WEC 39 Preview

WEC 39 will be taking place this Sunday in Corpus Christi, Texas. All fighters have made weight and are ready to go. Here is the line-up of fights:

Mike Thomas Brown vs. Leonard Garcia- This fight is for the 145 pound FW title. Mike Brown won the belt with a knockout of Urijah Faber. Brown (20-4) is riding an 8 fight win streak including fights against Jeff Curran, Yves Edwards and Manny Reyes Jr. Brown usually has a size and strength advantage over most 145 pounders.

(Mike Thomas Brown pictured)

Leonard Garcia (12-3) won his two WEC fights, with knock-out victories of Hiroyuki Takaya and Jens Pulver. Garcia went 1-2 in his 155 pound UFC career, with his two losses decisions to Roger Huerta and Cole Miller. The heavy handed Garcia is better suited at the 145 pound division. Look for him to stand and trade.


(Leonard Garcia pictured)

Ricardo Lamas vs. Bart Palaszewski- Bart Palaszewski (30-11) was victorious in his WEC debut winning via TKO over UFC veteran Alex Karelexis. He is an IFL veteran with victories over John Gunderson, Ivan Menjivar and Ryan Schultz. Ricardo Lamas (5-0) was a late replacement for Richard Crunkliton. His biggest victory was a decision win over James Birdsley (32-6).

(Bart Palaszewski throwing a punch on John Strawn in the IFL)

Marcus Hicks vs. Rob McCullough- Former LW champ Razor Rob takes on former #1 contender Marcus Hicks. McCullough (16-5, 7-3 WEC) is primarily a stand-up fighter who does his best when countering his opponent. Marcus Hicks (8-1) had three straight wins in the WEC before losing a title fight to Jamie Varner. Hicks has a mean guillotine choke and nickname that suits him, The Human Wrecking Ball.

Jose Aldo vs. Chris Mickle- Aldo has looked lightening fast in the striking department in his 3 straight WEC wins. Aldo has 8 T/KO's, and crushed Rolando Perez in his last fight. Chris Mickle (26-11) last won in the MCC beating then title holder T.J. O'Brien. Mickle fights out of Des Moines, Iowa.

UNDER CARD

Phil Cardella vs. Danny Castillo
Marcos Galvao vs. Damacio Page
Johny Hendricks vs. Alex Serdyukov
Kenji Osawa vs. Rafael Rebello
Alex Karalexis vs. Greg McIntyre
Mike Budnik vs. John Franchi
Justin Haskins vs. Mike Pierce

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)

Chris Horodecki v. Bart Palaszewski Part II

Thank you DVR for recording the IFL. My thoughts on the Polish Hammer v. Bartimus

Let me start off by saying that I am a fan of the IFL despite its growing pains. The organization has legit talent with some on the level as UFC caliber fighters. That being said, they overextended themselves and have many that are one notch below UFC level.

Chris "The Polish Hammer" Horodecki and Bart "Bartimus" Palaszewski are definately at the upper echelon of the division and would have had no problems taking the TUF 5 Lightweight tourney if they had the opportunity. No offense to Nate Diaz.

The first round of the battle was hot and heavy, with each fighter laying it on the line with combo's. Horodecki peppered Palazewski's lead leg with inside and outside leg kicks. At the end of the fight I had absolutely no idea how Bart was still standing. Each kick had some serious snap and pop. After each kick a fearsome combination of punches followed. Bartimus did not back down either, he opted for more punching combinations. Horodecki had one flush head shot and Bart slipped and popped up quick, this sealed the round for Horodecki, but clearly wasn't a knockdown. I had the first round for Horodecki.

The second round saw Palazewski getting the better of Horodecki. After scoring a takedown, Bartimus was able to land some ground and pound shots before Horodecki escaped. I couldn't believe I saw Horodecki in the standing guillotine just like the previous fight, and wouldn't you know it he was right near the ropes again. This time the escape was not as controversial, and Bart stalked Chris for the rest of the round. I have this round for Bart, an argument could be made that it was a 10-8 round, but I saw it 10-9.

The third round was a barnburner as both fighters smashed eachother with fearsome combos. I couldn't believe how Bart was still on his feet. Horodecki got a takedown, and landed more strikes in this round, and I gave it to the Polish Hammer 10-9. The judges awarded the fight to Horodecki in a split decision. This was definately a fight that could have gone another round, and makes you want the 5 minute rounds in the IFL. For those that don't know, they have 4 minute rounds. In IFL Superfights, they typically have five, four minute rounds.


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Thanks to Sherdog for the pictures, they are very clear.