Big Names Fighting This Weekend; Torres, Pulver, Bowles,Cruz[New Video...]
By KTW
– Senior Editor
It’s the little guys turn, to display their mma skills, and at an elite level. The WEC only has 3 weight divisions: bantamweight(135lbs), featherweight(145), and lightweight(155). Consensus opinion tend to say that the small weight divisions give the viewer the best fights. For one, they are tireless and tend to go all out every minute of the fight. As well, the action of the fight is faster and more casual fan appealing especially.
The WEC brings us yet another potentially action packed weekend. WEC 47 airs live on the Versus cable channel in the USA and on The Score in Canada. Fighters that will compete on this card are Brian Bowles (WEC Bantamweight Champ), Dominick Cruz, Miguel Torres (former WEC Bantamweight Champ), and longtime UFC veteran Jens Pulver (former UFC Lightweight Champ). Between these 4 guys, they have a combined record of 81-15, 30 ko’s, and 31 submission wins.
Also, there are 3 Chicagoland locals on this fight card in Torres, Bart Palaszewski, and Ricardo Lamas.
WEC 45 is held in Columbus, Ohio, less than a 6 hour drive from Chicago.
MAIN CARD
- Champ Brian Bowles vs. Dominick Cruz (for bantamweight title)
- Joseph Benavidez vs. Miguel Torres
- Jens Pulver vs. Javier Vazquez
- L.C. Davis vs. Deividas Taurosevicius
- Karen Darabedyan vs. Bart Palaszewski
PRELIMINARY CARD
- Chad George vs. Scott Jorgensen
- Erik Koch vs. Chad Mendes
- Danny Castillo vs. Anthony Pettis
- Leonard Garcia vs. George Roop
- Bendy Casimir vs. Ricardo Lamas
- Courtney Buck vs. Fredson Paixao
Here’s a quick synopsis of the noted fighters:
Miguel Torres(37-2; 22 submissions/9 ko’s)
…fighting style: Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu/Muay Thai
-the East Chicago, Indiana native looks to bounce back after a dominating knockout loss to Brian Bowles in his last fight. Torres was looked at as almost an unbeatable champion in the featherweight division (135lbs). He probably has the best conditioning and endurance level of any current mma fighter. As well, very few are as supremely crafty as Torres….always finding ways to go for submission and striking advantages in every way possible.
Even though Torres is from Indiana, he’s from northwest Indiana, which is basically an adopted area of Chicago; he has family connections as well. People who live in this area of Indiana are Chicago Bears fans, and not necessarily Indianapolis Colts fans. They follow Chicago sports teams. It’s just like the southern-most part of Illinois residents tend to follow the St. Louis Rams and Cardinals. Notre Dame is also rightfully mutually adopted by Chicago.
Miguel Torres vs. Jose Benevidez Fight Hype Video Interview from a few months ago, discussing how he will prepare for his next opponent, as well as comments about Kimbo Slice.
Jens “Little Evil” Pulver(22-12; 13 ko’s)
…fighting style: Shoot Boxing/Wrestling
-Pulver, the UFC first Lightweight Champion
-Pulver, the UFC’s first lightweight champion, is giving it another go-around. The likable tough guy has reached the very tailend of his fighting career. He has lost his last four fights, all to top level younger fighters. Now 35, Pulver believes he still has much fight in him. He faces Cuban fighter Javier Vasquez(13-4; 8 subs). Pulver first fought in UFC 22 in 2004.
-Pulver’s upbringings in an abusive household as a very young child, and his abilities over the years to rise himself and his family above it all, is what many long time mma fans have admired in him. One example, in a very harsh situation included an event where his father threatened him with a gun, but then said that ‘you’re not worth the bullet’. Pulver was 7 years old at the time.
Jens Pulver talks candidly about his family pass and his want and will to win as he heads toward the end of his fighting career:
Brian Bowles(8-0)
…fighting style: Wrestling/Boxing
Vs.
Dominick Cruz(14-1)
…fighting style: Boxing/Wrestling
And if you were to see two young athlete’s at the peak of their fighting game, look no further than Bowles vs. Cruz. Bowles upset the WEC golden boy Miguel Torres in his last fight to win the bantamweight belt. And Cruz’s only defeat was at featherweight against “The California Kid” Urijah Faber.
This will be a standup war. Bowles has world class knockout power, and Cruz has some of the best footwork, albeit unorthodox, in mma. His movement creates many punches from all angles. And on the ground, both fighters are well-versed and dangerous. Cruz has won has last 5 fights, the last 4 by unanimous decision.
Bowles and Cruz Talking About Each Other in Recent Interviews, from wec.tv.
In Japan this weekend, there’s also a huge matchup of world ranked middleweights in Champion Jorge Santiago (9th) vs. Mamed Khalidov (10th) for Sengoku’s middleweight(185lbs) title. This event, World Victory Road, airs Sunday March 7 on HDnet in the USA and Friday March 12 on HDNet Canada.
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- Miguel Torres Post Video Of His Surgery
- Rampage Jackson Says “I’m done fighting!”
- Fighting Wednesday…Roy Nelson, Kenny Florian, and Takanori Gomi
