do my best to post fight predictions/outcomes/info if you guys show interest…