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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief WEC returns to action tonight with a jam packed card of featherweight action, culminating in the Featherweight Title rematch between Urijah Faber and Mike Brown. The action begins live on Versus at the top of the hour, so stick here and refresh for round by round results and analysis throughout the night.
-I have to say, the WEC opening montages do a great job of getting the viewer amped up for the upcoming fights. This should be a really fun show.
-Kenny Florian takes Frank Mir's spot on commentary tonight. He breaks down the night's main event. Kenny should be a welcomed addition tonight on commentary. They break down each of the fighters on tonight's main card.
FIGHT ONE: JENS PULVER VS. JOSH GRISPI (FEATHERWEIGHT)
PRE FIGHT: Pulver said everyone's talking about him retiring, but he's a win away from getting everyone to forget about it and two wins from having them never bring it up again. Grispi said his fights are so quick you don't get to see everything he's got, and he thinks if he beats Pulver it could catapult him to a possible title shot.
[Commercial Break]
ROUND ONE: The crowd is 100% behind Pulver here in the fighter announcements. They each throw a leg kick to the same side. Grispi rocks Pulver with a big kick and Pulver comes in for a takedown and Grispi locks in the guillotine. Pulver struggles mightily to get out of it but Grispi's got it locked in pretty tight. Pulver finally is forced to tap and he's just despondent. Grispi doesn't even know how to react to the win, he seems a bit concerned for Jens. Huge win for Grispi, but an extremely tough loss for Jens.
[Commercial Break]
WINNER: Grispi via submission (guillotine choke) at :33 of the first round.
POST FIGHT: Grispi said he was "friggin scared" coming down the aisle. He acknowledged the boos from the crowd saying he'd boo himself too against Pulver because he loves the guy. Pulver is emotional once again saying he loves the crowd. Pulver said he remembers saying there were kids out there in sixth grade that would be coming up and he'd wanted to fight them and he got the chance. He said he doesn't want to be the guy who always says he's going to retire, but he thinks he may have finished where he started (in Sacramento). Pulver changed his tune a bit saying he's not saying he's done yet, but it's been an incredible run. He thanked the crowd for making an "old man feel good."
STAR RATING: (**) There wasn't much to that one because it ended so quickly. It looked primed for a high energy affair and then Pulver gave up his neck on that takedown and Grispi very smartly got that choke in as he was taken down. It was kind of like Shields' with Lawler giving up his neck but Pulver was shooting for the takedown in the middle of the cage.
RAMIFICATIONS: Well Pulver may still fight again, and it may have been the emotions leading him to talk retirement, but it's not an unrealistic possibility for the simple fact he's now 1-6 in his last seven fights. The crowd's going to love him forever but I'm sure he'll have to question where he goes from here. The sky is the limit for Grispi. He didn't need to show a whole lot in this one, but the kid's 20 years old and is now 13-1, and he just submitted Jens Pulver in :33 seconds. He's going to be in this sport for a long time, and I can't wait to see what he can do in a fight against a top top tier 145 lb. fighter. Big win for Grispi.
[Commercial Break]
-They hype up the August 9th card headlined by the Bantamweight Title fight between Brian Bowles and Miguel Torres. They are both interviewed at cageside. Bowles said he's back up to 100% and like to believe he matches up well with anyone. Torres said he's on point and his jiu jitsu is good. He said he knows Brian is a better wrestler so he'll let him pick his poison. Torres gives a roundabout non answer when asked to predict the main event. Nice side step.
FIGHT TWO: DONALD CERRONE VS. JAMES KRAUSE (LIGHTWEIGHT)
PRE FIGHT: Krause says he doesn't think Cerrone's been tested with his jiu jitsu at all. Cerrone said he'll kill him wherever so bring it on. Krause said he's going to try to punch him in the mouth. Cerrone said Krause will feel the pressure. He says this will keep him sharp. Krause said somebody's getting knocked out. Cerrone said he's happy to hand him his first loss. "Welcome to the WEC."
[Commercial Break]
ROUND ONE: Krause throws a leg kick and then shoots in at Cerrone. Cerrone tries to pull into a triangle but Krause gets out. They get back to the feet and exchange a few shots. Krause explodes with double underhooks and gets a takedown. Cerrone actively works from the bottom with some submission attempts. Krause takes him down again after Cerrone gets to his feet. Cerrone gets an omoplata and Krause rolls out and Cerrone is in his guard. Cerrone postures up and throws a few bombs. Krause goes for a sub and Cerrone steps out of it. Krause tries to grab a heel hook and Cerrone backs out and they stand again. Krause tries to shoot again and Cerrone sprawls.l He almost went for a knee but Krause had one of his own down and he held back. Krause stalks Cerrone some more and throws a few kicks before shooting in again. Cerrone locks in a standing guillotine and lands a big knee as he lets the hold go. Cerrone drops Krause with a huge right hand and follows in with another shot. Krause recovers on the ground but Cerrone takes his back. He gets the hooks in and starts throwing shots. He sees an opening and locks in the rear naked choke and forces Krause to submit with barely any time to spare in the first round. Fun fight.
[Commercial Break]
WINNER: Cerrone via submission (rear naked choke) at 4:38 of the first round.
POST FIGHT: Cerrone said he's trying to work on his takedown defense and he felt he didn't get taken down every time tonight. Cerrone said Varner's a tough guy behind the computer but he'll be ready for him. He said his camp didn't think it was the smartest thing to take another fight, but he wanted to. He said once Varner gets "out of the intensive care unit" they can go. Nice.
STAR RATING: (***) That was a really fun one round fight. They had some really nice exchanges on the ground with Krause getting the takedowns and Cerrone working actively on the bottom for submissions. Krause threw in a few sub attempts of his own there that were really nice. Krause was in trouble from the huge right hand and Cerrone did a really nice job of taking the back and forcing Krause to give him an opening to get that choke in.
RAMIFICATIONS: Cerrone's now just waiting for Varner. That rematch will be highly anticipated once it takes place and it keeps heating up with every comment made. Krause gave a good showing of himself early on, but he hasn't faced anyone close to Cerrone's ability until this one, so he was a bit outclassed. He's got plenty of time to build back up, so there's no shame in losing to the #1 contender and he'll be back in the WEC.
[Commercial Break]
PRELIM FIGHT A: SCOTT JORGENSEN VS. ANTONIO BANUELOS (BANTAMWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Because of the quick finishes of the first two fights we get some undercard action, gotta love it. Jorgensen stalks Banuelos down but Banuelos explodes with a big flurry of shots that push Jorgensen back. Jorgensen recovers a bit and they clinch. They trade knees. Banuelos then grabs a leg and pushes forward to get the takedown. He starts throwing some shots to the body as he pushes Jorgensen against the cage. Jorgensen walks the cage and gets back to his feet. Jorgensen throws a shot as they separate on the feet. Banuelos comes back at him and they clinch again. Banuelos separates and throws a few shots. Nice inside leg kick lands by Banuelos. Banuelos throws a flurry but Jorgensen covers up. Jorgensen tries to stalk Banuelos down and he throws a couple shots. Banuelos lands another flurry before Jorgensen lands an uppercut. He stalks him down again and Banuelos lands another flurry before they clinch on the cage. They separate again. Jorgensen lands a high kick and shoots in. Banuelos stuffs it but Jorgensen lands another punch and clinches again. They separate once again with Jorgensen stalking. Banuelos lands another punch. He then comes forward with a few kicks and punches. Jorgensen throws a flurry of his own. Banuelos comes forward with another combo again and they clinch on the cage. They end the round with Jorgensen throwing a few shots.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Banuelos. He hurt Jorgensen early and kept it up with multiple flurries that did damage there. High energy first round there.
[Commercial Break]
ROUND TWO: Banuelos throws an early leg kick as Jorgensen continues to stalk him down. Banuelos gets a big combo throught he reach of Jorgensen. He comes in with another flurry. Jorgensen comes after him again and they clinch. Jorgensen almost gets a choke as Banuelos gave his neck up but he gets out of it. Banuelos lands a big knee in the clinch. THey trade a few shots as they Separate again. Jorgensen gets a jab in. Jorgensen lands a nice counter after Banuelos comes in with another combination. Jorgensen lands two big right hands but Banuelos responds with another one of his own. Jorgensen lands another nice right hand and they trade anotehr punch before Jorgensen clinches. Again they separate and Jorgensen continues to come forward. They slow down the relentless pace slightly. Jorgensen lands a few more punches and again Banuelos counters with a flurry. They trade another flurry with both landing some big shots. Jorgensen keeps coming forward and he lands a good right. He barely misses a huge uppercut. Jorgensen lands a huge flurry of punches and finishes with a big knee to the face. Both of these guys are taking some big shots here. Banuelos lands a big four punch combination with a kick. Jorgensen gets in another right hand. They again trade shots and Jorgensen gets in a knee to the body to close the round.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Jorgensen. He pushed the pace and landed as many of his shots as did Banuelos. This is an very good fight through two here.
[Commercial Break]
ROUND THREE: They trade big flurries once again. Jorgensen gets a huge combo in an exchange. Banuelos shoots in and gets the takedown as Jorgensen grabs a guillotine. Banuelos rolls out and they're back to their feet. Jorgensen keeps coming forward and they trade flurries again. Banuelos lands a big right hand. He follows with another and a leg kick. Jorgensen continues to stalk Banuelos down. Jorgensen throws a straight kick to the body. Jorgensen comes in with another big combination that connects and they clinch. Jorgensen lands a knee as they separate. Banuelos gets in a combo of his own. Jorgensen keeps coming forward and he lands a few punches. He gets in a knee to the face. Banuelos tries to shoot but he gets rubbed off. Jorgensen lands another big knee to the jaw. Banuelos lands a big right hand. They exchange punches again. Jorgensen gets in a knee to the body. Banuelos throws a couple of punches and kick. Banuelos gets in a few counter punches. Jorgensen gets in another shot. Banuelos shot in but Jorgensen sprawls and got Banuelos to the ground and took his back. Jorgensen throws a few shots and stays on Banuelos' back. Banuelos makes his way back to his feet but Jorgensen gets him down to the ground once again. Jorgensen grabs a choke and Banuelos rolls through with him twice before popping out of it. The round ends as they stand. Hell of a non stop fight right there.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Jorgensen. Once again he pushed the pace and landed as many shots as Banuelos did and then he got the two takedowns in the last couple of minutes and the submission attempts. The pace of the fight was insane for fifteen minutes. That was fun to watch.
[Commercial Break]
WINNER: Banuelos via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
STAR RATING: (***+) If there were anything on the line it may have been a bit more exciting, but that was just a blast to watch. Jorgensen recovered from being hurt badly in the first round and I had him winning this fight, as did one of the judges. I'm curious as to which round each of the other judges gave to Banuelos outside of the first. Either way, this was a great back and forth fight, but I didn't agree with the decision.
FIGHT THREE: JOSE ALDO VS. CUB SWANSON (FEATHERWEIGHT)
PRE FIGHT: Swanson said he needs to give all his attention to this fight with a possible number one contendership on the line. Aldo said he needs to improve his rhythm and show his stand up. Cub wants total dominance. Aldo said he's going to try to knock him out the whole fight. Aldo said he's prepared for any kind of situation. Swanson said he's going to force his game on Aldo.
[Commercial Break]
-Before the fight they break down the top five featherweight challengers after Mike Brown. Really nice presentation for it showing all of the records and giving them their respective dues. It's something very nice to see on here and it's be nice to get that for all divisions.
ROUND ONE: Aldo runs in with a flying knee and drops Swanson immediately. He follows up with a few shots before the ref steps in. Unbelievable. He opened a huge cut over Swanson's eye with that knee. That's just insane.
[Commercial Break]
WINNER: Aldo via TKO at :08 of the first round.
POST FIGHT: Aldo said he doesn't think he's the most powerful, but he's here for his goal and he thanked his crew for their help.
STAR RATING: (***+) This was for a likely chance to face the winner of this main event, and that was a spectaculer "Oh my God did you see that?!" moment. Great highlight for Aldo and a continuation of his exciting style in the WEC. That was simply awesome.
RAMIFICATIONS: Aldo is next in line for the title shot, and Swanson needs to reclimb the ladder a bit. He won't get dropped that far, as that was one of those quick, unbelievable type shots that doesn't happen very often.
[Commercial Break]
PRELIM FIGHT B: ROLANDO PEREZ VS. SETH DIKUN (BANTAMWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Dikun throws a few big shots early and forces Perez back a bit. They trade leg kicks. Dikun throws a kick but Perez catches it anddrops him. He lets Dikun back up. Dikun gets in with a kick and they clinch on the cage. Dikun jumps up and pulls off a flying triangle and gets the choke in pretty tight. Perez is holding on, though. Perez tries to pick him up and slam him but Dikun holds on to the triangle. Dikun starts throwing some elbows to the head as he keeps the choke. He twists him even further against the cage and forces him to tap finally.
[Commercial Break]
WINNER: Dikun via submission (triangle choke) at 2:30 of the first round.
STAR RATING: (***-) That was highlight reel stuff with locking the flying triangle in, and it was just a matter of time before he had it set.
[Commercial Break]
PRELIM FIGHT C: MIKE CAMPBELL VS. ANTHONY PETTIS (LIGHTWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Campbell comes right out with a body kick. Pettis throws a kick that gets caught but he jumps up for a guillotine choke. Campbell carries him and drops him to get out of the hold but Pettis immediately grabs an arm for an armbar. Campbell rolls out of it beautifully and Pettis goes right for a triangle attempt. Finally Campbell stands and comes down with a few big bombs before getting into Pettis' guard. He tries to lift Pettis up but ends up standing and throwing a few more shots. Campbell misses a shot and Pettis locks in the triangle. Campbell struggles but finally has to tap. Pettis does a standing back flip in celebration.
[Commercial Break]
WINNER:Pettis via submission (triangle choke) at 1:49 of the first round.
STAR RATING: (***-) That was an even more impressive performance than Dikun had. That was such fluid transition movement and submission work from Pettis. That was another great fight tonight.
[Commercial Break]
-Harris and Florian break down what the two fighters have to do in the main event tonight to win.
MAIN EVENT FIGHT FOUR: URIJAH FABER VS. MIKE BROWN (FEATHERWEIGHT TITLE BOUT)
PRE FIGHT: Brown said the pressure's on Urijah, he's ahead 1-0 on the scorecards. Faber said it's his chance to prove he's the best. Brown said Faber has to win in this one. Brown said the people who say he was lucky just haven't seen him fight. Faber said this is his chance to be a hero. He said he can't wait to end the speculation and end the reign of Mike Brown.
-The crowd explodes as "California Love" blasts out of the speakers and then a second time when Faber comes up onscreen walking out to the cage. Boos fill the arena as Brown comes out. The crowd's going to be nuts for this one.
ROUND ONE: Here...we...go. Faber throws a leg kick early that misses. Brown slowly stalks Faber down. Faber throws a high kick that misses. Faber comes in with a right hand. Faber misses a punch and Brown grapples him to the cage with double underhooks. Faber breaks him off and pushes him to the center. Faber gets a right hand in. Faber lands a big knee as Brown comes in. Brown comes forward with a few shots but nothing gets to Faber. Faber explodes with a two punch combo. Faber's getting in and out nicely. Brown comes with a flurry and misses and then goes for a takedown. Faber tries to grab a guillotine but Brown gets out of it and Faber gives up his back> Faber works his way up to his feet with Brown on his back. Brown throws a couple of knees. Faber throws an elbow. Faber breaks out and throws a couple of knees. Brown gets in a punch as they separate. The crowd is nuts here. Faber comes in with a couple of punches. Faber throws a right kick. Faber lands a huge right that rocks Brown. He tries to throw a kick and he slips. Brown gets on top of him and tries to get in a choke and Urijah rolls through. Faber gets side control and Faber rolls out of that. Brown tries to get in a guillotine but Faber gets back to his feet and the round ends.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Faber. He landed more shots and did some damage and nullified Brown on the ground. Great start to this Title fight.
[Commercial Break]
ROUND TWO: Brown pushes Faber back but doesn't land anything. Faber gets in a left. He tries to get in a kick but it misses. Brown throws a high kick but it's shrugged off. Brown runs Faber to the cage and gets in a couple of good shots. Faber throws a big kick high. Faber misses a left jab. He then barely misses a high kick. Brown tries to stalk him down. Faber with a kick to the body. Brown lands a big punch and gets a takedown on Faber. He gets right into side control and Brown goes into Faber's halfguard. Faber gives up his back and Brown rolls through to the back side control. Faber works his way back to his feet against the cage. Brown tries to throw a couple of knees. He throws some uppercuts from behind. Faber gets turned around and Brown takes him down. Faber tries to go for a guillotine but Brown gets out of it and on top of him> Faber gets a crucifix and transitions out and they get back to the feet. Front kick from Faber reaches Brown's face. Faber lands a good punch. Brown continues to stalk him down and Brown lands a shot. He lands another good left. Brown gets on him after Faber lands a shot and Brown gets another takedown on the cage. Faber gets right back up and they separate. Faber gets in one more shot from before the bell.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Brown. He got Faber down a few times and had some good control as well as some good stalking and pressing the action. This is a good back and forth fight right now.
[Commercial Break]
ROUND THREE: Brown presses Faber to the cage again. Faber comes back with a kick that misses. Faber gets in a nice body shot. He explodes off the cage with a knee but misses. Faber gets in a really nice elbow but drops his head and Brown goes for a guillotine. Faber tries fight out of it and Brown finally has to let go. Faber again gives up his back and Brown tries to throw some shots under his armpits. Faber gets back to his feet and throws a few shots of his own before backing off. Brown walks Faber down some more. Faber lands a knee to the head. Brown keeps coming at him. Faber blasts out with a knee and a right elbow. Faber tries to kick Brown off with a straight kick and Brown lands a body shot. They clinch at the cage. Brown tries to take him down and Faber sprawls nicely. He tries to grab a heel hook on Faber after shaking Faber off of him. Faber gets out of it and back to his feet. Faber ladns a kick as Brown catches him with a right. Faber gets a left and then a right elbow. Brown lands a big right. Faber goes for a kick and misses. Brown comes forward and clinches Faber on the cage. Faber holds on as the round comes to a close.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Brown. Brown with the takedowns and pushing the action is winning points. Faber's right in this and could have been given that round but it was Brown's in my eye.
ROUND FOUR: They showed a video clip from after round two with Faber saying he broke his right hand. That's why he's been throwing the elbows. Brown again comes forward after Faber. Faber misses a left hook. He goes for a body shot. He gets in a nice straight kick. Brown lands a right hand. Brown gets in a few quick uppercuts as Faber came in at him. Faber lands a body kick and Brown lands a combination. Faber gets in another shot. Faber throws a straight left kick. Brown keeps pressing forward. They both connect on a right hand. Brown gets in a couple of jabs. Brown gets Faber backed up to the cage again and tries to grab a single leg. He lets it go and lands an elbow while separating. Brown gets in a couple of shots on Faber against the cage. They trade body shots. Urijah throws a nice short left elbow. Brown gets in a good body shot. Faber with a right elbow shot. Brown's getting punches in as Faber's trying to land elbows with no use in his hands. Brown gets in a few more shots and a kick. Faber throws a left hand. Faber comes in and lands a nice knee and pushes Brown's back to the cage. Brown turns him around, however. They trade knees in the clinch as the round ends.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Brown. He again pressed the pace and landed shots. Faber's hurting without the use of his hands here, and he's going to need to do something drastic in this fifth round to regain his belt.
ROUND FIVE: Faber comes in with a short left hook. Brown again stalks Faber down. Faber lands a body kick and another left. He comes in and goes for a knee. Brown lands a nice left jab. Faber gets in another nice body kick. Brown runs him across and gets another takedown. Faber gets back to his feet. Brown lands a good left hand. Faber eats a body kick as he came in. He then lands a good left. They clinch and Brown throws some inside leg knees. Faber tries to lock in a guillotine standing but Brown picks him up and drops him. Faber gets himself back up. Faber lands a jab. Brown blocks a couple of elbows and lands a few shots. Brown again gets a takedown and Faber gets back up right away with Brown on his back on the cage. Brown throws a few knees to the body. Faber tries to grab a choke on the cage and looked to have it locked but he lst it. Brown got himself back up to his feet.Faber gets in a nice knee as the break out of the clinch. Faber throws a big kick ot the body. Brown throws a few punches in there. Brown gets Faber against the fence and takes him down once again. Faber gets up, rolls out and lands an elbow. The round ends as the grapple and Brown is standing.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Brown. He got three or four takedowns there and Faber just wasn't able to do much. The broken hand in the second round really didn't allow him to work his game for the whole fight, and as such Brown was able to do more. Faber gave it everything he had though despite the broken hand, but Brown did everything he needed to do there.
WINNER: Brown via unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 48-47) to retain the WEC Featherweight Title shot.
POST FIGHT: Faber was hurting bad as they cut off his right glove. Faber hugged Brown before the announcement of the winner as well. Brown says Faber is a tough guy. He says Aldo is awesome. He comments on Faber's broken hand and said maybe it would have been more of a war. He's overcome a bit by emotion and he thanks his family. They go to Faber and his hand looked sick it was so swollen. He's hurting there. He said he hurt it halfway through the first and hurt both hands so he didn't have his weapons. He thanked the fans for coming out and said he'll be better next time.
STAR RATING: (****) Very exciting title fight and the crowd was insane throughout. It's a bit disappointing that Faber's broken hand really brought down what he was able to do through all five rounds.
RAMIFICATIONS: Brown will likely face Aldo next, but a third fight between theses two will be very welcome because it was great to watch with the injury involved and if both can be 100% throughout it might be even better next time. Brown is still King now in the featherweight division and it's going to take a lot to knock him off that perch.
-Well that was an absolutely great night of fights, for free, on Versus tonight. We got to see seven fights that were all very good, we got some awesome submissions, a great undercard brawl to a decision, a sweet flying knee from Jose Aldo and a great title fight to cap it off. This was one of the best shows the WEC has put on, and if you didn't get a chance to catch it live tonight make sure to search it out (Versus replays them all the time as it is!). Well thanks again for sticking with us here at MMATorch.com for this live rundown tonight, be sure to stay tuned for the fallout from this weekend's events as well as the hype for next weekend's UFC 99 from Cologne, Germany. There's no slowing down this summer so for all of your MMA news and analysis stick with us here at MMATorch.com.
DON'T GO YET... WE SUGGEST THESE MMATORCH ARTICLES, TOO!
Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
STAFF COLUMNISTS: Shawn Ennis - Jason Amadi
Frank Hyden - Rich Hansen
Chris Park - Matt Pelkey
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