WEC Features Good Fighters, Good Fights
MMA June 2nd. 2008, 11:00am
Last night, World Extreme Cagefighting and Versus attempted to undo the damage done to the sport of Mixed Martial Arts by Elite XC and CBS. And they attempted it without Busta Rhymes. It was a risky move, but it must have worked because I feel like I owe somebody $44.95 right now.
Ultimately, last night was about Urijah Faber. “The California Kid,” it should be noted, came out to California Love and sported cornrows. (How can you not love this guy?) Faber clearly won every round against his game, but over matched opponent, Jens Pulver. Pulver, taught never to retreat; never to give up; stood in there and traded punches, kicks and knees for the full 25 minutes. In the end, he just didn’t have enough to overcome the champ. It was Faber’s 13th straight win and Pulver’s first ever loss at 145 pounds.
The most exciting moment of the fight came in the second round when Pulver withstood one of the most impressive flurries of punches and knees I’ve ever seen. He should have been knocked out 4 to 7 times in about a 45-second span. How he survived, I can’t fathom.
In the other championship fight of the evening Miguel Angel Torres beat Yoshiro Maeda to retain his bantamweight title. Let me tell you, Miguel Angel Torres is a tiny killing robot. He never stopped attacking no matter what position he was in. Machinelike is the only way I can describe it. At 135 pounds, he was an absolute monster. He might be the scariest man to step inside a cage since The Legend of Kimbo Slice was alive.
You can’t take anything away from Maeda though. He fought a competitive fight and the it looked like it could go the distance. However, Torres did such great damage to the right side of Maeda’s face that the fight had to be stopped after the third round.
All in all it was a great night for MMA. It was a far better example of what the sport can be than the circus that unfolded in Newark the night before. Its just too bad no one involved got to present at the Country Music Awards to help promote the card. I guess we’ll have to take solace knowing that Yoshiro Maeda had a special appearance on Bill Dance Outdoors. (It was scintillating.)
[Picture via MMAjunkie]
33 Responses to “WEC Features Good Fighters, Good Fights”
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June 2nd, 2008 at 11:02 am
Good spellcheck
June 2nd, 2008 at 11:04 am
2nd round of Torres/Maeda was the tits. I was cringing when they both had the ankle locks going.
June 2nd, 2008 at 11:05 am
A coworker was wearing flip-flops today so I put her in a toe-lock. I’ll be commenting from home for the rest of the day.
June 2nd, 2008 at 11:10 am
seriously, no ballin’? MMA jumped the shark before it even got popular enough to qualify it having to jump the shark.
June 2nd, 2008 at 11:10 am
the double ankle lock spot was awesome. I think the 8/3 card will be great as well.
Dont know if you guys saw it but did you see the WEC commercial with the fighters faces before/after fight? Super-Nice!!
June 2nd, 2008 at 11:11 am
@Magglio – You know there weren’t any games yesterday, right?
June 2nd, 2008 at 11:13 am
I can’t stand MMA, but I’d like it more if they re-scored double knockouts as losses.
I’d be inclined to watch almost any sport in which everyone loses.
June 2nd, 2008 at 11:13 am
Id rather piss on my own foot than read another story about how kimbo slice is bad for mma
June 2nd, 2008 at 11:13 am
All the fights (except the first one) were great but did you see the female cop that escorted him and a couple of other fighters to the ring? Damn. Sacramento PD has definitely upgraded their diversity program.
June 2nd, 2008 at 11:13 am
August…you could watch golf. 140 losers, 1 winner.
June 2nd, 2008 at 11:14 am
you should do that anyways. peeing on your foot kills bacteria.
June 2nd, 2008 at 11:15 am
Who’s to say I don’t?
June 2nd, 2008 at 11:20 am
Everyone who watches golf loses.
June 2nd, 2008 at 11:22 am
@Narrator
http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2008/6/2/544041/our-society-has-sunk-to-a
Scroll down….nice
June 2nd, 2008 at 11:23 am
@ clown except Tiger.
June 2nd, 2008 at 11:28 am
I’ve never understood the appeal of golf, but then I barely make minimum wage.
June 2nd, 2008 at 11:30 am
golf makes my man region tingle.
June 2nd, 2008 at 11:30 am
Is CRM the Max Kellerman of TBL or something now?
June 2nd, 2008 at 11:33 am
@Mike NYC – If that’s a compliment about my hair, thank you.
June 2nd, 2008 at 11:36 am
CRM : Max Kellerman :: Mike NYC : Ann Coulter
June 2nd, 2008 at 11:36 am
CRM…how’s that 1995 goatee treatin you? still rockin’ it as usual?
June 2nd, 2008 at 11:39 am
CRM : Max Kellerman :: Patrick Imig : Stat Boy
June 2nd, 2008 at 11:39 am
Really? We’re doing Friends references now?
/embarrassed for knowing that was a Friends reference.
June 2nd, 2008 at 11:40 am
Clown, still bitter about NBA ratings, I see.
June 2nd, 2008 at 11:42 am
I don’t know whats insult and what’s compliment, but I do know we’re talking about “The One with the Jellyfish“
June 2nd, 2008 at 11:43 am
stalkingEA…that’s a Friends reference? my old roommate used to say that all the time when we’d catch him peeing in the kitchen sink. he’d always say, “it’s ok, it kills bacteria.”
June 2nd, 2008 at 11:45 am
spencer – check CRM’s comment; he got it. I feel a little better for not remembering it was a jellyfish sting.
June 2nd, 2008 at 11:54 am
I feel bad for bringing all this up…im sorry
June 2nd, 2008 at 11:55 am
Moises Alou wants to add that micturating on your hands is a good idea.
June 2nd, 2008 at 11:58 am
That’s all good and well…but WWJD?
June 2nd, 2008 at 1:21 pm
that WEC card was pretty damn entertaining, especially the co-main events, both of which came through better than any match on the CBS card.
and I’m glad I wasn’t the only one to notice the Sacramento PD had some “talent” working
June 2nd, 2008 at 1:39 pm
Maeda/Torres has to be a candidate for Fight of the Year. It was off the charts.
I was sad to see my friend Chuck lose though.
June 2nd, 2008 at 2:27 pm
@JEFFaJAX:
I wouldn’t pee on My leg. Or anything else that is attached to My body (in its humanly form). Urine is a waste product and as such, I avoid it as much as possible.
Now, I know what you’re thinking. And yes, when You are nailed to a cross, You just let it flow. I had too much to worry about that day to be embarassed about a little potty accident.
See – where else can you get that kind of inside information?