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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
Todd Harris and Kenny Florian open up the broadcast on Versus as the WEC is back after taking a near two month break following the organization's first pay-per-view in April. They break down the main event tonight between Jamie Varner and Kamal Shalorus before discussing the rest of the night's fight card.
FIGHT ONE: EDDIE WINELAND VS. WILL CAMPUZANO (BANTAMWEIGHT)
[COMMERCIAL BREAK]
ROUND ONE: Wineland came to the center and Campuzano landed a couple of jabs. Wineland landed a very hard leg kick. After some posturing from both fighters, Campuzano lands a good leg kick. They're both testing the range early. Campuzano gets in another hard leg kick. Wineland landed a leg kick again. He caught one from Campuzano and got in a nice right. Campuzano got in a leg kick again. Neither fighter wants to really engage here yet, and they've both been hopping around the cage a bit here in this round. Wineland got in a nice combo as he ate a kick. Wineland rocked Campuzano with a right as he caught another kick, but he let him get up. Wineland gets in with a couple more lefts and then pops out. Campuzano pushed in with a nice right. He got in a high kick as well but Wineland took it. Wineland caught another kick and knocked Campuzano down with two punches. Good start.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Wineland. He got a couple of knockdowns in a round that didn't pick up until the last couple of minutes, but Campuzano's right in this one.
[Commercial Break]
ROUND TWO: Campuzano landed a nice uppercut early on. They trade jabs. Wineland circled on the outside and popped in with short combos. Campuzano got in a few shots of his own from the center. Wineland gets in again with a nice combination and he pops out. Campuzano landed a couple of kicks. Wineland's head movement is really good here and he gets in with another right. Campuzano lands with another leg kick. Wineland catches a body kick from Campuzano but couldn't counter the kick. Wineland pops in with a huge combination that really hurt Campuzano. He went back to the cage and Wineland continued slamming him with punches. Campuzano somehow survives and gets to his feet and he starts swinging back. He lands a couple of big punches and the crowd is going crazy. Wineland stayed on him against the cage and dropped him with a punch to the sternum, and he landed one more on the ground before the ref stopped it. Awesome final two minutes there.
[Commercial Break]
WINNER: Wineland via TKO at 4:44 of the second round
STAR RATING: (***-) The final couple of minutes were extremely exciting, and Campuzano showed a ton of heart to survive the initial onslaught and still nearly come back in the round. Wineland was impressive and that body shot at the end was vicious.
FIGHT TWO: CHRIS HORODECKI VS. DANNY DOWNES (LIGHTWEIGHT)
[Commercial Break]
ROUND ONE: Horodecki walked Downes to the cage, landed a few punches and shot in for the takedown. Downes held him off for a bit but Horodecki stayed on him and completed the takedown. Downes nearly got free with a sweep but Horodecki grabbed for a guillotine and pulled guard, but he couldn't lock it on and he let it go. Downes got up the cage and Horodecki landed a couple of knees and stayed on Downes on the cage. Downes got in a couple of punches and elbows and they jockeyed for position. Horodecki grabbed a body lock and pulled Downes to the ground. Downes tried to escape by rolling off the fence but Horodecki stayed on him in half guard. Horodecki passed to mount and Downes gave up his back. Horodecki got the hooks in and went for the rear naked choke. Downes tried to hold off the choke attempt and then Horodecki lost his hold and his footing. Downes worked up to his feet and landed a couple of punches before Horodecki pushed his back to the cage. He kept him there as the round came to an end.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Horodecki. He controlled that round and nearly had two submissions locked on, very clear round for him.
[Commercial Break]
ROUND TWO: Horodecki lands a couple of big punches early and Downes came back with some of his own. Downes tried to chase Horodecki down and the Canadian landed a couple of spinning back kicks to the body. He landed a nice uppercut. Downes tried to come forward and Horodecki landed a big combination. Horodecki lands the spinning back kick to the body and Downes is hurting. Horodecki comes forward with another nice combination, and he's absolutely picking Downes apart here. He continued the punching assault before grabbing a hold of him and pushing him to the cage. He took him down briefly, but Downes was able to work his way back to the cage. Horodecki goes back to landing combinations and backing out. He's getting in nice body shots in there as well. He presses in and gets Downes to the cage again. He separates with a nice right hand. He comes in with another three punch combo. Downes tries to chase Horodecki down but he's got very little energy right now. Horodecki lands another combo before the round ends.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Horodecki. He's dominating this fight right now and Downes has slowed considerably.
[Commercial Break]
ROUND THREE: Downes tries to rush in with punches and they exchange. Horodecki stops the rush by shooting in and taking him down into half guard. Downes tried to roll out and got to his knees and Horodecki took his back and got the rear naked choke. Downes tried to hold off but it was in tight and he was forced to tap. Great performance from Horodecki start to finish.
[Commercial Break]
WINNER: Horodecki via submission (rear naked choke) at 1:09 of the third round
STAR RATING: (***) Horodecki was excellent in this fight. Downes took it on short notice and put up a good fight until the end, but Horodecki was much more prepared and picked him apart throughout. Horodecki just looked very good in the fight and it was a fun and exciting fight.
[Commercial Break]
-Todd Harris talks to Anthony Pettis cageside, who talks about preparing for his fight in August with Shane Roller.
-Harris and Florian break down the fights that are coming to the August fight card, featuring Urijah Faber's drop to bantamweight and the Bantamweight Championship bout between Dominick Cruz and Joseph Benavidez.
FIGHT THREE: JOSH GRISPI VS. LC DAVIS (FEATHERWEIGHT)
[Commercial Break]
ROUND ONE: Grispi stalked Davis down early, though neither fighter engaged in the first minute as they were gauging the range. Grispi landed a leg kick but ate a couple of counter punches. He continued to go with the low kicks and tried to avoid the counters from Davis. He worked the legs pretty well with his kicks and went with some body kicks as well. Grispi got in a nice combo with kicks. Davis shot in and got a takedown but Grispi grabbed a tight guillotine. Davis tried to throw a punch and then he went limp. Wow. Grispi is just good, that's all you can say. Davis took him down hard, but as he was taking him down Grispi set up the choke and then transitioned to a better position on his back. Awesome submission and another big win for Grispi in the WEC.
[Commercial Break]
WINNER: Grispi via technical submission (guillotine choke) at 2:33 of the first round
STAR RATING: (***) Josh Grispi is just an awesome fighter to watch. At 14-1 and only 21 years of age, Grispi is consistently one of the most exciting fighters under the WEC banner. I still don't know that he's ready for Jose Aldo, but I think he'll be next in line after Manny Gamburyan gets his shot, and it will be a hell of a featherweight fight to watch.
[Commercial Break]
PRELIM FIGHT A: ERIK KOCH VS. BENDY CASIMIR (FEATHERWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Koch tried to find his range early with the jab. He landed a hard leg kick to the lead leg of Casimir. Casimir shot in and grabbed a single leg, but Koch held it off and kept on his feet as Casimir clinched him against the cage. Koch landed a couple of knees. Casimir tried to throw Koch but he wound up on his back with Koch in the half guard. Koch landed a couple of elbows before Casimir pulled him back to guard. Koch tried to pass to mount but Casimir kept him in half guard to the other side. Casimir pulled off a nice sweep and got himself into top position, but Koch threw up and locked on a tight triangle. He landed some elbows from the bottom and Casimir tried to roll through. He wasn't getting out of that position, however, and he was finally forced to tap. That was a very nice move into that submission in transition. Good stuff.
WINNER: Koch via submission (triangle choke) at 3:01 of the first round
STAR RATING: (**+) Another very exciting short fight here. It was spent mostly on the ground, but Koch did a great job in transition to slap on that triangle choke, and he had it on tight. That was a very nice win by Koch.
FIGHT FOUR: MARK HOMINICK VS. YVES JABOUIN (FEATHERWEIGHT)
[Commercial Break]
ROUND ONE: Jabouin threw a few jabs and a leg kick at the start of the round. Hominick got in with a punch and then blocked a head kick. Jabouin is popping in and out around the cage. Hominick got in with a good right. Jabouin is staying very active on the outside right now. Hominick caught a kick but he wasn't able to capitalize. Hominick ate some more kicks and then pressed forward with a good combination. They traded body kicks. Jabouin lands a few jabs and some more kicks as he continues to circle on the outside. Jabouin lands a kick and then slips on a spinning kick. Hominick walks in and lands a good combo. Jabouin comes right back at him and pops him with some good punches. Hominick lands a couple of good punches. He continues to try to press the action but Jabouin is continuously moving and throwing punches. Hominick again gets in with some good punches. Jabouin lands another one. Hominick catches a kick and throws Jabouin aside. Hominick walked him down to the cage and landed a hard left. He got him to the cage and teed off with a couple of punches before Jabouin circled out. Another right landed from Hominick. He got in a nice combo and a body shot. Jabouin continues to land with kicks and punches. Hominick lands a big body punch. Both fighters swing as the round comes to an end. Fast paced start to the fight.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Jabouin. Hominck did his fair share of damage, but Jabouin was constantly moving as well as throwing and landing strikes the entire round. He was throwing a ridiculous amount of strikes.
[Commercial Break]
ROUND TWO: the furious pace of the first round continues at the outset. Hominick gets in a couple of really hard punches. He's starting to land a lot more effective strikes. Jabouin lands with a spinning elbow to the temple and Hominick takes it. He lands a big right hand. This is just action packed right now. Hominick goes back to the body punch. He presses Jabouin back to the cage with a big right. Jabouin landed a straight elbow. Hominick dropped Jabouin with a body punch and threw a bunch of punches, but Jabouin recovered and stood back up. He tried to throw a an elbow and Hominick stayed on him. He got back up and dropped Hominick with a huge punch! This is insanity. He drops down with a few punches. Hominick sweeps him and gets right into mount. He throws some more body shots and unleashes a ton of strikes. The ref continues to tell Jabouin to improve his position, but Hominick continues the assault and the ref stops it. That was an incredible fight.
[Commercial Break]
WINNER: Hominick via TKO at 3:21 of the second round
STAR RATING: (****-) That was an incredibly fast paced and infinitely enjoyable fight. That second round was more insane than the Jung-Garcia bout from WEC 48, and was much more technically soundl. Both fighters got in some near fight finishing shots there, Hominick with the body punch and Jabouin with a huge right that dropped Hominick, but the body shots took their toll by the time Hominick got to mount and Jabouin couldn't do anything but cover up. This is a must-see fight, and up there as one of the better fights of the year. This event may not have had much casual interest or much promotional push at all, but it's delivering one of the more enjoyable nights of fights overall this year. Awesome, awesome stuff.
PRELIM FIGHT B: KAREN DARABEDYAN VS. WILL KERR (LIGHTWEIGHT)
[COMMERCIAL BREAK]
ROUND ONE Kerr pushes in quickly with a combination and clinches Darabedyan against the cage. He lands a couple of body punches and they exchange knees. Kerr lands a couple of short punches and they jockey for position. Darabedyan turns him around and then trips him up to take him to the ground. Kerr walked his leg up the cage and threw it in front of Darabedyan's face to lock the arm bar in. Darabedyan had no choice but to tap. Excellent submission.
WINNER: Kerr via submission (armbar) at 1:20 of the first round
STAR RATING: (**+) Very nice submission from Kerr. He broke down after the fight due to the big upset, but that was just a good performance. He surprised Darabedyan early, and even though he got taken down he stayed active and used the cage to set up that armbar. Good stuff from Kerr.
[Commercial Break]
MAIN EVENT FIGHT FIVE: JAMIE VARNER VS. KAMAL SHALORUS (LIGHTWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Shalorus tried to walk Varner down early but Varner popped in with a nice right hand. Shalorus comes forward with a hard leg kick. He ate a right from Varner as he came in. They both got in punches close in an exchange. Varner lands a head kick but it didn't have a lot on it. Varner got in with a big right hand from Shalorus and popped out. Shalorus got in with a nice right. He landed a kick, Varner tried to counter but then he tagged Varner with a few punches. Varner pushed in again with another right hand. Shalorus lands a couple of nice leg kicks but Varner pushed him back with a combo. Varner got in a leg kick. He landed another good right. Varner again popped in quick with a right. Varner circled the outside again. He rocked Shalorus with a big right and tried to walk him down. Shalorus recovered and landed some punches of his own before separating and playing to the crowd. Varner circled around the outside again with a minute left. Shalorus shot for a single and Varner got out. He landed a two punch combo and Shalorus countered. Shalorus landed a body kick. He pressed Varner to the cage late and landed a big combo. Varner came right back at him with some big punches. Varner circles out again and lands a punch before the round ends. Awesome start to the fight.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Varner. Shalorus was getting in his shots and kept the center of the cage, but Varner was scoring and doing damage with combinations and kicks throughout. Very good back and forth round there to start this main event.
[Commercial Break]
ROUND TWO: Varner threw a high kick early but Shalorus continued to come forward. He landed a couple of leg kicks early. Varner lands a couple of big punches and Shalorus tried to throw some of his own, but he didn't land. Shalorus caught Varner low with a kick and Varner took time to recover. Shalorus has tagged him a couple of times before but he didn't need any time. This time he just needed a minute and he was good to go. Shalorus got in with a body kick but Varner tagged him with a nice right. Varner popped in again with a two punch combo. Shalrous pushed forward with a body kick. Shalorus again caught Varner low with a kick to the groin. That's the fourth time he caught him and it cost him a point this time. Josh Rosenthal gives Varner his five minutes to recover. This last one was a direct shot. Varner didn't take his whole time and they restarted again with three minutes left in the round. Varner got in with another combination. Shalorus stalked him down again, but Varner pushes back with a combo. Shalorus got in another kick. Varner rocked Shalorus with a huge right and tried to capitalize but Shalorus recovered again and played to the crowd. He's taking a ton of punishment in this fight. Varner goes to the high kick again, and he throws a few more as Shalorus tries to get after him. Shalorus landed a nice counter left as Varner tried to pop in. Shalorus continued to try to stalk Varner down. Varner tried to circle on the outside and Shalorus cut him off. Varner got in a combo but Shalorus landed a shot. Varner circled on the outside and he slipped on a high kick, but Shalorus couldn't do anything. Shalorus landed a nice combo and Varner landed another combo before the round ends.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-8 Varner. He's landing the more significant strikes, and he's had Shalorus hurt on a number of occasions, and the point deduction takes another from Shalorus here. He'll need to finish the fight in the third.
ROUND THREE: Shalorus landed an early high kick. Shalorus kicked Varner low again. That was again right between his legs to the cup. Jesus. No man deserves these types of low blows over and over again. Varner's trying to get another point taken away, but he restarts. There's still a lot of time left in this fight. Shalorus lands a couple of kicks to the body. Varner gets in an outside leg kick. Shalorus continued to throw the kicks and press forward. Varner pushed in with a punch and a kick. Shalorus presses in, but Varner pops him with a combo. The crowd is cheering for Varner. Varner comes in and Shalorus finally grabs a leg and takes him down into Varner's guard. Varner lands a couple of elbows from the bottom as Shalorus throws some punches from the top. Varner controls his posture and doesn't allow him to do a whole lot in this position. This is a smart strategy by Varner here as the time is ticking and he's way ahead in the fight. Shalorus can't break free, and he's throwing some open hand strikes to the body as he may have broken one or both of his hands. Varner continues to tie him up and occasionally throws some elbows from the bottom. Varner tries to escape and finally tosses Shalorus off and gets to his feet with 40 seconds left. Varner circles on the outside and gets another Varner chant from the crowd. He lifted his arms with ten seconds left and shot in for a leg as the round ended.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Shalorus. Varner was well ahead from the first two rounds and did a good job negating Shalorus on the ground. He survived some terrible low blows and another broken hand to pick up the win tonight. He's in a ton of pain as he's getting the tape cut off his hand. The side of his hand is disgusting. That's a major break.
WINNER: Draw (29-27, 27-29, 28-28)
POST FIGHT: Wow, that's a joke of a decision. Varner said after the fight said he broke his right foot and hand, and he said the decision was bogus. He gives Shalorus credit for being the toughest fighter that you've now heard of. Shalorus tried to say he's not a cheat and he didn't mean to kick him low. I can't believe how terrible that decision is. Rosenthal should have taken the point from Shalorus in the third as well for the low kick, and that would have taken care of it. Unbelievably bad job by the judge that had it a draw, but especially the judge that gave all three rounds to Shalorus, with a 9-9 in the second for the point deduction. That's an awful, awful scorecard.
STAR RATING: (**+) The fight, when the action was going on, was very exciting with a lot of good exchanges, but the low blows and the completely B.S. decision take away from the enjoyment of the fight.
-Well, the main event decision, along with the low kicks, keep it from being the best fight card of the year, but it was certainly heading there with some really, really good action including an amazing fight between Mark Hominick and Yves Jabouin that did what I thought was the impossible and rivaled the excitement of the Garcia-Jung bout from WEC 48. The WEC never disappoints, and this was an excellent, excellent event. If you missed it, make sure to catch it when it replays most likely sometime later this week.
Thanks for joining us for live coverage tonight, be sure to stick with us throughout the week for the fall out from all of the events from the past week as well as coverage of Bellator's final season two event on Thursday as well as the return of Fedor Emelianenko this Saturday on Showtime.
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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