Tapia-Wineland, Fabiano-Koch, Assuncao-Jabouin Likely for WEC 43
A trio of bouts have been added to the rumored lineup for WEC 43, which takes place on September 2 in Youngstown, Ohio as airs live on Versus. Bantamweights Manny Tapia and Eddie Wineland have agreed to square off and featherweight contenders Wagnney Fabiano and Rafael Assuncao will take on WEC newcomers Erik Koch and Yves Jabouin respectively.
Tapia-Wineland was first-reported by the Northwest Times of Indiana, while MMAjunkie was first to report Fabiano-Koch and Assuncao-Jabouin.
Tapia (10-2-1 MMA, 2-2 WEC) challenged for the WEC bantamweight title after going unbeaten in 11-straight fights to start his career, but came up short against title-holder Miguel Torres late last year, suffering a second-round TKO before losing to Akitoshi Tamura in May. Wineland (14-6-1 MMA, 1-2 WEC), who won the WEC bantamweight title in 2006 but lost it in his first attempted defense against Chase Beebe the following year, had won back-to-back fights before losing to Rani Yahya in April in his WEC return.
Fabiano (12-1 MMA, 2-0 WEC), the former IFL featherweight champ, was emerged as a 145-pound contender in the WEC with back-to-back victories over Akitoshi Tamura and Fredson Paixao to extend his unbeaten streak to 8-straight. Koch (8-0 MMA, 0-0 WEC) won two fights on a single night in April, defeating Tom Ahrens and Will Shutt via first-round rear naked chokes to earn a contract with the WEC.
Despite just one WEC bout, a unanimous decision over Jameel Massouh in April, Assuncao (13-1 MMA, 1-0 WEC) too is a featherweight contender, with wins in 5-straight fights following his lone career loss to bantamweight veteran Jeff Curran. Jabouin (14-4 MMA, 0-0 WEC) will make his WEC debut on a 4-fight win streak, most-recently beating JT Wells with a spinning back kick KO in November.
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[Pictured: Wagnney Fabiano]
Tags: Eddie Wineland, Erik Koch, manny tapia, Rafael Assuncao, Wagn, Wagnney Fabiano, Yves Jabouin
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Nice, can’t wait for this card. I really want to see Fabiano against Brown. That would be a great match-up.
Yeah,that would be a good fight.I remember seeing Fabiano fight years ago in the TKO org and being amazed at how good he was back then.
Lots of FW contenders making noise and making moves. Urijah Faber is going to fin it awfully crowded at the top when he comes back from his injury, and Mike Brown has go to be wondering where the f*ck all of these talented contenders are coming from.
I also think Brown should probably keep an eye on Fabiano. Anyone who beats Fredson Paixao shouldn’t be taken lightly, as Paixao is a fearsome submission grappler.
And even though I’m sure Tapia and Wineland will be a good fight, aren’t they really just fighting for the right to get beaten by Miguel Torres, who is probably the real best p4p fighter on the planet?
Sounds like a great card, which I’m looking forward to.
Fabiano is a real threat to anyone,he keeps getting better and is a hungry young contender. I feel that whomever challenges Brown, there will not be anymore easy fights at 145 for any 145 pounder now that 145 division is so stacked with guys who can do it all.
At 135, Tapia had his chance and i’m afraid it will be his only chacne because Miguel Torres is a complete fighter who is young and very focussed, but when it come to ranking him in the p4p best in the world, he for sure is on that list, but i’ve always felt that the true best p4p fighter would be someone who dominated more than 1 weight class, now GSP just destroyed the 155 champion, if he were to fight and beat A. Silva then he would for sure be the best p4p best fighter in the world, but i can’t call someone just dominating 1 weightclass the best p4p fighter because it’s just 1 weight class.