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WEC 45 Likely for December 19 in Las Vegas

Kris Karkoski — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 18:00:12 +0000

World Extreme Cagefighting is expected to remain in Las Vegas through the end of the year, as the promotion’s rumored WEC 45 event will reportedly take place on December 19 in Sin City, likely at The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino.

The Versus-televised event follows November’s WEC 44 card, which will be held at The Pearl at The Palms in Las Vegas and is headlined by featherweight champ Mike Brown vs. challenger Jose Aldo.

Originally expected to feature the return of lightweight champ Jamie Varner against recently-crowned interim title-holder Ben Henderson as well as the return of former featherweight champ Urijah Faber, it remains to be seen what matchup will headline the event as Henderson’s injuries suffered in last weekend’s win over Donald Cerrone will sideline him until early next year and Faber’s return is currently slated for January.

During the latest installment of ESPN’s “MMA Live,” Cerrone’s teammate Rashad Evans said “The Cowboy” could get his anticipated rematch with Varner with Henderson hurt, and the Cerrone-Varner matchup appears to be a possibility to headline WEC 45, though a non-title bout, including the return of former bantamweight king Miguel Torres, could be tapped for the WEC 45 main event.

One confirmed participant for WEC 45 is Bart Palaszewski, who returns to the WEC after scoring a knockout win outside the promotion earlier this month.

For the latest WEC 45 news and WEC 45 rumors stay tuned to MMAFrenzy.com.

Mackens Semerzier Will Replace Injured Erik Koch Against Wagnney Fabiano

Justin H — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 17:40:27 +0000

WEC newcomer Mackens Semerzier is stepping in as a short notice replacement for Erik Koch against Wagnney Fabiano at WEC 43 on October 10. The change in the featherweight bout was announced by Semerzier on his facebook page, and was later confirmed by NWI.com.

Semerzier spends part of his time training under the tutelage of former WEC bantamweight champion Miguel Torres, and has compiled an undefeated record in his five fight career. All five of the former Marine’s bouts have ended decisively, with four submissions and one TKO.

Fabiano is a top contender in the WEC featherweight division, having only suffered one loss in his thirteen fight career, that at the hands of Jeff Curran in October 2006. Fabiano, who trains with upcoming title challenger Jose Aldo, was last in action at WEC 40 against Fredson Paixao earning a unanimous decision victory.

Stay tuned to MMAFrenzy.com for the latest WEC news and WEC rumors.

Pictured: Wagnney Fabiano

Quick Hits: Anderson Silva to Undergo Surgery, “Cro Cop” Not Retiring, Fedor-Rogers in Chicago, and More

Kris Karkoski — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 14:39:03 +0000

Ratings for the second episode of The Ultimate Fighter 10 dropped 29 percent to 2.9 million from the series record 4.1 million who tuned in for the TUF 10 debut. [Spike TV]
Strikeforce recently announced the signing of notable lightweight Vitor “Shaolin” Ribeiro (20-3), who is 1-1 in 2009 including a loss to Shinya Aoki in his most-recent bout. [Strikeforce]
The lineup for WEC 43 on October 18 in San Antonio has undergone a number of changes over the last week as Rafael Rebello, Mark Hominick, and Akitoshi Tamura have all been forced to withdraw from the card due to injuries. Noah Thomas vs. Scott Jorgensen, Javier Vasquez vs. Deividas Taurosevicius, and Will Campuzano vs. Damacio Page are now set for the Versus-televised event. [WEC]
A November 7 Strikeforce event headlined by Fedor Emelianenko vs. Brett Rogers will take place at the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates, Illinois just outside Chicago. Tickets for the CBS-televised event go on sale today at Ticketmaster.com using the presale passcode “Explode,” while tickets will go on sale to the general public on Monday. [Strikeforce]
Strikeforce lightweight champion Josh Thomson recently re-broke his leg while training and will be sidelined until December, when he hopes to fight at a December 19 Showtime-televised Strikeforce event in a rematch with interim title-holder Gilbert Melendez. [MMA Weekly]
Despite reports earlier this week that Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic was retiring, the heavyweight veteran will apparently fight at least one more time, according to reports out of Croatia.
Looking to capitalize off the UFC’s promotional push behind the UFC 105 main event between Randy Couture and Brandon Vera, Strikeforce has booked its own Couture-Vera matchup, as Kim Couture and Kerry Vera will square off at a likely November 20 event. [Strikeforce]
A broken hand suffered in his recent win over Jason Riley will prevent Tim Sylvia from making his DREAM debut on October 25 as scheduled, with the former UFC heavyweight now expected to fight at DREAM’s New Year’s Eve event. [Sherdog]
Satoshi Ishii vs. Hidehiko Yoshida will headline a New Year’s Eve Sengoku event directly opposite rival DREAM’s New Year’s Eve show. The promotion also confirmed participants for its November 7 Sengoku 11 event, including Hatsu Hioki vs. Michihiro Omigawa, Jorge Santiago, Kevin Randleman, and Akihiro Gono. [Sengoku]
MMA returns to the Tachi Palace Hotel & Casino in Lemoore, California on October 8, as Chad Mendes, War Machine, and Joe Soto highlight the debut on Tachi Palace Fights. [TPF]
UFC middleweight champ Anderson Silva will be sidelined briefly to recover from a surgery to have bone spurs removed from his elbow. [UFC]
Bantamweight Cole Escovedo, a former WEC featherweight champ, has signed with Strikeforce and will debut at the promotion’s November 6 “Strikeforce Challengers” event in Frenso, California. [Strikeforce]
UFC lightweight Kenny Florian has amicably split with Sityodtong and longtime trainer Mark Dellagrotte and will instead train with Firas Zahabi, the trainer of welterweight champ Georges St-Pierre, for his December matchup against Clay Guida. Dellagrote will still have his hands full as Frank Mir and Miguel Torres are now training at Sityodtong alongside the likes of Marcus Davis and Patrick Cote. [Fighters Only]
UFC star, and former Pride champion Wanderlei Silva is working on a reality show that will follow him as he scouts fighters for his Wand Fight Team. The show will be televised on a yet to be announced network. [FanHouse]
Spike’s broadcast of part of the UFC 103 undercard drew in 1.4 million viewers, including a 1.5 rating in the 18-34 year old male demographic, making it the number two rated show in the segment. [Spike TV]
A WEC event will replace the annual UFC event held in conjunction with the Arnold Sports Festival in Columbus, Ohio next year. [MMAJunkie]
Frank Shamrock will be a part of the upcoming “EA Sports MMA” video game, joining Randy Couture, Fedor Emelianenko, Jay Hieron, Gegard Mousasi, and Renato “Babalu” Sobral. [EA Games]

Pictured: Anderson Silva

WEC Featherweight Cole Province Tests Positive for Steroids

Kris Karkoski — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 20:01:43 +0000

WEC featherweight Cole Province has failed a Nevada State Athletic Commission drug test following his WEC 42 victory over Fredson Paixao on August 9 in Las Vegas, testing positive for the anabolic steroid Methasterone, according to NSAC executive director Keith Kizer, who confirmed the result with MMAFrenzy.com on Monday afternoon.

Province was the lone fighter to test positive on the card, with Miguel Torres, Brian Bowles, Dominick Cruz, Takeya Mizugaki, Leonard Garcia, Shane Roller, Ed Ratcliff and Diego Nunes all passing their screenings for drugs of abuse and performance enhancing drugs.

Methasterone, a “designer steroid” sold in over-the-counter dietary supplements, was added to the World Anti-Doping Agency’s list of banned substances in 2005.

Province (6-1) suffered a unanimous decision loss to Diego Nunes in his WEC debut last December at WEC 37, before rebounding with a unanimous decision win over Paixao earlier this month.

Stay tuned to MMAFrenzy.com for the latest WEC news and WEC rumors.

Bowles and Torres Among Twelve WEC 42 Fighters Issued Medical Suspensions

Kris Karkoski — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 03:15:30 +0000

Twelve fighters who were in action at Saturday’s WEC 42 event in Las Vegas, including headliners Brian Bowles and Miguel Torres, have been issued medical suspensions by the Nevada State Athletic Commission, which released the list of injuries on Monday.

As MMAFrenzy.com reported earlier Monday, Bowles suffered a broken left hand in his main event first-round knockout of Torres and must have the injury cleared by a doctor if he hopes to return before the suspension ends on February 6, while Torres is suspended until October 9 for precautionary reasons.

Danny Castillo and L.C. Davis were also issued suspensions which could run until February 6, but like Bowles can be cleared by a doctor to return to action sooner.

The complete list of WEC 42 medical suspensions and injuries included:

Brian Bowles: Left hand must be cleared by an orthopedic doctor or suspended until February 6.
Miguel Torres: Suspended until October 9 with no contact until September 24 for precautionary reasons.
Danny Castillo: Left hand must be x-rayed and cleared and left knee must be cleared by an orthopedic doctor or suspended until February 6.
Ricardo Lamas: Suspended until September 9 with no contact until August 31 for precautionary reasons.
Leonard Garcia: Suspended until September 9 with no contact until August 31 for left infra-orbital laceration.
Cole Province: Suspended until August 31 with no contact until August 24 for lacerations on nose.
Shane Roller: Suspended until August 31 with no contact until August 24 for left upper-eyelid laceration.
Marcus Hicks: Suspended until September 9 with no contact until August 31 for precautionary reasons.
Phil Cardella: Suspended until August 31 with no contact until August 24 for lacerations on nose.
Diego Nunes: Suspended until October 9 with no contact until September 24 for precautionary reasons.
Rafael Dias: Suspended until August 31 with no contact until August 24 for lacerations on nose.
L.C. Davis: Must be cleared by ophthalmologist or suspended until February 6. Minimum suspension until August 31 with no contact until August 24 for precautionary reasons.

Click here for WEC 42: Torres vs. Bowles results and coverage.

Pictured: Miguel Torres (left) and Brian Bowles

Brian Bowles Breaks Hand in WEC 42 Win Over Torres, Hopes To Fight in December

Kris Karkoski — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 21:30:24 +0000

Newly-crowned WEC bantamweight champion Brian Bowles, who won the belt with a first-round knockout of previous title-holder Miguel Torres in the main event of Sunday’s WEC 42 event, suffered a broken left hand in the victory, but hopes to return in December, according to a Versus.com report:

Bowles’ manager, Andrew Beach, on Monday that the new WEC bantamweight champion broke his left hand at the very end of his fight against Torres.

Beach said that Bowles will visit a hand specialist in Atlanta on Tuesday. He added that the new 135-pound champion will not be able to use his left hand in training for approximately six-to-eight weeks, but will be able to do light grappling and cardio work sooner.

Bowles officially knocked Torres out with a series of left hands on the ground, and Beach confirmed that it was those punches which lead to the hand break.

As for when we should expect to see Bowles back in action, Beach said, “I know he would love to fight before the end of the year.

“If there’s a December card, I know he would like to fight on it.”

Though not yet confirmed, Bowles’ first title defense is expected to come against top 125-pound contender and fellow-WEC 42 winner Dominick Cruz, who topped Joseph Benavidez in the event’s co-headliner, though Torres, who had a 17-fight win streak snapped in the loss, could also be booked for an immediate rematch

Pictured: Brian Bowles punches Miguel Torres at WEC 42

Torres Tops WEC 42 Fighter Salaries; Bowles, Yahya, Cruz, and Benavidez Win Fight Night Bonuses

Kris Karkoski — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 19:08:48 +0000

Former bantamweight champion Miguel Torres was the top paid fighter at Saturday’s WEC 42 event in Las Vegas, receiving $25,000 after losing his title to Brian Bowles via first-round knockout in the evening’s main event.

Bowles ($18,000), Leonard Garcia ($24,000), Shane Roller ($20,000), and Rani Yahya ($16,000) were also among the top earners for the card, according to the official fighter salaries released by the Nevada State Athletic Commission on Monday.

The disclosed payroll for the Versus-televised event was$234,500.

In addition to the salaries listed below, which are simply the figures the WEC is required to report to the NSAC and exclude some taxes, fees, and payments such as sponsorships and bonuses, Bowles, Yahya, Dominick Cruz, and Joseph Benavidez each took home an extra $10,000 “Fight Night” bonus for their performances at the event.

“Knockout of the Night” went to Bowles for his first-round KO of Torres, “Submission of the Night” went to Yahya for his north-south choke submission of John Hosman on the WEC 42 prelims, and “Fight of the Night” was awarded to Cruz and Benavidez for their back-and-forth bantamweight scrap, which was won by Cruz via unanimous decision.

The official fighter salaries for WEC 42 were:

Brian Bowles* ($18,000 – includes $9,000 win bonus) def. Miguel Torres ($25,000)
Dominick Cruz* ($14,000 – $7,000 win bonus) def. Joseph Benavidez ($12,500)
Danny Castillo ($14,000 – $7,000 win bonus) def. Ricardo Lamas ($4,000)
Takeya Mizugaki ($12,000 – $6,000 win bonus) def. Jeff Curran ($8,000)
Leonard Garcia ($24,000 – $12,000 win bonus) def. Jameel Massouh ($3,000)
Cole Province ($6,000 – $3,000 win bonus) def. Fredson Paixao ($2,000)
Shane Roller ($20,000 – $10,000 win bonus) def. Marcus Hicks ($8,000)
Ed Ratcliff ($14,000 – $7,000 win bonus) def. Phil Cardella ($3,000)
Rani Yahya* ($16,000 – $8,000 win bonus) def. John Hosman ($3,000)
Diego Nunes ($8,000 – $4,000 win bonus) def. Rafael Dias ($4,000)
L.C. Davis ($10,000 – $5,000 win bonus) def. Javier Vazquez ($6,000)

* Bowles, Yahya, Cruz, and Benavidez each received an additional $10,000 “Fight Night” bonus.

Pictured: Brian Bowles

WEC 42 Results: Brian Bowles Wins Bantamweight Title With First-Round KO of Miguel Torres

Kris Karkoski — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 03:25:46 +0000

Brian Bowles (pictured) became the new WEC bantamweight champion on Sunday in the main event of WEC 42, knocking out 135-pound title-holder and top-ranked pound-for-pound fighter Miguel Torres in the opening round of the main event at The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.

Bowles rocked Torres early in round and also scored a takedown in the frame, but appeared to be in trouble as Torres landed a series of punches that forced him to backpedal. But Torres’ aggressiveness left an opening for Bowles, who connected with a right hook that dropped Torres to the canvas, where Bowles was able to quickly finish off the champ with a barrage of punches.

Bowles remains undefeated, improving his record to 8-0 following the surprising first-round knockout, while Torres falls to 37-2 after having his 17-fight win streak that dated back to early-2004 snapped.

In the WEC 42 co-main event, bantamweight contenders Dominick Cruz and Joseph Benavidez engaged in an entertaining bout that saw Cruz pick up a unanimous decision victory to improve his record to 14-1 and extend his win streak to 5-straight.

Danny Castillo came from behind to score a second-round knockout of Ricardo Lamas on the WEC 42 main card, while Takeya Mizugaki picked up a questionable decision victory over Jeff Curran and Leonard Garcia topped Jameel Massouh at the Versus-televised event.

Rani Yahya earned the only stoppage on the six-bout WEC 42 preliminary card, submitting late-replacement John Hosman with a north-south choke in the opening-round of their matchup. In other prelim action, Shane Roller topped Marcus Hicks in a back-and-forth bout, LC Davis edged fellow Affliction-import Javier Vazquez, and Ed Ratcliff, Diego Nunes, and Cole Provice also picked up decision victories.

The complete results for WEC 42 were:

Brian Bowles def. Miguel Torres (c) via KO (punches) — Round 1, 3:57
WEC Bantamweight Championship
Dominick Cruz def. Joseph Benavidez via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Danny Castillo def. Ricardo Lamas via TKO (strikes) — Round 2, 4:15
Takeya Mizugaki def. Jeff Curran via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Leonard Garcia def. Jameel Massouh via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Cole Province def. Fredson Paixao via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Shane Roller def. Marcus Hicks via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Ed Ratcliff def. Phil Cardella via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Rani Yahya def. John Hosman via submission (north-south choke) — Round 1, 2:08
Diego Nunes def. Rafael Dias via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
L.C. Davis def. Javier Vazquez via split decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-28)

“WEC 42: Torres vs. Bowles” Live Results

Kris Karkoski — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 00:20:20 +0000

Welcome to MMAFrenzy.com’s live coverage of Sunday’s WEC 42 event, which takes place at The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas and is headlined by a bantamweight championship bout between title-holder and top pound-for-pound fighter Miguel Torres and challenger Brian Bowles.

Follow along below for live results from the 11-bout card, which is currently in progress:

Brian Bowles def. Miguel Torres (c) via KO (punches) — Round 1, 3:57
WEC Bantamweight Championship
Dominick Cruz def. Joseph Benavidez via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Danny Castillo def. Ricardo Lamas via TKO (strikes) — Round 2, 4:15
Takeya Mizugaki def. Jeff Curran via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Leonard Garcia def. Jameel Massouh via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Cole Province def. Fredson Paixao via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Shane Roller def. Marcus Hicks via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Ed Ratcliff def. Phil Cardella via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Rani Yahya def. John Hosman via submission (north-south choke) — Round 1, 2:08
Diego Nunes def. Rafael Dias via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
L.C. Davis def. Javier Vazquez via split decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-28)

WEC Bantamweight Championship
Dominick Cruz def. Joseph Benavidez via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Danny Castillo def. Ricardo Lamas via TKO (strikes) — Round 2, 4:15
Takeya Mizugaki def. Jeff Curran via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Leonard Garcia def. Jameel Massouh via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Cole Province def. Fredson Paixao via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Ed Ratcliff def. Phil Cardella via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Ed Ratcliff def. Phil Cardella via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Rani Yahya def. John Hosman via submission (north-south choke) — Round 1, 2:08
Diego Nunes def. Rafael Dias via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
L.C. Davis def. Javier Vazquez via split decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-28)

Pictured: Miguel Torres and Brian Bowles

WEC 42 Weigh-In Results: Torres, Bowles on Weight For Headliner

Kris Karkoski — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 01:00:58 +0000

WEC bantamweight champion Miguel Torres and challenger Brian Bowles, who meet in the main event of Sunday’s WEC 42 card in Las Vegas, successfully made weight on Saturday for the headliner.

Both fighters weighed in at 134-pounds, one-pound under the 135-pound division limit, at the official weigh-ins, which were held at Body English at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. Tomorrow’s event takes place at The Joint at the Hard Rock and airs live on Versus.

The rest of the 11-bout card also successfully made weight with the exception of lightweight Marcus Hicks, who weighed in at 159-pounds for his preliminary bout against Shane Roller. Roller will receive 15-percent of Hicks’ contracted purse and the fight will go on as scheduled.

The official weigh-in results for WEC 42 were:

MAIN CARD

135: Miguel Torres (c) (134) vs. Brian Bowles (134)
WEC Bantamweight Championship
135: Joseph Benavidez (135) vs. Dominick Cruz (135)
155: Danny Castillo (156) vs. Ricardo Lamas (155)
135: Jeff Curran (136) vs. Takeya Mizugaki (135)

PRELIMINARY CARD

145: Leonard Garcia (145) vs. Jameel Massouh (146)
145: Fredson Paixao (145) vs. Cole Province (146)
155: Marcus Hicks (159)* vs. Shane Roller (156)^
155: Phil Cardella (155) vs. Ed Ratcliff (155)
135: John Hosman (135) vs. Rani Yayha (136)
145: Rafael Dias (145) vs. Diego Nunes (145)
145: L.C. Davis (145) vs. Javier Vazquez (146)

* Hicks weighed in at 159-pounds on his only attempt and will lose 15-percent of his purse to Roller, with the fight going on as scheduled.
^ Roller weighed in at 157-pounds on his first try, but reached an acceptable 156-pounds without his fight shorts on a second attempt.

Remember: Fighters are granted a one-pound allowance for non-championship bouts.

[Weigh-in results via MMAjunkie]

Pictured: Miguel Torres