WEC 47 Parting Shots

If you missed WEC 47, you missed a huge event with a couple of surprising results (including a title change), some great finishes and quite possibly the last fight of Jens Pulver’s career.  Without further ado, let’s get on with my parting shots for WEC 47.

Pulver Fights Until the End

Now, I am no professional fighter myself, but I think that, even more than skill, most fighters want to be recognized for having heart and determination.  After all, skill can be earned through practice and even through natural ability.  Heart is something different altogether.  When you have heart, fans love you, your peers respect you, and you can be held in a higher regard than even the most skilled champions.  That’s why people lined up to see “Rocky”.

That’s also why fans love Jens Pulver.

Though the fight obviously didn’t go as he wanted it to, he fought his heart out right up until what may have been the last seconds of his career, as he held out and struggled even when Javier Vazquez had the armbar that would finish the fight tightly secured.

Don’t think I’m short-changing Jens.  The guy’s record proves that he is a skilled fighter who has accomplished quite a bit.  If anything, he’s a victim of his stature, as losing even a half-step can make it hard to compete at the lighter weights, where even “lightning-quick” is often a beat too slow.  You won’t find any Randy Coutures at 145 pounds, in other words.

Still, the thing that will always make Pulver a fan favorite is not his ability, but the intangibles that he brought with him to the cage.  His enthusiasm for fighting, his willingness to test himself against anyone and everyone, and the determination to keep trying no matter what.  Many of these terms have become cliches; wasted sentiments too often given to those who haven’t earned them, and have lost much of their value.  However, make no mistake about it, Pulver exemplified them all.

Even better, outside of the cage, Pulver overcame seemingly endless obstacles, and seemed no less friendly and affable as a result.  Though much of Pulver’s fire seemed to come from the difficult experiences of his life, he did not have the unmistakable air of a person who was fueled by such dark experiences when he was outside of the cage.  To those meeting him for the first or the fiftieth time, he was outgoing, modest and sincere.

Make no mistake about it, Pulver would not stop fighting if he was only worried about himself.  Jens is not the kind of person or fighter who would give up competing simply because the competition is tougher, or he has gotten older, or any other reason.  When the vast majority of people would say, “I can’t do what I used to, it’s time to hang ‘em up,” Jens would press on, never afraid to face defeat in order to succeed once again.  I do believe him when he says that he doesn’t want to put his fans, supporters and loved ones through any more ups and downs.  I think if he does retire, that will be the main reason- not that he doesn’t like fighting anymore, or that he doesn’t think he can compete.

Jens, whether you’re done or not, thanks for exemplifying everything we love about this sport.

Javier Vazquez and the Silver Lining

If there’s any good to take from the Pulver-Vazquez fight, it is that with two of the nicer guys in MMA trying to turn things around, one would definitely be able to do so.  That fighter ended up being Vazquez, who had lost two split decisions previous to the Pulver fight and has battled a ridiculously unfortunate history of injuries in his past, though he’s always been a very talented fighter.

I think Vazquez can definitely compete with the top fighters in the division, and it’s good to see a true veteran of the sport that can mix it up with some of the younger talent.  Vazquez has some interesting matchups ahead of him, and it’s good to see him three fights into his WEC contract and injury-free.

Where Do Torres and Bowles Go From Here?

If you would have told me that Miguel Torres or Brian Bowles would have lost, I would have raised an eyebrow, but I wouldn’t have bet you a kidney or anything.  This is MMA, right?  Anything can happen, and all that stuff.  Still, to see both guys not only lose on the same night, but in such devastating fashion, was truly shocking.

You have to wonder what happens next for these two.  If the WEC is going the UFC-style matchmaking route, we’ll see Bowles-Torres II, so that at least one of these guys will be guaranteed to get back on track.  Of course, I’m not a huge fan of doing those sorts of matchups, because it also means that one of your bigger stars is going to have at least a two-fight losing streak.

In Bowles’ case, let’s hope that his hands won’t cause problems throughout his career, as he’s already broken them multiple times.  I’ve always thought that Vitor Belfort’s troubles with broken hands contributed to the disappearance of “the Old Vitor”, and it’s easy to imagine how not having confidence in your hands working correctly can wreak havoc on the mindset of a powerful striker.

With Torres, I suspect he’ll be just fine.  He’s a confident guy and seems to have a very strong will, whether he’s wearing a championship belt or not.  He’ll be back.

Cruz-Benavidez II Looming?

The other question from the two main events that was on everyone’s mind is whether we would see Dominick Cruz and Joseph Benavidez square off again, this time for the bantamweight title.

Cruz beat Benavidez by decision the first time, and has already jump-started the hype for another fight by saying that he thinks he would beat Benavidez nine out of ten times.  So, Cruz is confident, and Benavidez wants to avenge his only loss, it’s going to happen…right?

Well, maybe not.  WEC matchmaker Sean Shelby isn’t ready to commit just yet.  He says he won’t put the fight together yet unless he sees something that allows him to believe that the outcome would be different in a second fight.  There’s also Cruz’s health to deal with, as he has an injured (though not broken) hand from his fight with Bowles.

Quick Shots

–Will there be a more painful-looking choke this year than Scott Jorgensen’s absolutely brutal guillotine choke on Chad George?  From lifting George off the mat with the technique to just plain dropping the guy on his head when the ref stopped the fight, that was a definite statement.  Jorgensen is a beast and has only lost twice (by decision both times; one being a split decision) in his seven WEC fights.  I think he will fight for the title yet this year if he keeps on this track.

–It’s unfortunate that a point deduction from George Roop after just one attack to the groin of opponent Leonard Garcia cost him a split decision victory.  One has to wonder whether the warning assessed by referee Kevin Mulhall in the second round for a supposed illegal knee by Roop (the knee clearly was not illegal, however) influenced the decision to take a point.  Perhaps we’ll see a quick rematch of this one, like we will in the UFC with Stephan Bonnar vs. Krzysztof Soszynski.

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Tags: Brian Bowles, Dominick Cruz, George Roop, Javier Vasquez, Jens Pulver, Joseph Benavidez, Miguel Torres, Scott Jorgensen, WEC 47