UFC Title Picture

Here is the title picture for the UFC.

HW Champ- Cain Velasquez
Contenders- Junior Dos Santos, Frank Mir, Brock Lesnar
*Velasquez fights JDS at UFC 138 for the title
*Velasquez defeats Lesnar at UFC 121 for the title
*Dos Santos defeats Shane Carwin at UFC 131 for #1 spot
*Frank Mir defeats Roy Nelson at UFC 130


LHW Champ- Jon Jones
Contenders- Rashad Evans, Rampage Jackson, Forrest Griffin, Phil Davis, Lyoto Machida
*Jones fights Rampage at UFC 135 for the title
*Evans defeats Ortiz at UFC 133
*Rampage defeats Matt Hamill at UFC 130
*Griffin defeats Rich Franklin at UFC 126
*Griffin fights Shogun Rua at UFC 134

(Jon Jones pictured)

MW Champ- Anderson Silva
Contenders- Yushin Okami, Brian Stann, Vitor Belfort, Mark Munoz
*Anderson Silva defeats Belfort at UFC 126
*Okami defeats Marquardt for #1 contender at UFC 122
*Silva fights Okami at UFC 134 for the title
*Belfort KO'd Akiyama at UFC 133
*Stann on three fight win streak
*Munoz defeats Maia at UFC 131

(Anderson Silva pictured)

WW Champ- Georges St. Pierre
Contenders- Nick Diaz, Jon Fitch, Carlos Condit, BJ Penn, Diego Sanchez
*GSP defeats Jake Shields at UFC 129
*Fitch and BJ Penn fight to a draw at UFC 127
*Nick Diaz relinquishes Strikeforce belt
*GSP will fight Diaz at UFC 137 for the title
*Condit KO's Kim at UFC 132

(Georges St. Pierre pictured)

LW Champ- Frank Edgar
Contenders- Gray Maynard, Clay Guida, Benson Henderson, Melvin Guillard, Anthony Pettis, Dennis Siver
*Edgar fights to a draw with Maynard at UFC 125
*Edgar and Maynard out with injuries
*Guida defeats Pettis at the TUF 13 Finale
*Guillard wins 5th straight over Roller at UFC 132
*Siver wins 4th straight over Wiman at UFC 132
*Henderson defeats Miller at UFC on Versus 5

(Frank Edgar pictured)

FW Champ- Jose Aldo
Contenders- Kenny Florian, Chad Mendes, Manny Gamburyan
*Aldo defeats Hominick at UFC 129
*Chad Mendes defeats Yahya at UFC 133
*Florian defeats Nunes at UFC 130
*Aldo v. Florian likely for the next title bout

(Jose Aldo pictured)

BW Champ- Dominic Cruz
Contenders- Demetrious Johnson, Scott Jorgenson, Brian Bowles, Joe Benavidez
*Dominic Cruz defeats Faber at UFC 132
*Johnson defeats Torres at UFC 130
*Bowles defeats Mizugaki at UFC 132

(Dominic Cruz pictured)

Top WEC Fighters Coming to the UFC

Here is a look at the best fighters in the WEC who will soon make the venture to the UFC. The most interesting thing will be to see how WEC 155 pounders do in the UFC.

Also, what undersized UFC 155 pounders decide to make a drop to 145? Keep in mind it is unclear which contracts will be renewed and what fighters will not make the transition to the UFC.

135 - Bantamweight

1. Dominick Cruz (17-1)- WEC Champ with well-rounded skills, has wins over Joe Benavidez, Brian Bowles and Charlie Valencia. Cruz defeated Scott Jorgenson in a unanimous decision to close out his WEC career.

2. Brian Bowles (8-1)- Former WEC Champ has wins over Damacio Page and Miguel Torres. Has struggled with injuries as of late.

3. Scott Jorgenson (11-4)- 3X Pac Ten wrestling champ. Wins against Brad Pickett and Antonio Banuelos. Next in line for a title shot.

4. Joe Benavidez (13-2)- The high energy spark plug fighter has wins over Jeff Curran, Miguel Torres and Rani Yahya. Benavidez won via guillotine choke over Wagney Fabiano at WEC 52, and wants to fight in UFC's coming 125 flyweight division.

5. Urijah Faber (25-4)- Faber, the former WEC champ, has stopped Dominick Cruz, Bibiano Fernandes and Raphael Assuncao. Urijah defeated Takeya Mizugaki at WEC 52, and is rumored to possibly coach TUF 13 or be fast-tracked to a title shot.  He is rumored to fight Eddie Wineland in the UFC.

5. Miguel Torres (38-3)- Former champ stopped his 2 fight losing streak with a submission win over Charlie Valencia at WEC 51. Other wins over Chase Beebe, Yoshiro Maeda and Takeya Mizugaki. Torres fights Antonio Banuelos at UFC 126.

145 - Featherweight

1. Jose Aldo (18-1)- Aldo has looked unstoppable in his run to the WEC title, currently riding an 11 fight win streak. The Muay Thai striker has defeated Urijah Faber, Manny Gamburyan, Mike Thomas Brown, Alexandre Franca Nogueira. He fights Grispi at UFC 125.

2. Manny Gamburyan (11-5)- Manny turned a runner-up performance on a talent rich TUF 5 into a brief stint in the UFC, followed by a 3-1 effort so far in the WEC with his lone loss coming to Jose Aldo. Manny's WEC wins have come over John Franchi, Leonard Garcia and Mike Brown.

3. Chad Mendes (9-0)- Mendes has looked solid in his 3 straight 2010 victories in the WEC. Mendes has bested Cub Swanson, Anthony Morrison and Erik Koch. Mendes defeated Javier Vazquez at WEC 52, securing his spot in the UFC. He fights Mike Brown at UFC 125 for a likely title shot.

4. Diego Nunes (16-1)- Nunes is coming off a split decision over Mike Brown in his UFC debut. His other big wins have come over Rafeal Assuncao, Cole Province and Rafeal Dias.

5. Dustin Poirer (9-1)- A drop to 145 did Poirer wonders in a dominant decision win over Josh Grispi at UFC 125. Poirer closed out his WEC career with a TKO over Zach Micklewright.

5. Mike Thomas Brown (24-6)- Thomas, who won the WEC title over Urijah Faber, recently bounced back with a win over Cole Province. Brown is a big 145, having previously fought at 155 in the UFC. He fights Mendes for a likely title shot at UFC 125.

155 - Lightweight

1. Anthony Pettis (13-1)- With an array of stand-up skills and a slick ground game, expect Pettis to make waves in the UFC. He has looked impressive in his last three bouts, KO'ing Danny Castillo with a head kick, then scoring triangle chokes over Alex Karalexis and Shane Roller.

2. Benson Henderson (12-2)- The former college wrestler has developed a nice submission skill-set, submitting Donald Cerrone and Jamie Varner in his last two outings. Smooth also has wins over Shane Roller and Anthony Njokuani.

3. Donald Cerrone (13-3)- One of the more interesting characters of the WEC, the Cowboy has solid Muay Thai and legit submission skills. Big wins have come over Razor Rob McCullough, Ed Ratcliff and Jamie Varner.

4. Kamal Shalorus (7-0-2)- Split decision win over Bart Palaszewski at WEC 53. Iran wrestling stand-out has 4 TKO's, with wins over Will Kerr and Dave Jansen.

5. Bart Palaszewski (35-13)- Former IFL stand-out has excelled in the WEC with 3 straight WEC victories, his last two include a KO over previously unbeaten Zack Micklewright and armbar over Karen Darabedyan.

Slick prospect- Maciej Jewtuszko (8-0)- With 4 TKO's and 4 submissions on his resume, his last outing was an impressive 1st round TKO over Anthony Njokuani.

WEC 37 Preview

WEC 37 will be playing prior to the Ultimate Fighter doubleheader. The event will feature a match between two of the best 135 pounders in the game with Miguel Torres putting his title on the line against Manny Tapia. Below are the announced bouts.

MAIN CARD (TELEVISED)

Champ Miguel Torres vs. Manny Tapia (BW Title)- expect a scrappy and hard fought match between these two young stars. Torres is lightning quick with excellent grappling. He also has a good muay thai game, with dangerous elbows. He has 15 wins in a row with 3 straight in the WEC. His big wins have come over Chase Beebe, Jeff Bedard, Joe Pearson, and Yoshiro Maeda in a fight of the year fight.

Tapia is known for his boxing and ground and pound offense. He will throw wild and powerful strikes, and may look for the big punch against Torres. This will be Tapia's first fight since a knee injury put him on the shelf for 12 months. His big wins have come over Antonio Banuelos, Shad Smith and Brandon Foxworth.

Brian Bowles vs. Will Ribeiro- The winner of this fight will likely move to the number one contender at 135. Bowles is 6-0, going 3-0 in the WEC so far. His three wins in the WEC came over quality fighters in Damacio Page, Marcos Galvao and Charlie Valencia. Ribeiro is 11-1 with a recent split decision win over Chase Beebe.

Wagnney Fabiano vs. Akitoshi Tamura- Fabiano (10-1) was the IFL's only 145 pound champion. He is extremely fast with a fantastic submission game. He went 6-0 in the IFL with 5 submissions and a KO over Shad Lierley. Tamura is a Shooto veteran with wins over top fighters Takeshi "Lion Takeshi" Inoue and a recent win over Ruminato Sato.

Joseph Benavidez vs. Danny Martinez- Benavidez is a strong prospect with an 8-0 record, with a recent win at Dream 5 over Junya Kudo. Martinez has a record of 12-2, with three straight wins.

Justin Haskins vs. Johny Hendricks- Johny Hendricks is a former NCAA Champion wrestler with lightning fast takedowns. Hendricks won the 2005 and 2006 championships at 165 pounds. He placed second in 2007. Haskins will want to keep the fight standing or look for a submission off his back. Haskins has a 4-1 record. Hendricks is 3-0 with two TKO's and a D'Arce choke victory.

PRELIMS (UN-TELEVISED)

Alex Karalexis vs. Bart Palaszewski- This is IFL star Bart Palaszewski's first bout in the WEC. The hard puncher will be looking for a knockout. Karalexis had three wins in the WEC before losing to Ed 9mm Ratliff.
Ricardo Barros vs. Mark Munoz
Blas Avena vs. Kevin Knabjian
Diego Nunes vs. Cole Province
Cub Swanson vs. Hirouki Takaya
Shane Roller vs. Mike Budnik


(Miguel Torres pictured)

WEC 35 Results

Carlos Condit def. Hiromitsu Miura by TKO at 4:43, R4- This fight was an absolute war. For almost four rounds, the fighters traded big combinations. Miura was able to execute some outstanding judo throws, but could never mount much offense. Condit ran through a litiny of submission attempts, but none ended up working. Miura was able to get sweeps and reversals. After three extremely hard fought rounds, Condit landed a nice knee to Miura's temple in the end of the fourth. A couple more strikes and the bout was called, Condit the victor.
*An instant fight of the year canidate.
*Condit retains WW Belt.

Steve Cantwell def. Brian Stann by TKO at 4:01, R2- The first round saw Cantwell throwing more precise strikes to Stann. Stann ate numerous shots early and often. In the second, it was too much and the fight was stopped.
*Cantwell is the new LHW champ.

Jamie Varner def. Marcus Hicks by TKO at 2:08, R1- The match was an action filled 2 minutes. Hicks got inside on Varner in the clinch before getting a takedown. But after a failed guillotine attempt, Hicks was caught with some nasty knees, punches and eventually the fight was called.
*Varner retains LW Title

Brian Bowles def. Damacio Page by Submission (Guillotine Choke) at 3:30, R1- Bowles ate some punches before attempting a takedown. Page then attempted to get a double leg, but Bowles locked in a guillotine choke for the victory.

Josh Grispi def. Micah Miller by TKO at 0:50, R1- Grispi fired some nasty low kicks dropping Miller to the ground. Afterwards, Grispi landed a huge overhand right that crumpled Miller to the canvas. Miller protested the stoppage, but the replay showed Miller's knee bending at an awkward angle as he went to the ground. I would have called it.

Brock Larson def. Carlo Prater by KO at 0:37, R1- After a very brief amount of circling, Larson unloaded a nasty left hand that sent Prater to the ground. Larson followed with a couple more punches before the bout was called.

Not Shown:
Blas Avena def. Dave Terrel by TKO at 1:07, R1
Shane Roller def. Todd Moore by Submission (Guillotine) at 3:00, R1
Mike Budnik def. Greg McIntyre by Submission (Triangle) at 3:21, R3
Scott Jorgensen def. Kenji Osawa by Unanimous Decision

WEC 35 Preview

This Sunday, three belts will be on the line at WEC 35. The announced match-ups include some great fights. I would like to see the Brock Larson v. Carlo Prater match-up make the live broadcast.


WW Champ Carlos Condit vs. Hiromitsu Miura- Condit has been on a 7 fight win streak, including 4 in the WEC and 3 in Pancrase. In the WEC, Condit has defeated Kyle Jensen, Brock Larson, Carlo Prater and John Alessio. Miura has two straight wins in the WEC after a loss in the 185 division to Jason "Mayhem" Miller.

LHW Champ Brian Stann vs. Steve Cantwell- I would have liked the WEC to bring in a "new" opponent for Brian Stann as he has already TKO'd Cantwell in the first round. I'd like to see Stann tested on the ground at some point. Cantwell does have two straight wins in the WEC.

LW Champ Jamie Varner vs. Marcus Hicks- I would expect this fight to be the best fight on the card. Hicks is undefeated at 10-0, and really does look like a wrecking ball. Varner is coming off a great performance against Razor Rob to win the LW belt. He is an excellent wrestler and striker, with two straight wins in the WEC and one in the UFC. Hicks has some excellent submissions, but Varner will probably have the reach advantage and try to keep the fight standing.

Brian Bowles vs. Damacio Page- Anyone who enjoys the Tapout show will probably be rooting for Damacio Page. Page has two straight wins in two years since his 2006 loss to MMA legend Genki Sudo. Bowles at 6-0 has won all his fights by submission or KO.

Josh Grispi vs. Micah Miller- Submission specialist Micah Miller has won two straight since his decision loss to Cub Swanson. Grispi is on an 8 fight win streak with one win in the WEC.

Undercard
Brock Larson vs. Carlo Prater
Blas Avena vs. Dave Terrel- This is NOT the one that fought in the UFC.
Todd Moore VS. Shane Roller
Mike Budnik vs. Greg McIntyre
Scott Jorgensen vs. Kenji Osawa