WEC 33 thoughts

[Gygax]

So I figured I'd put down some of my thoughts regarding last night's WEC 33 card.

First off, the WEC may just be my favorite promotion. Because they feature the lighter weight classes, there always seems to be action. While many of the guys are raw, they always seem to bring it.

Last night the WEC used Craig Hummer for the post fight interviews. I like Frank Mir as the color analyst a lot. His knowledge really comes through in the call of the fight. Sometimes he makes the claim that a submission is "locked in" and that "its over" a bit prematurely, but I can live with that. The only weakness was his post fight interviews. By using a professional like Craig Hummer, it came across much better.

On to the broadcasted fights.

The opening match of Cantwell-McKenzie was a wild affair. Cantwell really tagged Tim a few times with some sweet high kicks and is really what lead to the victory. As pointed out in the broadcast, Steve did a much better job of not going out too frenetic which really hurt him in his loss to Brian Stann. At first, I thought the RNC was pretty light to elicit the tap, but Steve had the forearm deep across the throat with back pressure from his own chest. Nice win against a very good Tim McKenzie.

Ed Ratcliff and Marcus Hicks stepped in the cage next. And Hicks proceeded to dominate the fight. This guy has a bright future. He appears very strong, shows very solid boxing fundamentals, and really stays in your face the entire fight.

Due to the quick stoppages, we then saw the prelim fight between Richard Crunkilton and Sergio Gomez. I've always been a fan of Crunkilton, but IMO this was not his best effort. He dominated the fight with a great assortment of takedowns, many leading to nice slams. he landed a few nasty elbows and punches from the top position, including one that opened a HUGE gash on the back/side of Gomez' head. While some may question the legality of the hit (striking the back of the head), this was one of those cases where Gomez turned his head at the last second to avoid the hit. The cut made the rest of the match a bloodbath. While Richard certainly won, he looked quite gassed at times. His standup was very slow and sloppy, and while they were on their feet, Gomez easily won that aspect. It almost looked like Crunkilton took the opponent lightly, but there is no way to know that. I'd expect him to look much better in his next outing.

The co-Main Event was next with Chael Sonnen taking on late replacement Bryan Baker. Sonnen has been very restless with Paulo Filho being unable to compete in this match and he took out his frustration on Baker. Scorecards of 30-26 and 30-25 (2x) show what a dominant fight this was. Sonnen took him down at will and punished him from the dominant position. Baker tried for multiple submissions, but Chael had the answer for everything. The only thing I didn't like was comments from Chael about being a rare fighter under Zuffa contract who will fight anyone, anytime. For some reason it just came off as too cocky for me. But whatever, its just me being picky I suppose.

Finally, the WEC light heavyweight championship was on the line between champ Doug Marshall and challenger Brian Stann. I guess I'm one of the rare few who really liked both guys. Both just let it fly and that's exactly what happened. Marshall really tagged Stann a few times, but similar to his previous fights, that only seemed to make Stann more frenetic and fire away. The left hook that dropped Marshall was nasty.

In a way, this WEC event was a step back in terms of excitement from the previous events under Zuffa management. But that is far from a knock as the previous ones have just been so fantastic and action packed. The announcement yesterday of Faber vs Pulver in June is awesome as is the potential for the Torres-Tapia battle. It was cool to see both Faber and Pulver go out of their way to show so much respect to the opponent, while at the same time predicting victory. There is little doubt in my mind that this one will live up to the billing.

[T-Bone]

I've warmed up to Mir a little bit. His beating that WWE guy helped I'm sure. He does have knowledge and is getting a little better at explaining things. Also, I've noticed he stopped saying stupid things like "he gots his underhooks in" and "he gots a body lock".

Where was the Larson v. Alessio fight?

Crunkilton's layoff (nearly seven months) showed a little and I agree with Gygax - next time I he should look better.

Crazy belt battle...after Stann KD'd Rhino, I yelled "Holy S**t, Holy S**t".

I laid some points on Ratcliff but I was pulling for Hicks once I saw the pre-fight talk. Glad he shut him up.

McKenzie disappointed.

Sonnen was impressive - he was supposed to be. As I said in another thread, that Baker can take some shots. It was good to hear Chael give props to him for being a tough guy. I kinda liked the fight anyone, anytime comment. You hear so many people saying it...I think he was pointing out how fighters just use that cliche and maybe don't back it up....hey, he might know something we don't.

[Beazt]

I've highlight a few things: Overall good assessment.

Originally Posted by Gygax

Due to the quick stoppages, we then saw the prelim fight between Richard Crunkilton and Sergio Gomez. I've always been a fan of Crunkilton, but IMO this was not his best effort.

The co-Main Event was next with Chael Sonnen taking on late replacement Bryan Baker. ... The only thing I didn't like was comments from Chael about being a rare fighter under Zuffa contract who will fight anyone, anytime.

Finally, the WEC light heavyweight championship was on the line between champ Doug Marshall and challenger Brian Stann. ... The left hook that dropped Marshall was nasty.

In a way, this WEC event was a step back in terms of excitement from the previous events under Zuffa management.

I got home late, so I won't comment on the early match ups.

Crunkilton/Gomez fight was great. One problem I really had is that Gomez could not mount any attack while on his back. You could read it in his face that he was just begging the ref to stand them back up. If Gomez could have prevented the take down I think he would've been able to pull a TKO victory.

Sonnen/Baker - I thought Sonnen was very humble in victory. He showed a lot of class towards Baker, especially talking about his potential. Overall, the fight really was a lose/lose match up for Sonnen and he still took it.

Marshall/Stann - Awesome fight. Definitely did not disappoint. At first I didn't even see the left hook from Stann. It looked like Marshall dropped for no reason.

Overall, I would have to agree with everything you said. The fights were good, but not as great as some previous cards.
Pulver/Faber is gonna be awesome though.

WEC may be my favorite org as well

[Rumbin]

I still have no idea why they didnt show 2 of the prelims that ended in R1 stoppages, instead we get Crunk who already lost in his title fight, who shouldnt sniff another one ever. Uhhh


I also like 9MM and am bummed he couldnt get off it seemed. Once he got rocked early it was just a matter of time. Hicks is a PITBULL and I expect he will get Varner next for a title shot.

I read from someone who was there that the Hiromitsu Miura knockout was BRUTAL, so Im kinda bummed that wasn't shown.

This was the first WEC show in the Zuffa era that didnt seem to have that flow to it. The show in december is still one of the best MMA shows ive ever seen, but commercials and interviews really seemed to kill this.

Good effort, and I expect the next show to be insane, both fight and atmosphere wise.

[opsy]

When I watched the WEC versus larger promotions I can't help but make the comparison between college basketball and the NBA. It may not be the big leagues, but there seems to be so much more heart on display. The event always seems to deliver, while I often wonder where my $50 went after watching that UFC.

[MTKrav911]

Originally Posted by Gygax

So I figured I'd put down some of my thoughts regarding last night's WEC 33 card.

First off, the WEC may just be my favorite promotion. Because they feature the lighter weight classes, there always seems to be action. While many of the guys are raw, they always seem to bring it.

Last night the WEC used Craig Hummer for the post fight interviews. I like Frank Mir as the color analyst a lot. His knowledge really comes through in the call of the fight. Sometimes he makes the claim that a submission is "locked in" and that "its over" a bit prematurely, but I can live with that. The only weakness was his post fight interviews. By using a professional like Craig Hummer, it came across much better.

On to the broadcasted fights.

The opening match of Cantwell-McKenzie was a wild affair. Cantwell really tagged Tim a few times with some sweet high kicks and is really what lead to the victory. As pointed out in the broadcast, Steve did a much better job of not going out too frenetic which really hurt him in his loss to Brian Stann. At first, I thought the RNC was pretty light to elicit the tap, but Steve had the forearm deep across the throat with back pressure from his own chest. Nice win against a very good Tim McKenzie.

Ed Ratcliff and Marcus Hicks stepped in the cage next. And Hicks proceeded to dominate the fight. This guy has a bright future. He appears very strong, shows very solid boxing fundamentals, and really stays in your face the entire fight.

Due to the quick stoppages, we then saw the prelim fight between Richard Crunkilton and Sergio Gomez. I've always been a fan of Crunkilton, but IMO this was not his best effort. He dominated the fight with a great assortment of takedowns, many leading to nice slams. he landed a few nasty elbows and punches from the top position, including one that opened a HUGE gash on the back/side of Gomez' head. While some may question the legality of the hit (striking the back of the head), this was one of those cases where Gomez turned his head at the last second to avoid the hit. The cut made the rest of the match a bloodbath. While Richard certainly won, he looked quite gassed at times. His standup was very slow and sloppy, and while they were on their feet, Gomez easily won that aspect. It almost looked like Crunkilton took the opponent lightly, but there is no way to know that. I'd expect him to look much better in his next outing.

The co-Main Event was next with Chael Sonnen taking on late replacement Bryan Baker. Sonnen has been very restless with Paulo Filho being unable to compete in this match and he took out his frustration on Baker. Scorecards of 30-26 and 30-25 (2x) show what a dominant fight this was. Sonnen took him down at will and punished him from the dominant position. Baker tried for multiple submissions, but Chael had the answer for everything. The only thing I didn't like was comments from Chael about being a rare fighter under Zuffa contract who will fight anyone, anytime. For some reason it just came off as too cocky for me. But whatever, its just me being picky I suppose.

Finally, the WEC light heavyweight championship was on the line between champ Doug Marshall and challenger Brian Stann. I guess I'm one of the rare few who really liked both guys. Both just let it fly and that's exactly what happened. Marshall really tagged Stann a few times, but similar to his previous fights, that only seemed to make Stann more frenetic and fire away. The left hook that dropped Marshall was nasty.

In a way, this WEC event was a step back in terms of excitement from the previous events under Zuffa management. But that is far from a knock as the previous ones have just been so fantastic and action packed. The announcement yesterday of Faber vs Pulver in June is awesome as is the potential for the Torres-Tapia battle. It was cool to see both Faber and Pulver go out of their way to show so much respect to the opponent, while at the same time predicting victory. There is little doubt in my mind that this one will live up to the billing.

I really liked the event as well and totally agree with your thoughts on the organization as a whole. They just bring it. It's a simple format, no real crazy technical stuff, just a bare bones well produced format. And Mir is excellent as a commentator, I agree. Very objective. I like one fight where Mir goes "Wow, I love that move he just pulled, I'm gonna grab the video of this and implement it into my own game". That shows Mir isnt just a great commentator and fighter, but a great fan as well of the sport.

The Sonnen fight and the Marshall fight were my favorites. Marshall seemed to have a problem with Stann's reach, but for a second he got inside, pinned Stann up against the cage and landed some blows. Stann handled it well, and for a second I thought Marshall was gonna pull off the KO, but BLAM, that left hook that Stann landed? Was Rampage-esque of the left hook that dropped The Iceman.

Very solid night.

[ChipShank]

I'll admit that prior to last night, I was somewhat in the Stann fanclub....though I did have some serious questions about just how over-rated he might actually be. Seemed like they were overtly pushing him as a star mainly based on that whole ex-marine, "American Hero" tag. And though I don't know that last night really answered much in the way of his overall skill set....you can't deny that he is an F'n tough bastard. He took a couple decent shots from Marshall might've crumpled some dudes out there...but though he was clearly stunned for a split second..all it really seemed to do was piss him off severely. That left hand was sweet...took Marshall right off his feet! LOL He seems to have a chin & some serious power in both upper limbs there. It'll be interesting to see where he can go from here.

[williamN]

" I didn't like was comments from Chael about being a rare fighter under Zuffa contract who will fight anyone, anytime. For some reason it just came off as too cocky for me. But whatever, its just me being picky I suppose. "


I had the impression this statement was directed at a single individual and was coming here to the forum to see who Sonnen was refering to.

[NateRupe]

I thought the card was great, Stann vs. Marshall was awesome and the ending was so unexpected because Marshall was starting to hit some good shots then in the blink of an eye he's on the mat, sucks because I was really hoping Marshall would win but Stann now has 6-straight TKO's in the first round, that is impressive.

[Gygax]

Originally Posted by williamN

" I didn't like was comments from Chael about being a rare fighter under Zuffa contract who will fight anyone, anytime. For some reason it just came off as too cocky for me. But whatever, its just me being picky I suppose. "


I had the impression this statement was directed at a single individual and was coming here to the forum to see who Sonnen was refering to.

Sonnen reiterated and expanded on his comments today on Tagg Radio.

"I sent an email to (UFC and WEC matchmaker) Joe Silva when I thought I was competing with Paulo, and I just said 'Look, I'm going to beat up Paulo, and I'm going to call out Anderson,'" Sonnen said. "'Am I going to look like a fool, or does that interest you?' And he wrote me back pretty candidly, and said 'You're wasting your time. We're not going to inter-mingle the two promotions right now. You're not going to get to fight Anderson.'"

But with Zuffa seemingly holding true to its word to maintain the UFC and WEC as separate entities, Sonnen does not feel the door is closed on an eventual match-up with Silva. In fact, the soon-to-be 31-year-old Oregonian feels the bout is inevitable.

"My argument to Joe Silva was very simple," Sonnen reasoned. "I'm the only guy under Zuffa contract, one with the courage to fight (Silva) and two, with the physical ability to beat him. So, at some point, when all the guys under Zuffa contract find a million reasons not to get in there with him, and I'm the only guy for him, not only will I get in there with him, I want in there with him. They're going to have to make that match happen."

Chael Sonnen is the same guy who is 0-3 against Jeremy Horn, just 1-2 in the UFC, and 20-9 overall. He's on a great winning streak right now, but its basically over all no names. I completely agree, he was handily winning that fight against the worst Filho I've seen. I also have little doubt that he would have been in an arm cast if that armbar had been allowed to continue. Bryan Baker got dominated last night but even so, he came close to locking on submissions when he's far from a submission artist. Chael is getting way ahead of himself. Being part of Team Quest, he basically knocked teammate Dan Henderson by saying "I'm the only guy under Zuffa contract, one with the courage to fight (Silva) and two, with the physical ability to beat him." BTW Chael, Hendo would destroy you!

He's always been unique, but he's getting way ahead of himself.

[williamN]

Thanks for the follow up.

[NateRupe]

Sonnen has looked nothing less than great in my eyes since he arrived in the WEC, I had only seen his fight with Babalu before the Filho fight and I've really jumped on the bandwagon but as far as beating Silva it's a long-shot but hey Matt Serra beat GSP so bigger upsets have happened.

[Rumbin]

I really dont see how that is a losing situation for Zuffa. For the casual fan it will look like the minor league guy is trying to dethrone the champion, so he must be good and I must see some of this WEC. Plus the fact that I dont think Silva would lose to Sonnan, it gives your champion another win, effectively cleaning out the division and who you have in said division at that weight.

This should def. happen before a possible Silva weight change, after Okami, and Cote/Almeida winner IMO.

EDIT: Forgot to mention Sonnon would have to beat Filho for that to work, which I suspect he will do in June.

[AikaImmortal]

Good recap Gygax, especially since I missed the event.