WEC 41 Primer
Jake Rossen Jun 7, 2009
Hoping the WEC will do for the network what the UFC has done for
Spike -- namely, making it a destination for jerky males 18-34
everywhere -- Versus will broadcast a pay-per-view-worthy main
event Sunday night from Sacramento, Calif., when former champion
Urijah
Faber meets bigger, meaner Mike Thomas
Brown in a rematch.
Anytime the world’s best fighter at a given weight gets sorted, it’s worth watching. Print out this primer, memorize it and then use it as a wings bib at your local sports bar.
What: WEC 41: Faber vs. Brown II
When: Versus, June 7, 9 p.m. ET
While that’s all going down, Jose Aldo (14-1) will continue to promote speculation that he could be a 145-pound Brazilian terror on the level of Anderson Silva when he tackles Cub Swanson (13-2).
Fight of the Night: Undoubtedly Faber/Brown, which mixes in high stakes -- the title of world’s best 145er -- with an electric rivalry.
Sleeper Fight: Lightweights Frank Gomez and Noah Thomas, with both men finishing 19 of their 20 collective wins inside the distance. Watch carefully and you might notice judges getting up for a bathroom break.
Pre-Emptive Complaint: 1-3 in his WEC bid, Pulver is getting primetime real estate over arguably younger, better talent on the undercard.
Hype Quote of the Show: “I’ve gotten my ass whipped and taken my fair share of beatings … . In one of my amateur fights I got pinned against the cage and I took 37 unanswered blows to the face before I got him in a triangle and won.” -- James Krause, perhaps not realizing sustaining abuse isn’t an enviable trait.
Anytime the world’s best fighter at a given weight gets sorted, it’s worth watching. Print out this primer, memorize it and then use it as a wings bib at your local sports bar.
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When: Versus, June 7, 9 p.m. ET
Why You Should Care: Faber may be the world’s best 145-pound
athlete not named “Mike Brown.”
A 2008 fight between the two ended when Faber went for a bizarre
spinning elbow, lost his composure and was promptly torn apart like
a gazelle. With his head screwed on right, can he find an answer
for Brown’s power and tenacity? And after having mixed results at
155 pounds in the UFC, can stout Armenian Manny
Gamburyan find a good home at 145?
While that’s all going down, Jose Aldo (14-1) will continue to promote speculation that he could be a 145-pound Brazilian terror on the level of Anderson Silva when he tackles Cub Swanson (13-2).
Fight of the Night: Undoubtedly Faber/Brown, which mixes in high stakes -- the title of world’s best 145er -- with an electric rivalry.
Sleeper Fight: Lightweights Frank Gomez and Noah Thomas, with both men finishing 19 of their 20 collective wins inside the distance. Watch carefully and you might notice judges getting up for a bathroom break.
Pre-Emptive Complaint: 1-3 in his WEC bid, Pulver is getting primetime real estate over arguably younger, better talent on the undercard.
Hype Quote of the Show: “I’ve gotten my ass whipped and taken my fair share of beatings … . In one of my amateur fights I got pinned against the cage and I took 37 unanswered blows to the face before I got him in a triangle and won.” -- James Krause, perhaps not realizing sustaining abuse isn’t an enviable trait.
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