WEC 42: Torres vs. Bowles, to be held Aug 9th, 2009 at the Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas NV and broadcast live on Versus at 9:00 p.m. E.T..
Main Event: Bantamweight Championship Bout
135#: Miguel Angel Torres (36-2) vs. Brian Bowles (8-0) wins by KO in RD!
Main Card
135#: Joseph Benavidez (10-1) vs. Dominick Cruz (14-1) wins by UD!
155#: Ricardo Lamas (6-1) vs. Danny Castillo (8-1) wins bt TKO in RD2!
135#: Jeff Curran (31-12-1) vs. Takeya Mizugaki (12-3-2) wins by SD! (Judge that picked Curran should be fired.)
Preliminary Card
145#: Leonard Garcia (17-4) vs. Jameel Massouh (21-6) wins by SD!
145#: Fredson Paixao (8-4) vs. Cole Province (7-1) wins by UD!
155#: Marcus Hicks (8-3) vs. Shane Roller (6-2) wins by UD!
155#: Phil Cardella (12-4) vs. Ed Ratcliff (7-1) wins by UD!
135#: Rani Yahya (15-4) vs. John Hosman (17-5-1) wins by Monson/North-South choke in RD1!
145#: Diego Nunes (13-0) vs. Rafael Dias (13-6-1) wins by UD!
145#: LC Davis (14-2) vs. Javier Vazquez (13-3) wins by SD! (Word is that it is BS!)
In a bout that has been long anticipated Brian Bowles will finally get his title shot at Bantamweight Champion, WEC superstar and fan favorite Miguel Torres. Bowles heavy hands, work ethic, pace and pressure have brought him to this point, and those are the qualities that will ensure that this is a highly entertaining fight. Miguel Torres is touted by many as one of MMA’s Pound-for-pound fighters because of his well-roundedness and consistent domination. On paper this fight appears to be a shoe-in for Torres, but what makes this otherwise is that KO power of Bowles. Regardless, Torres has more ways to win and much, much more experience. I expect Bowles to have his moments, but Torres to eventually come out on top.
In what has FOTN written all over it, and may end up stealing the show we have to animals in Joseph Benavidez and Dominick Cruz. Both guys have been stringing together some big wins, have aggressive, action paced styles, however have been putting together too many decision wins. It’s time for someone to get a finish! Don’t let the decision wins fool you. These guys are fin to watch!
After a SOLID performance in his attempt at Miguel’s belt in his last fight Takeya ‘Miz’ Mizugaki is trying to get back on winning track against Jeff Curran, whose role seems to have become the gatekeeper. Based on the war that he gave Torres, I don’t see Miz having much trouble handing Big Frog another loss. If Curran decides to stand and trade with Miz as Torres did, he will not fare well. Curran needs this on the ground and I’m not so sure his takedowns are good enough against the Miz.
The ALWAYS entertaining Leonard Garcia wants to erase the KO he was handed against Mike Brown, by taking out Jameel Massouh, who’s only appearance in the WEC was dropping a decision against Raphael Assuncao. So in essence, Garcia who is highly marketable is being given a fight where he should get a highlight KO and benefit the WEC’s marketing machine.
Other fights to keep an eye for are the Marcus Hicks vs. Shane Roller and the Rani Yahya vs. John Hosman fights. Hicks and Roller are both machines, both highly dangerous, but both coming off of losses. Roller was looking impressive in his last bout against Ben Henderson, in what appeared to be en route to winning, before getting caught and TKOed. Hicks was wrecking everyone before getting KOed by Jamie Varner and losing a decision to Rob McCollough. It’s safe to say Hicks needs a win here. This my “other” pick for FOTN.
Hosman is a replacement for Osawa and is a dark horse IMO. Rani Yahya is SCARY good with submissions on the ground and is very active. This should be an interesting style wise matchup.
Weigh-ins for “WEC 42: Torres vs. Bowles” take place Saturday, Aug. 8, at Body English at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. free and open to the public, commence at 7 p.m. ET (4 p.m. PT local time). Doors to the event open at 3 p.m. PT.
Stumble it!