This weekend boasts a solid lineup for WEC 35. There will be 3 championship bouts featured. The lightweight, light heavyweight, and welterweight titles are all up for grabs. There are also a few other interesting fights on the card. There really isn't any drama outside of the cage here but I'm looking forward to a solid card like the WEC always puts on. Let's dive right in to the fights.
Scott Jorgenson v. Kenji Osawa: Jorgenson is 4-2, 1-0 in Elite XC, 0-1 in WEC, with 2 wins by submission. He is a ground fighter. Osawa is 13-7-2 with 6 wins by stoppage. He is a well rounded fighter. Jorgenson will want to take this to the ground but if Kenji is smart he'll keep it standing. I think with Osawa's experience he'll be able to handle Jorgenson. My prediction is Osawa by TKO in round 2.
Cub Swanson v. Hiroyuki Takaya: Swanson is 11-2, 2-1 in the WEC, with 8 wins by stoppage. He is a solid wrestler with a good ground game. Takaya is 9-5-1, 0-1 in the WEC, with 6 wins by stoppage. He is a stand up fighter. I think Swanson will take Takaya down and take him out. My prediction is Swanson by TKO in round 1.
Blas Avena v. Dave Terrel: Blas is 2-2 with 1 win by submission. Terrel is 5-1, 2-0 in the WEC, with two wins by stoppage. He is mostly a stand up fighter. I expect Terrel to win this one on the feet. My prediction is Terrel by TKO in round 2.
Brock Larson v. Carlo Prater: This is an intriguing match up. These two are the last two to fight for the welterweight title. This is almost an elimination match to see who gets a rematch for the belt. Larson is 24-2-1, 1-1 in the UFC, 3-1 in the WEC, with 20 wins by stoppage. He is a submission specialist. Prater is 23-5-1, 0-1 in the WEC, with 14 wins by stoppage. He is also a submission fighter. This might get locked down into a boring ground battle but I see Larson coming out on top. I think Larson can control Prater and pull off the submission. My prediction is Larson by submission in round 1.
Micah Miller v. Josh Grispi: Miller is 9-1, 2-1 in the WEC, with 8 wins by stoppage. I don't know much about Grispi which has bit me in the ass in the past but I'm going to go with Miller in this one. My prediction is Miller by submission in round 1.
Brian Bowles v. Damacio Page: Bowles is 5-0, 2-0 in the WEC, with all 5 wins by stoppage. He is a well rounded fighter. I don't know anything about Page either but I'm kind of forced to pick Bowles. I'll predict Bowles to win by TKO in round 2.
Carlos Condit v. Hiromitsu Miura: Condit is 22-4, 4-0 in the WEC, with all 22 wins by stoppage. He is a strong ground fighter but very good overall. He is a borderline top 10 welterweight. Miura is 9-4, 2-1 in the WEC, with 6 wins by stoppage. He is mostly a stand up fighter. Condit is solid on his feet but he would be smart to take Miura to the ground. My prediction here is Condit retains his welterweight title and takes Miura out with a submission in round 1.
Brian Stann v. Steve Cantwell: The big boys of the promotion go at it in this bout for the light heavyweight title. Stann is 6-0, 5-0 in the WEC, with all 6 wins by KO. He is a bulldozer of a stand up fighter. Cantwell is 5-1, 2-1 in the WEC, with all 5 wins by stoppage. In fact these two already fought in the beginning of their WEC career with Stann getting the KO. I really don't see why this fight would be any different. My prediction is Stann by TKO in round 1 to keep his light heavyweight belt.
Jamie Varner v. Marcus Hicks: Varner is 14-2, 1-1 in the UFC, 2-0 in the WEC, with 13 wins by stoppage. He is well rounded but has a really strong ground game. Hicks is 10-0, 3-0 in the WEC, with 9 wins by stoppage. He is also a strong ground fighter. I think this will be the best of the title fights. It may not be exciting to casual fans but it should be a great MMA fight. I'm still picking Varner to win but it should be a close affair. I'll pick Varner to win by decision and retain his title.
This card won't draw half the audience that showed up to watch Pulver v. Faber but the WEC almost never disappoints so I expect a quality card on Sunday. Stay tuned next week for my WEC review and UFC 87 preview. Until then,
Soccer kicks and head stomps...
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