The WEC returns with another event tonight that has fallen a bit below the radar, but we've got a possible "Fight of the Year" on our hands in the main event as Mike Brown defends his WEC Featherweight Title for the third time against Jose Aldo. There's three other bouts guaranteed for tonight's broadcast, so stick here for a rundown of all the action as it airs tonight on Versus!
-Todd Harris opens up the show and brings in Frank Mir to break down the Champ Mike Brown and his Challenger Jose Aldo in tonight's main event.
FIGHT ONE: KAMAL SHALORUS VS. WILL KERR (LIGHTWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: We get right to the fights here tonight with Kamal Shalorus against Will Kerr in their WEC debuts. Shalorus takes the center and stalks Kerr against the cage. Shalorus drops Kerr with a big right and tries to follow up with some ground and pound but Kerr tries to wrap him up with a leg lock. Shalorus gets out of that predicament and they get back to their feet. Shalorus stays on him, throwing bomb after bomb. He catches him a few times and Kerr steps aside. He then drops him again and lands one more shot with Kerr on his knees and the fight is done.
[Commercial Break]
WINNER: Shalorus via TKO at 1:26 of the first round.
POST FIGHT: Shalorus said he knew what Kerr was going to do and was thinking 7 or 8 moves ahead. He said he's from a very small village in Iran and thanks the American fans for this opportunity.
STAR RATING: (**) Shalorus was very aggressive and showed some very strong hands in a good debut in the WEC, though it was a very one-sided bout and didn't last long.
FIGHT TWO: DANNY CASTILLO VS. SHANE ROLLER (LIGHTWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Castillo comes out to the center and both fighters take turns pawing some jabs and feeling out the reach of the other. Castillo rushes in and lands a couple of good looking body punches. Castillo pops in with a couple of solid jabs after Roller lands a leg kick. Roller throws a big overhand right and shoots for a takedown, but Castillo stuffs it. Roller locks him up against the cage and continues to try to get him to the ground. Castillo got himself loose and pushed off to separate, however. Castillo lands a good left hook and rushes in, getting a takedown of his own. Roller pops up, though, and they get back to their feet and separate. Castillo bobs away from a few big punches thrown from Roller. Roller moves forward with some nice jabs and just misses a big finishing punch. Castillo gets Roller down but Roller sweeps through and goes for a guillotine. Castillo gets out and then rushes in to get yet another takedown. Roller pulls guard and Castillo tries to begin some ground and pound. Roller holds control of Castillo from the bottom for much of the last minute, though Castillo gets in a few good punches before the round comes to a close.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Castillo. Three takedowns for Castillo and a bit of ground and pound edge the round to his favor with a fairly even performance in the stand up game. Good start to the fight.
[Commercial Break]
ROUND TWO: Both fighters try to land some big punches in the early going with nothing landing. Castillo ends up shooting in for another takedown but gets stuffed. He lands a couple of really good body punches before separating. He comes forward with a good combination but then Roller rushes him with a number of punches. Castillo drops down and trips him, and then stands until Roller can eventually make it back to his feet. Castillo again dropped down and Roller landed a good knee. Roller landed a good jab, and then got in another good knee to the jaw. Roller finally shot in and got a takedown on Castillo and moved to mount against the cage. He tried to lock in a guillotine, but Castillo got out of that spot. He gave up his back, however, and Castillo ate a number of shots as Roller got his hooks locked in. Roller continues to land shot after shot to the side of the head as he keeps trying to roll out. Roller got up too high and Castillo was able to slip him off. Castillo landed a couple of punches as Roller stood back up. Castillo lands another punch as the round ends.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Roller. He came very close to finishing the fight in that round, but to Castillo's credit he got out of the spot and landed a few blows of his own before the round ended.
[Commercial Break]
ROUND THREE: Castillo took back the role of stalker to start the third. He went back to a big body shot early. Roller shot in but Castillo sprawled beautifully and got on top of Roller into his half guard. Castillo tried to posture up and launch down with a punch but Roller got his leg in the way. Castillo stayed on a rolling Roller and moved into the mount with nearly three minutes left in the fight. Roller bucked Castillo off of him and Castillo let him stand back up. Roller landed a left and now has to do something to steal back the round. He does just that by picking Castillo up and slamming him down and immediately taking his back. He locked in the rear naked choke and, after some struggle, he forces Castillo to tap. Todd Harris called it a guillotine more than once there.
[Commercial Break]
WINNER: Roller via submission (rear naked choke) at 3:32 of the third round.
POST FIGHT: Roller said Castillo was very tough in the second, and he saw a spot in the third when Castillo lifted his chin. He said he'd be disappointed in anything other than a Title shot in his next fight.
STAR RATING: (***+) Excellent fight between these two. It was very evenly matched and both fighters had some good to great offense in all three rounds, and the back and forth was very fun to watch, with the result in doubt until that final sequence. Good stuff from these guys.
[Commercial Break]
-They give us a preview on next month's WEC 45 card live on Versus before bringing in that night's main event fighters Donald Cerrone and Ed Ratcliff to interview them cageside. Ratcliff says he's training for a 360 fight. He says Cerrone's been in some wars and he's ready to get in one himself. Cerrone says they can go toe to toe and he's good to go. He says Varner is still in his sights.
[Commercial Break]
FIGHT THREE: ROB MCCULLOUGH VS. KAREN DARABEDYAN (LIGHTWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Darabedyan pops in and they trade shots early with both landing a number of solid shots to the head before Karen steps back out. McCullough holds him at bay a bit with a couple of leg kicks, but then Darabedyan comes back in with a flurry again. Karen lands a good three punch combo and Frank Mir drops an "f" bomb on commentary describing it. Karen gets in with another combination with McCullough getting a couple in himself. Darabedyan again makes first contact as McCullough tries to continue throwing leg kicks. McCullough comes in with a good combination after a leg kick. Darabedyan comes right back however and tags him with a few more of his own. Darabedyan timed the leg kick correctly from McCullough and caught him with a straight left again. Darabedyan with more combinations and his hands are looking great in this round. He catches him once more before the round ends.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Darabedyan. He's showing off some very good striking skills thus far in this bout. Very impressive debut thus far.
[Commercial Break]
ROUND TWO: McCullough lands an early blow that opens a cut under the right eye of Darabedyan. He works the jab and McCullough stays with the leg kicks. Darabedyan catches one and shoots in for the takedown. McCullough gets into guard and Darabedyan postures up and drops a couple of elbows down onto McCullough. McCullough goes for a foot lock and gets Darabedyan off of him and they make it back to their feet. McCullough gets tagged again. Darabedyan pops in with another good combination. Karen lands the jab again. He backs away from a couple of punches from McCullough. McCullough then lands two good body kicks but eats a couple of punches. Darabedyan gets another two punch combo in and another as McCullough lands a kick-punch combo of his own. Darabedyan pops McCulloughs head back just before the round ends.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Darabedyan. The takedown, ground and pound and slight nod in the striking department gave him that round.
[Commercial Break]
ROUND THREE: Darabedyan lands a straight jab early. McCullough tags him with the leg kick again. Back to it on the inside as well. Darabedyan throws a punch and shoots but McCullough sprawls nicely and holds it off. Karen hits him with a right as he backs away. He gets in with the straight jab again and lands an inside leg kick of his own. He does it again as McCullough comes forward and trips him up slightly. McCullough lands two good counter punches. McCullough with the inside leg kick again and then they both exchange punches. Back to the inside leg kick. Inside leg kick from Karen. Both land jabs at the same time. They exchange combos with Darabedyan getting the best of it. McCullough gets the body kick in again but eats a punch. Darabedyan with another good straight jab. McCullough back to a punch-kick combo with the body kick. Darabedyan lands a few more jabs and a good left hook. Darabedyan tags him with a big left and McCullough tries to goad him into a standoff at the end of the round.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 McCullough. Tough round to score there, with both getting success with their respective attacks, McCullough with the body kicks and Darabedyan with the jabs and combos. McCullough edges it on aggression and likely more damage from those kicks. This will come down to how the second and third were seen by the cageside judges.
[Commercial Break]
WINNER: Darabedyan via split decision (30-27, 27-30, 29-28)
STAR RATING: (***) Hell of a fight, but I don't see how that judge gave McCullough all three rounds. 30-27 and 29-28 make sense for Darabedyan, but there's not a chance McCullough should have taken that first round on any scorecard.
-Todd Harris and Frank Mir bring in Junior Seau for an interview about his new show on Versus "Sports Jobs" where he steps into the shoes of the guys that make it possible for pro athletes to do what they do.
[Commercial Break]
FIGHT FOUR: LEONARD GARCIA VS. MANVEL GAMBURYAN (FEATHERWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Gamburyan came out chasing Garcia down against the cage. Garcia stepped in with a leg kick and Manny kept the center of the cage. Garcia hopped around the outside. Manny finally engaged and caught an uppercut to the jaw as he was going in for a shot. He recovered alright and they got back to their feet. He landed a good leg kick but ate a hook from Garcia. Garcia lands a good left hook. Manny shoots in but Garcia holds off the takedown and gets clinched against the cage. Manny lands a knee low and then gets a second one in before Herb Dean separates them and gives Garcia time to recover. Manny lands a good punch and then grabs Garcia for a takedown. Garcia pops right back up and Gamburyan stays on him against the cage. Garcia keeps himself on his feet and lands a couple of knees to the body in the clinch with his back on the cage. He gets another good one in there before they are separated. Garcia lands a left kick to the head but Manny keeps coming forward. Manny shoots in for a takedown but eats a big kick as he comes in and Garcia holds off the shot again.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Garcia. Much more devastating striking along with some good takedown defense took that one for him.
[Commercial Break]
ROUND TWO: Garcia takes the center to start the second round. He slips as he throws a high kick and Manny comes after him. Gamburyan misses a big punch and slips. Garcia gets in a good right hand and gets back to the center. Garcia gets in another two punch combo. He comes forward and lands another uppercut as Manny shoots in. Garcia holds off the takedown once again against the cage, but Manny finally gets him briefly to the ground. He lands about four shots as Garcia gets back up to his feet. Gamburyan holds him against the cage but Garcia rolls out and separates. Garcia misses a high kick but stays in the center. Garcia lands two big right hand shots but overshoots Gamburyan. Manny shoots in, picks him up and slams him down. Gamburyan moves to half guard and Garcia tries to roll out. Manny pops up and lands a few shots from top position. Garcia gets his legs out and gets to one knee. Manny throws some knees to the thigh but Garcia gets up. Manny immediately takes him back down, though.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Gamburyan. He came back with a couple of takedowns and a bit of ground and pound mixed with some good strikes and aggressiveness of his own.
[Commercial Break]
ROUND THREE: Garcia lands a couple of big blows early and Gamburyan responds with one of his own. Manny lands a big right as Garcia moved in but then slipped when he went for another punch.Manny again lands a big combination. Garcia drops his hands and dares Manny to hit him. Gamburyan lands a left and Garcia stares into him. Gamburyan then shot in and got a takedown. Garcia tried to hold on and Gamburyan lifted up and slammed down. Gamburyan passes to half guard. Garcia tries to roll through and gets to his feet. Manny stays on him as he tried to break free. Gamburyan took his back and threw some knees to the thigh before picking him up and taking dropping him briefly. Manny stays on the single leg as Garcia tries to hold him off. Manny is relentless here and finally gets Garcia down again. He throws a couple of shots from the half guard against the cage. Manny starts throwing wildly as Garcia transitions out at the last second, getting to his feet just before the buzzer.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Gamburyan. Multiple takedowns, some big punches and a relentless attack against the cage in the last two minutes sealed the fight for Manny.
[Commercial Break]
WINNER: Gamburyan via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
POST FIGHT: Manny says Leonard is a tough, tough guy and thanked his sponsors and his fans. He said he survived today and Garcia was a good fighter.
STAR RATING: (***-) Another good fight here on this card, and Gamburyan is finding some success here in the featherweight division since dropping down from the UFC's lightweight division. Garcia simply hasn't been very impressive in his last two bouts after getting choked out by Mike Brown earlier this year.
[Commercial Break]
MAIN EVENT FIGHT FIVE: MIKE BROWN VS. JOSE ALDO (FEATHERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP)
ROUND ONE: Brown walked around the outside early, looking for an opening. He pushed forward with a jab. Aldo lands an uppercut to start but eats a couple from the Champ. Big kick lands from Aldo. Brown gets in close but Aldo pushes him off and they separate. Aldo lands a good leg kick after a combination. Brown backs him off with a combo. Aldo just misses a big uppercut. Aldo lands a really good leg kick. Brown gets in with a good left hook. Brown lands a good body kick. He adds a straight kick as well. Aldo lands a good body kick of his own. He tags Brown with a big punch and follows up with three more that come close to rocking the Champ before he shoots in and pushes the challenger against the cage. Aldo holds it off against the cage and he lands a good knee to the body. Brown grabs a body lock and tries to take him down but Aldo stays with him across the mat and gets back to his feet against the cage. Brown lands a few good knees to the body in the clinch with a minute and a half left. Brown threw some good knees to the thigh before backing off and separating. Aldo popped him with a good jab and then a good body kick. Brown tagged him with a left hook. Straight kick from Brown pushes Aldo back momentarily. Aldo throws a high kick but it doesn't land. He pops up with a flying knee to the body. Brown keeps pressing until the round comes to an end.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Aldo. Defending the takedowns like he did along with the most damage in the round with his four punch combo take the first round for the challenger.
[Commercial Break]
ROUND TWO: Brown comes forward right off the bat and lands a punch. Aldo lands a spinning back kick and lands a couple more punches before Brown shoots in. Aldo holds him off and forces him to stand. He gets Brown to the ground, gets to mount and then takes Brown's back. He flattens him out and throws a number of uncontested shots, forcing Steve Mazzagatti to stop the fight and we've got a new WEC Featherweight Champion.
WINNER: Aldo via TKO at 1:20 of the second round to become WEC Featherweight Champion.
POST FIGHT: Aldo said Mike was very strong and was respecting him in the fight until he found a spot to take advantage. Brown said Aldo was landing the shots and he wasn't, and he gave Aldo credit for being a great fighter. He said Aldo exposed some of his holes and he'll have to go back and figure things out.
STAR RATING: (***) The ending felt very anticlimactic and didn't get a big reaction from live crowd, but Jose Aldo proved he's the real deal in the featherweight division, and he's more than a deserving Champion. He rocked Brown on a few occasions and forced the now former Champ to go on the defensive. His striking was already a proven commodity, but we got to see a bit of his excellent ground credentials as well. The set up to the finishing sequence was excellent with a quick transition to mount and then immobilizing Brown once he had the back and had his hooks in. He's going to be a very tough Champion to dethrone.
-That's another event in the books for the WEC. They didn't produce any "Fight of the Year" candidates on this particular night, but as always there wasn't a bad fight in the bunch on this Versus event. They'll be back on Versus next month with Donald Cerrone vs. Ed Ratcliff, but for tonight we've got ourselves another Title change in 2009 to go along with Brian Bowles' victory over Miguel Torres this August. Jose Aldo very well could hold onto that belt until he decides otherwise with the way he was able to handle Mike Brown tonight, and we'll all be looking forward to seeing who emerges as his first challenger.
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