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Archive for the 'WEC' Category
Aldo stops Brown in second round to take WEC featherweight title
November 18th, 2009, 4:35 pm by CARLOS ARIAS
LAS VEGAS --- Just when it looked as if Mike Brown had established himself as the most dominant fighter at 145 pounds in mixed martial arts, Brazilian KO artist Jose Aldo arrived to start a new era in the WEC's featherweight division.
Aldo overwhelmed Brown with a barrage of punches from the top position for a second-round TKO to capture the WEC featherweight championship at WEC 44 on Wednesday nigh at The Palms Casino Resort.
Aldo (16-1), of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, is now 6-0 with six KOs in the WEC. Brown (22-5), of Coconut Creek, Fla., who was making his third title defense, had his 10-fight winning streak snapped.
"It was a pretty tough fight," Aldo said. "Mike is very strong and I respect him a lot."
Aldo living a dream in the WEC
November 17th, 2009, 6:59 pm by CARLOS ARIAS
LAS VEGAS --- The Aldo siblings played rough when they were growing up in the Amazon region of Brazil, and WEC featherweight contender Jose Aldo still has the scars to prove it.
Aldo has a scar on his left cheek that runs from the corner of his mouth to his ear courtesy of his older sister, Joseline. Aldo was still a baby in a crib near the family's barbeque when his two older sisters began roughhousing. Joseline picked up the crib, tossed it and baby Aldo's face landed on the barbeque.
"They were playing around and threw me in there," Aldo said. "It was hot. I was a little baby. They were little kids. There was another time when my little sister broke my head. I have all kinds of stories."
Fortunately, Aldo survived his sisters and now he's the one dishing out the punishment. Aldo has developed into one of the to 145-pounders in mixed martial arts. Aldo (15-1) challenges WEC featherweight champion Mike Brown (22-4) at WEC 44 on Wednesday at 6 p.m. on Versus at The Palms Casino Resort.
Five reasons to watch 'WEC 44: Brown vs. Aldo'
November 17th, 2009, 2:55 pm by CARLOS ARIAS
LAS VEGAS --- Here are five reasons to watch "WEC 44: Brown vs. Aldo" on Wednesday at 6 p.m. on Versus at The Palms Resort & Casino:
1. Will Mike Brown join Anderson Silva and Georges St. Pierre as dominant champions in MMA? UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva has cleaned out the UFC's 185-pound division. UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre has cleaned out the UFC's 170-pound division. Is WEC featherweight champion Mike Brown in the process of doing the same thing to the WEC's 145-pound weight class? The answer is ... maybe.
The American Top Team fighter is a powerful wrestler with bone-jarring punching power. He knocked out Urijah Faber in the first round to capture the WEC belt at WEC 36. He submitted highly-touted Leonard Garcia with an arm-triangle choke at WEC 39. He punished Faber en route to a five-round unanimous decision in their rematch at WEC 41.
Brown makes his third title defense against Brazilian KO artist Jose Aldo at WEC 44.
Brown: 'I think I hit plenty hard to hurt anybody' (video)
November 17th, 2009, 1:12 pm by CARLOS ARIAS
LAS VEGAS --- American Top Team's Mike Brown is set to make the third defense of his WEC featherweight title against Brazilian KO artist Jose Aldo at WEC 44 on Wednesday at 6 p.m. on Versus at The Palms Resort & Casino.
Brown brings a 10-fight winning streak and a 4-0 mark in the WEC. He captured the WEC 145-pound title with a first-round TKO of WEC poster boy Urijah Faber at WEC 36. Brown retained his title with a submission victory over Leonard Garcia at WEC 39 and a 5-round unanimous decision over Faber in the rematch at WEC 41.
Brown held an open workout at The Palms on Monday afternoon. Here's what the champ had to say:
McCullough survives the breaks
November 16th, 2009, 9:21 pm by CARLOS ARIAS
O.C. Register columnist Marcia C. Smith wrote a great column about "Razor" Rob McCullough. Check it out:
HUNTINGTON BEACH – "Razor Rob" McCullough tries to be calm. He's sitting almost still on a padded bench in the corner of an unlit, empty Beach Boulevard strip-mall training center across from a mattress store and a Big O Tires.
But the former mixed-martial arts champion who makes his competitive return in World Extreme Cagefighting 44 on Wednesday in Las Vegas, looks restless. He's 5 feet, 9 inches and 175 pounds of caged tension.
His fists – those weapons that look to be fused solid at the knuckles – shake in his lap. He acts like he'd rather be punching a wall, a car, a face or anything than be taking a much-needed deep breath.
The former WEC lightweight and world kickboxing champion is 32 years old. He has been fighting something all his life: classmates, his seven older siblings, his mother, his Vietnam vet father, their divorce, his self-destruction, his blackouts and his past.
Given how he ditched his broken Huntington Beach home at 13 for whichever friend's couch or garage and blanket he could find, McCullough knows he's lucky he can breathe.
"It's a wild story," he said, clenching his fists. "But I made it. I made it on my own."
As a teen, McCullough was angry and lost. He didn't want to bounce between relatives' houses and economy motel rooms with his mother, a home-healthcare worker who had her own life to rebuild.
So dropped out of Huntington Beach High and took to rootless living among former classmates, girlfriends, surfers, stoners and drifters. He became the kind of kid cops picked up and let go because he wasn't worth the trouble of paperwork.
To continue reading this story, click here.
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Gamburyan: 'I gotta put my hands up, chin down and just go for it' (video)
November 16th, 2009, 7:54 pm by CARLOS ARIAS
LAS VEGAS --- Manny Gamburyan is looking to make his mark in the WEC's 145-pound featherweight division and a victory over Greg Jackson disciple Leonard Garcia at WEC 44 on Wednesday at 6 p.m. on Versus at The Palms Resort & Casino would put him in the running for a shot at the title.
Gamburyan gained a lot of popularity during his run to the finals of "The Ultimate Fighter 5" reality series on Spike TV. Gamburyan went 2-2 in the UFC as a 155-pounder before deciding to drop down in weight to 145 pounds and take a shot in the WEC.
Gamburyan was successful in his WEC debut, winning a unanimous decision over John Franchi at WEC 41.
Gamburyan held an open workout at The Palms on Monday afternoon. Here's what the "Pitbull" had to say after his workout:
Garcia ready to throw down with the 'Pitbull' (video)
November 16th, 2009, 7:08 pm by CARLOS ARIAS
LAS VEGAS --- Leonard Garcia looks to get himself back in the WEC featherweight title picture when he takes on "The Ultimate Fighter 5" finalist Manny "Pitbull" Gamburyan at WEC 44 on Wednesday at 6 p.m. on Versus at The Palms Resort & Casino.
Garcia (13-4) is 3-1 in the WEC with victories over Hiroyuki Takaya, Jens Pulver and Jameel Massouh. The lone loss came in a submission loss to Mike Brown for the WEC 145-pound title at WEC 39.
Garcia is hoping a victory over Gamburyan (9-4) moves him a step closer to a rematch with Brown, who makes his third title defense against Jose Aldo in the main event of WEC 44.
Garcia held an open workout at The Palms on Monday afternoon. Here's what he had to say after his workout:
WEC 44: Brown vs. Aldo preview (video)
November 16th, 2009, 12:20 pm by CARLOS ARIAS
WEC featherweight champion Mike Brown make his third title defense against Jose Aldo at WEC 44 on Wednesday at 6 p.m. on Versus at The Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas.
Brown (22-4) captured the WEC 145-pound title with a first-round TKO over Urijah Faber at WEC 36. He defended the title with a arm-triangle submission over Leonard Garcia at WEC 39 and he won a five-round unanimous decision over Faber in the rematch at WEC 41.
Aldo (15-1) is an ultra-aggressive striking machine that has destroyed all five of his opponents in the WEC by TKO. Aldo scored an explosive 8-second TKO over Cub Swanson in his most recent outing at WEC 41.
Check out a video preview of Brown-Aldo (Follow me at twitter.com/punchymcgee):
WEC 44: Garcia vs. Gamburyan preview (video)
November 15th, 2009, 5:06 pm by CARLOS ARIAS
Leonard Garcia is looking to get a rematch with WEC featherweight champion Mike Brown and to do so he needs to continue to win impressively.
Manny Gamburyan is trying to establish himself as a top contender in the WEC's 145-pound division.
Garcia and Gamburyan meet in a fight at WEC 44 on Wednesday at 6 p.m. on Versus at The Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas. The winner is sure to move a step closer to a shot at the WEC featherweight championship.
Garcia (13-4), who trains with Greg Jackson in Albuquerque, N.M., is 3-1 in the WEC with his lone loss coming by submission to Brown in a title fight at WEC 39. Garcia bounced back with a split decision victory over Jameel Massouh at WEC 42.
Gamburyan (9-4) reached "The Ultimate Fighter 5" lightweight finals where he lost to Nate Diaz due to a shoulder injury in the second round. Gamburyan went 2-2 in the UFC before moving to the WEC where he could drop down in weight and compete at 145 pounds. Gamburyan notched a unanimous decision victory over John Franchi in his WEC debut at WEC 41.
Check out this preview video for Garcia-Gamburyan (Follow me at twitter.com/punchymcgee):
