Midwest Fight Report » WEC

Five Memorable Moments in the Brief, Wondrous Life of the WEC

chaddundas — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 18:30:00 +0000

(Thanks for the, uh, memories? PicProps: CagedInsider)

Tonight we finally find out what happens on the series finale of the WEC (Spoiler alert: They all die and go to heaven together). Obviously, trying to cook the nine-year history of a promotion that became synonymous with mind-blowing action down to fewer than a half dozen highlights is totally impossible. Certainly we’ll have omitted some of your favorites here. Be sure to let us know which ones we forgot in the comments. As if we had to remind you.

Also, props to our man Ariel Helwani for furnishing most of the following vid clips in his own WEC retrospective over on Versus.com. Now here’s a quick look at some of the moments we’ll think fondly upon in future days, when we put on our Sarah McLachlan mix tape and dreamily stare at faded photographs of Brittany Palmer and Todd Harris, trying not to wonder how we’ll ever go on.

Video Evidence: Watch 19-year-old Michael McDonald’s Impressive WEC Debut

chaddundas — Sat, 13 Nov 2010 16:07:18 +0000

(Propers: Versus.com)

Nineteen-year-old bantamweight phenom Michael McDonald officially became the youngest fighter on the Zuffa, LLC roster on Thursday night with his debut on the undercard of WEC 52. The results no doubt raised some eyebrows in the soon-to-be UFC 135-pound division. If not for Cub Swanson’s epic battle with Mackens Semerzier, this one would’ve been a shoe-in for some TV time. McDonald rolled into this bout with seven straight T/KO victories and a record that would seem to indicate he’s been fighting as a pro since age 16. Is that shit even legal? Anyway, his most recent back-to-back victories over WEC vets Manny Tapia and Cole Escovedo at Taichi Palace were good enough to score him a contract with the big show and the kid doesn’t disappoint here.

McDonald looks a little bit like a very emaciated Joe Riggs during his pre-fight interviews, as he laughs off opponent Clint Godfrey’s suggestion that he won’t be ready for this level of competition. The South Dakota boy Godfrey -- who trusty CagePotato commenter Karma Ate My Cat told us not to sleep on before we started taping this week’s Bum Rush – looks game, but ultimately overmatched in his second fight in the big blue cage. Obviously you know who wins but some play-by-play spoilers are after the jump, so if you’re gonna pitch a bitch about that watch the video before reading on.

So, Is the UFC-WEC Merger Good for Everybody Except the Hardcore Fans?

chaddundas — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 17:30:00 +0000

(Take a good look, people. It's the last time you'll be seeing stuff like this for free. PicProps: InsideHoops.com)

OK, wait just a goddamned minute. There’s some sleight of hand going on here, isn’t there? Ever since Dana White organized another of his can’t-miss, super-special, earth-shattering, blow-your-fuckin’-mind announcement conference calls yesterday to let us know that the insatiable goatsucker that is the UFC will soon devour the scared gazelle of the WEC, people have been blowing nonstop smoke up our asses about how great this is going to be. And yeah, in a lot of ways it will be great. Specifically, it’ll be great for the fighters – except most WEC lightweights, who’ll certainly be fired as soon as they lose their first UFC fights -- since the little guys finally get the long overdue opportunity to be UFC fighters, get UFC groupies and bank UFC paychecks. That’s all fine and good. Seriously, those guys deserve it.

But what about us? What about the hardcore fans who have been religiously tuning in to the WEC over the last couple of years to see what have consistently been the best shows in the industry? I mean, we’re kinda getting screwed on this deal, right? Granted, we’re no mathematicians, but it’s unclear how Zuffa reducing its programming on Versus from nine shows during 2010 to four shows during 2011 means anything other than fewer free fights for the fans. And let’s be honest, the UFC is absorbing the WEC for one reason only: So it can charge us for something we used to get for free.

Jose Aldo Turned Down a UFC Lightweight Bout With Kenny Florian in December

Mike Russell — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 22:46:19 +0000

(Well that explains why he's so vicious. Apparently Dede keeps Aldo chained up in the basement and feeds him nothing but raw meat between fights.)

Jose Aldo revealed to Tatame today that he turned down the opportunity to move up a weight class to take on UFC lightweight Kenny Florian in December.

According to Aldo, who has fought as a lightweight before, after talking it over with his managers, Ed Soares and Joinha and his coach, Andre Pederneiras they came to the conclusion that the timing wasn't right for him to make the move up to 155, partially because it takes time to put on the mass required to move up a weight class and also because he doesn't want to have to fight any of his Nova Uniao teammates.

"Actually I started in a lighter division, then changed to this one and tried the division above, but it’s up to [Andre] Dedé [Pederneiras] and he knows better," Aldo explained. "When I was fighting on the division above he thought there were many people of the gym on that division, and on my division there’s me and Marlon [Sandro] and I can play pretty hard on this one and I’m the champion, so I think it’s best for me to stay on this weight division."

Aldo-Hominick Tentatively Planned for January WEC Featherweight Title Bout if ‘The Machine’ Recovers From Broken Hand

Mike Russell — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 22:49:04 +0000

(Hominick may be next in line to try to crack Aldo's seemingly impenetrable armor in January.)

WEC featherweight champion Jose Aldo revealed in an interview with Tatame over the weekend that his next scheduled bout will be against former TKO featherweight champion Mark Hominick in January.

"Whoever it is, [I] always respect everyone," Aldo said. "We already have a defense in January, [and it] will be against Mark Hominick, a Canadian [who is] very good at kickboxing."

Aldo seemed a bit unsure about whether or not the fight with "The Machine" is a sure thing so we contacted Hominick's longtime mentor and trainer Shawn Tompkins today to find out if the fight is a go.

Tompkins tells us that his charge is still in a cast recovering from a broken hand he suffered training for his impressive victory over Leonard Garcia at WEC 51 last month.

The Reverend to Grace Main Card June 1st in Sacramento

phyteguru — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 15:08:05 +0000

Yesterday, the WEC announced the line-up for their June 1st show (Faber vs Pulver). Lucky for most Des Moines fans, we get the VERSUS network (channel 55) through Mediacom. Don’t miss your chance to watch “Rev” show his skills and the reason he is currently riding an eight fight winning streak.

Main event

WEC Featherweight Champion Urijah Faber vs. Jens Pulver

Main card (televised)

WEC Bantamweight Champion Miguel Torres vs. Yoshiro Maeda
Mark Munoz vs. Chuck “The Reverend” Grisby
“Razor” Rob McCullough vs. Kenneth Alexander

Under card (may not be broadcast)

Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone vs. Richard “Cleat” Crunkilton
Jeff Curran vs. Mike Brown
Chase Beebe vs. Will Ribiero
Tim McKenzie vs. Eric Schambari
Alex Serdyukov vs. Luis Sapo
Alexandre Noguiera vs. Jose Aldo
Charlie Valencia vs. Dominick Cruz

For more information, visit www.wec.tv

OFFICIAL: Chuck Grigsby signs with WEC

phyteguru — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 20:58:09 +0000

Another Iowan has apparently sparked interest in Zuffa’s big-wigs. Chuck “The Reverend” Grigsby (13-3) and a member of Team Revolution from Des Moines, IA has signed a 5 fight contract with the WEC. His first fight will be June 1st at the Arco Arena in California against NCAA wrestling champion Mark Munoz (2-0). The card is being headlined by none other than the WEC champ Urijah Faber and the Quad Cities own – “Lil’ Evil” Jens Pulver.

Grigsby is on a tear right now winning his last eight fights. All eight of the fights have stayed clear of the judges, most ending by stoppage due to strikes. Grigsby is heavy-handed and always looking for the KO. “The Reverend” also holds light-heavyweight belts for the Midwest Cage Championship and Victory Fighting Championship.

Check out more information on Grigsby and the rest of his team at www.teamrevolution515.com and join their message board for updates and breaking news. Be sure not to miss the show June 1st, or you may miss another one of Rev’s brutal knock outs.