WEC TV report from Crimson Mask
<b>WEC 38, San Diego Sports Arena, San Diego CA 01/25/2009</b>
Hopefully this card doesn't slip through the cracks after the big Affliction card last night. The broadcast on Versus gets off to a slightly late start.
<b>Jose Aldo vs. Rolando Perez (Featherweight)</b>
Aldo, out of Brazil, is said to be a major prospect. Perez is a local Chula Vista guy. 4-1-1 with 3 sub wins. Brandon Vera in the corner. Has a couple inches in height and reach.
They're talking up Aldo like he's already a star. 12-1. Getting booed by the partisan crowd.
Both righty. Aldo low kick. Trade right leads. Both quick. Low kick again. Spin back kick. Low kick. 1-2 high kick, jump knee. Perez countering but falling short. Aldo is just sharper and hits harder. Low kick, Perez 1-2, short with a high kick and 1-2. Right to the body. Aldo jabs and low kicks. Lead right hook, low kick. Perez counters. Good action. Perez leans in with a jab and ducks right into an Aldo knee and he's down and Aldo pounces and it's over. Aldo jumps the fence and runs straight up to the top row of the arena.
The hype might just be real with this guy. He is said to have world class BJJ that he hasn't even had to use in a fight yet.
They announce 2 title fights, Brown vs. Garcia and Condit vs. Larson (which is a second shot for Larson), for March 1 in Texas. Interview with Garcia and Brown in the stands. Texan Garcia puts Texas over and gets some heat.
There's the Tapout geeks. There's Rashad. There's Larson.
<b>Danillo "Indio" Villefort vs. Mike Campbell (Welterweight)</b>
Dunno these guys. Both debuting in WEC.
Villefort is Brazilian, now out of ATT, with a JJ and Judo black belt, world JJ champ. Big edge in height and reach. 8-2 with most of his wins by sub. Brown in the corner.
Campbell is out of Colorado fighting out of Mass., a former powerlifter, training with Dellagrati. His left ankle is wrapped. Undefeated at 6-0.
Campbell lefty. Low kick high kick Villefort. Body kick Campbell, left lead with a shoot behind it. TD. Up and Villefort pulls standing guard. Campbell slams. Scramble. Villefort grabs a heel hook/knee bar. They roll. Campbell slips out. They're up. Villefort grabs Plum and knees the head. Campbell drops him with a left lead and follows him down. Villefort transitions from arm bar to knee bar and sweeps. Gets the ride and Campbell powers out. They're up. Foot sweep/hip toss Judo throw Villefort right into mount. Elbows. Campbell gives up his back. Hooks in. Pancaked. Villefort has free shots to the head and the ref steps in. Real good action.
Crowd don't like him. Natural heel.
<b>Frank Gomez vs. Scott Jorgensen (Bantamweight)</b>
Dark fight makes the air. Gomez is a couple years younger and much taller and has a lesser edge in reach, 6-0 record. Jorgensen's is 5-2 and he looks sorta... Neanderthal.
Both righty. Gomez kicking from long range. Jorgensen shoots and gets it and Gomez scrambles to 4 point and Jorgensen gets a Guillotine. Gomez half slips it but Jorgensen transitions to Front Naked Choke---thought for a second he was gonna do an Anaconda---and drives and that's it.
<b>Urijah Faber vs. Jens Pulver (Featherweight)</b>
This rematch of their recent title fight is sort of a multiple compromise that nobody seems very happy with. Faber probably should have been in line for an immediate rematch with Mike Brown for the title, but he hurt Brown before getting KOed and Brown is on medical suspension, and Faber wanted to stay busy. Jens is coming off the blitzing at the hands of Leonard Garcia and didn't want this fight till March as he's having some personal issues---he just had a kid and just lost his buddy Justin Eilers. Their first fight was entertaining but not really THAT competitive as Faber dominated every round. Don't see any reason for this to be any closer. Probably the opposite. I think Urijah will stop him.
Here comes Jens. Has lost the goatee and the weird haircut and his T shirt remembers Eilers. He looks pumped coming in. 5 years older and a slight edge in height and reach. 22-10-1.
Here comes Urijah. Style report here is he has the longish hair back but no rows. Big pop on his entrance. Crowd on its feet. 21-2.
Here we go. Jens lefty. Urijah misses a high kick and Jens dumps him. Urijah upkicks and is up. TD Urijah. Jens up. Clinch and both dirty boxing. Break. Urijah hurts him bad with a left hook to the liver. Follows up with kicks, punches and knees. Jens is down. Urijah snaps on the Guillotine and this is OVER.
Man does Urijah have this crowd in his pocket. Yet again, hey Zuffa, THIS GUY SHOULD BE YOUR BIGGEST STAR. Puts Jens over heavy. The interviewer shpritzes Brown and the rematch. The crowd boos Brown.
They interview Jens. This almost sounds like a farewell. He's lost 3 in a row. He's not sure if he's still relevant. He feels old. He's getting emo. Standing O. He finishes 'Fuck that, I'm not done.' Urijah leads the applause.
Ya know, these fights sure aren't going long, but you can't ask for more pace or action than this.
<b>Jamie Varner vs. Donald Cerrone (WEC Lightweight Title)</b>
This should be a really good fight. Varner seems to have put his whole game together of late and as is so often the case seems to be a better fighter since winning the title. He was an All American wrestler and also boxed in college and has HEAVY hands. A year younger and will give up height but not reach. 15-2-2 NC.
Cerrone is an exciting fighter who excels at subs but loves to bang. He is undefeated at 9-0-1 with 8 subs and 25-0 in amateur Muay Thai. Trains with Greg Jackson so you know he's getting REAL good sparring.
Varner is out of Arizona and Cerrone out of New Mexico. Both guys have shown the ability to recoup from punishment. Varner probably has too many tools but this could go either way.
Both righty. Varner circling. Body shot short. Cerrone kick short. Varner wild with a right. Cerrone's counter right misses. Low kick Varner. Telegraphs a kick and misses. Both fire, both miss. Varner charges and lands an overhand left and right and drives Cerrone back and takes him down. Cerrone rubber guard. Varner slams him. Cerrone has a Triangle sorta. Varner slips it and postures up and rains down shots. Back down and Cerrone still playing Rubber. Varner slips it and pounds. Stands and drops more power shots. Cerrone's forehead lumped up. Cerrone sweeps and stands and lands some knees standing. Varner 10-9.
Cerrone body kick short. Two land. Varner catches the second and takes him down. Passes guard but Cerrone regains it and rolls out and back to his feet. This is great stuff. Low kick Cerrone. Jab. Lead hook, kick, Varner catches it and takes him down again. Guard. G&P. Cerrone Triangle, nada, but escapes and is up. Low kick Varner. Low kick Cerrone, jab. Low kick. Left hook counter Varner. Body kick Cerrone, lead left uppercut. 1-2 Varner. Overhand right misses. Cerrone left hook, body kick. Varner shoots, stuffed, then gets it. Cerrone Triangle at the bell. Cerrone 10-9. REAL good fight.
Hug at the start of the 3rd. Varner draws a line on the mat. Cerrone sharpshooting. Varner wild. Cerrone jab, low kick, slips but bounces up and lands a body shot. Big left, right Varner and a TD into guard. Cerrone is cut. Reversal. Varner cage walks up. Cerrone body kicks and a jab. Big left Varner. Cerrone jabs, 1-2, kick from long range. Varner big right and shoots and gets another TD. Cerrone's face looking real beat up. Varner 10-9.
Conditioning is going to start being a factor here. Cerrone looks REAL beat up but poking away with jabs and kicks. Big high kick Varner. Cerrone sharpshoots, Flying Knee way short. Varner missing long. Cerrone sharpshooting. Low kick. Varner shoots and gets it again. Guard. Drops short elbows. Cerrone arm bar try, nada. Elbow comes down. Cerrone rubber guard. They're up. Another Varner TD. Cerrone up punch, up kick. Varner passes to half. Drops the elbow. Cerrone regains guard. Varner 10-9.
I think Cerrone needs a stoppage but these rounds are close. Varner shoots and gets it again. Cerrone can't stop his TDs. Cerrone kicks him off and backflips up. Cerrone shoots and gets the TD. Varner tries to cage walk up and Cerrone catches him with a knee right to the face but it's illegal because Varner was still grounded. TO. Accidental so no point deduction. Varner can't continue. He can't see. They will score this round and go to the cards. I have to call this round even so I have it Varner---
Wait. Mir says they will NOT score the 5th.
Well if they don't I have it 39-37 Varner. If they do I have it 49-47.
Yes. They DO score the 5th. Scores 49-46 Varner. 48-47 Cerrone. 49-46 Varner. Varner retains on a SD.
Varner apologizes to Cerrone. Crowd boos. Varner goes 'Go ahead, fuckin' boo me.' Crowd cheers Cerrone. He has no beef and puts Varner over. Varner promises him a rematch.
Too bad, ending put kind of a pall on the fight and the card, but it was a good card. Every fight was good. Urijah is definitely back, or never went away, and Aldo and Villefort look real promising.
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