Miguel Torres

WEC 47: Bowles vs. Cruz Weigh-In Results

All of the participants for WEC 47: Bowles vs. Cruz successfully made weight in preparation for Saturday’s card at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.

WEC 47 will be headlined by a WEC bantamweight title bout between Brian Bowles and Dominick Cruz. The card will also feature the return of former WEC bantamweight champion Miguel Torres as he takes on Joseph Benavidez.

Main Card:
Brian Bowles (134.5 lbs) vs. Dominick Cruz (134 lbs)
Miguel Angel Torres (134.5 lbs) vs. Joseph Benavidez (135 lbs)
Jens Pulver (145.5 lbs) vs. Javier Vazquez (145 lbs)
Deividas Taurosevicius (145 lbs) vs. LC Davis (144.5 lbs)
Bart Palaszewski (155 lbs) vs. Karen Darabedyan (156 lbs)

Preliminary Bouts:
Scott Jorgensen (135 lbs) vs. Chad George (135.5 lbs)
Chad Mendes (145 lbs) vs. Erik Koch (144 lbs)
Danny Castillo (155.5 lbs) vs. Anthony Pettis (154.5 lbs)
Leonard Garcia (145 lbs) vs. George Roop (145.5 lbs)
Fredson Paixao (144.5 lbs) vs. Courtney Buck (145 lbs)
Ricardo Lamas (155 lbs) vs. Bendy Casimir (155.5 lbs)

Quick Hits: Strikeforce Inks Ribeiro, Thomson Injured Once Again & More

— Brazilian lightweight standout Vitor “Shaolin” Ribeiro has reportedly signed a multi-fight deal with Strikeforce. The promotion is expected to officially announce the signing shortly. While Ribeiro may actually still be under contract with DREAM, the two organizations share a talent-exchange program. Ribeiro returned to active competition earlier this year after an 18-month hiatus, defeating Katsuhiko Nagata and falling to Shinya Aoki thus far. [Sherdog.com]

—Strikeforce lightweight champion Josh Thomson will be sidelined until at least December after breaking his leg for the second time this year during training. The injury will now keep Thomson from a potential showdown against Gilbert Melendez at Strikeforce’s “Fedor vs. Rogers” event on November 7 in Chicago. According to Thomson, a return bout for him could be possible at a yet-to-be-announced event on December 19. [MMA Weekly]

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ESPN’s MMA Live Recaps UFC 99

From ESPN.com, here’s this week’s installment of “MMA Live” with Jon Anik, Franklin McNeil and WEC bantamweight champion Miguel Torres.

 

ESPN’s MMA Live Recaps UFC 96

From ESPN.com, here’s this week’s installment of “MMA Live” with Jon Anik, Franklin McNeil, and WEC bantamweight champion Miguel Torres.

 

Report: Mizugaki to Replace Bowles at WEC 40

WEC bantamweight contender Brian Bowles has reportedly withdrawn from his scheduled championship bout against Miguel Angel Torres at WEC 40 on April 5 after suffering a severe back injury during a recent training session.

His replacement will be top-ranked Japanese bantamweight Takeya Mizugaki according to Sherdog.com, which reports that the matchup has been agreed to and the paperwork will be finalized shortly. The Shooto and GCM veteran has also reportedly been offered a five-fight deal with the WEC.

Mizugaki will come into his bout against Torres riding a five-fight winning streak. He was last in action at a GCM event on December 6, earning a second-roung TKO victory over Masahiro Oishi. Mizugaki also owns a career win over veteran Tetsu Suzuki and has drawn with undefeated sensation Masakatsu Ueda.

Fight Announcements: Griffin, Curran, Stann & More

The past few days following the completion of Saturday’s UFC 93 event in Ireland have brought forth a slew of potential fight announcements involving upcoming events being put on by the UFC and WEC. Let’s get right to them:

— One-time WEC featherweight title challenger and longtime veteran Jeff Curran will reportedly make his bantamweight debut against Urijah Faber-protege Joseph Benavidez at WEC 40 on April 5 according to MMA Weekly. The event, which will likely take place in Chicago, will be headlined by WEC bantamweight champion Miguel Torres defending his title against Brian Bowles.

— Former International Fight League standout Bart Palaszewski will reportedly take on Richard Crunkilton in a lightweight bout at WEC 39 on March 1 according to MMA Junkie, which is also stating that the winner of the bout could receive a title shot against the winner of this weekend’s upcoming lightweight title fight between current champion Jamie Varner and top contender Donald Cerrone.

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Torres Discusses Win Over Tapia on ESPN’s “MMA Live”

From ESPN, here’s this week’s installment of MMA Live with Jon Anik, Franklin McNeil, Kenny Florian and special guest panelist, WEC bantamweight champion Miguel Angel Torres.

WEC 37 Results

The WEC rebounded from a lackluster show on November 5th with a solid effort.  Only four fights were shown in the allotted time which was somewhat of a disappointment.  Miguel Torres once again looked impressive in defeating challenger Manny Tapia to retain his bantamweight title.  In a battle of fellow bantamweight contenders, Brian Bowles and Will Ribeiro fought the best fight of the night that was televised, with Bowles finally sinking in a deep guillotine for the victory.  Wagnney Fabiano also notched another solid win in a very technical grappling affair that saw minimal action on the feet. 

Results courtesy of MMA Junkie

Miguel Torres def. Manny Tapia via TKO (strikes)—Round 2, 3:04
Wagnney Fabiano def. Akitoshi Tamura via submission (head-arm choke)—Round 3, 4:48
Brian Bowles def. Will Ribeiro via submission (guillotine choke)—Round 3, 1:11
Joseph Benavidez def. Danny Martinez via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Johny Hendricks def. Justin Haskins via TKO (strikes)—Round 2, 0:52
Mark Munoz def. Blas Avena via TKO (strikes)—Round 1, 2:26
Diego Nunes def. Cole Province via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27)
Bart Palaszewski def. Alex Karalexis via TKO (strikes)—Round 2, 1:11
Cub Swanson def. Hirouki Takaya via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Shane Roller def. Mike Budnik via submission (guillotine choke)—Round 1, 1:01

WEC 37 Final Card and Lineup

The WEC is set to promote their latest event, this time emanating from the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, NV.  The featured fight will be for the bantamweight championship, as title holder Miguel Torres looks to tangle with the dangerous and undefeated Manny Tapia.  Four of the world’s top 10 ranked bantamweights will be competing as well as an extremely intriguing matchup between top 10 ranked featherwights in Akitoshi Tamura and Wagnney Fabiano.  The WEC continues to put on solid cards featuring many of the world’s best in the lighter weight classes.

The broadcast on the Versus network begins at 8pm EST.  Here’s the card as it stands now before weigh ins.

Miguel Torres vs. Manny Tapia
Brian Bowles vs. Will Ribeiro
Akitoshi Tamura vs. Wagnney Fabiano
Joseph Benavidez vs. Danny Martinez

Preliminary Fights:
Johny Hendricks vs. Justin Haskins
Mark Munoz vs. Ricardo Barros
Bias Avena vs. Kevin Knabjian
Diego Nunes vs. Cole Province
Bart Palaszewski vs. Alex Karalexis
Hiroyuki Takaya vs. Cub Swanson
Shane Roller vs. Mike Budnik

 

WEC 37 Fight Card Is Finalized

Barring any last minute injuries or weight issues, the fight card is set for December 3rd’s WEC 37 at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, NV.  The card will feature MMAonTap’s #1 ranked bantamweight, WEC Champion Miguel Torres, taking on undefeated challenger Manny Tapia.  This fight has been a long time coming as Tapia has made it no secret that he’s wanted the challenge of taking on Torres.  Unfortunately, injuries have slowed Tapia in the past.

Main Card Live on Versus:
Miguel Torres vs. Manny Tapia for WEC Bantamweight Championship
Brian Bowles vs. Will Ribeiro
Wagnney Fabiano vs. Akitoshi Tamura
Joseph Benavidez vs. Danny Martinez
Justin Haskins vs. Johny Hendricks

Undercard:
Ricardo Barros vs. Mark Munoz
Blas Avena vs. Kevin Knabjian
Diego Nunes vs. Cole Province
Alex Karalexis vs. Bart Palaszewski
Cub Swanson vs. Hirouki Takaya
Shane Roller vs. Mike Budnik