WEC 47 Post Fight Wrap-Up

WEC 47 turned out to be a night of upsets, with another championship belt changing hands. We are seeing the incredible depth in the bantamweight division which is probably the best pound for pound group in mma.

George Roop fought Leonard Garcia to a draw, which had to be a HUGE relief to all those who laid -400 on Garcia. Maybe this is the kind of fight Roop needed to gain some confidence and put together some wins at this level of competition. Garcia is dangerous to opponents and bettors alike, he should never be trusted as a sizable favorite and best played as underdog who has a punchers chance.

Ricardo Lamas and Paixao both earned good wins, but did we learn anything about them? Well, they both made quick work of overmatched opponents. You'd have to say that's a positive step forward.

Anthony Pettis is proving to be an extremely good fighter. Sure he scored a highlight KO against Castillo, but just as impressive was his ability to handle Castillo's physical attack and overcome some adversity early in the fight. He's in the mix of WEC lightweight contenders.

Castillo suffered another loss to a fighter most considered inferior. He really had no excuses, Castillo got into his game then simply got caught with a huge kick. Was his win over Lamas a fluke or has he simply been careless in his last two fights? Tough to say now.

Chad Mendes earned a solid (unspectacular win) in his first WEC fight. He was the dominant fighter and controlled his opponent for 15 minutes. Maybe it wasn't a thing of beauty, but it was effective. Mendes is one of Faber's crew, he's got a great college pedigree and this is 3 rounds of quality experience. He'll be better next time.

Erik Koch was dominated by Mendes' superior wrestling game. He's probably better suited against a striker.

Scott Jorgensen finished his fight in under a minute with a brutal guillotine. I don't think anyone is looking forward to fighting him, he's a contender.

LC Davis and Taurosevicius may have put everyone to sleep, but they are both tough opponents against anyone. Physically strong wrestlers that can dominate almost everyone at the WEC level.

Javier Vasquez handled Pulver fairly easily. Vasquez shouldn't be overlooked, he's fought well against tough competition with only 1 win to show for it. He'll be a tough test for anyone debuting and he's capable of upsetting some of the veterans. Pulver retired.

Miguel Torres was beaten soundly by Benavidez. Torres looked tenative and simply waited on Joe to attack. Apparently, the loss to Bowles shook his confidence to the point where he changed a successful formula. He's still talented, but beware of any big prices on him in his next fight.

Benavidez is still improving. He's developing a small striking game that helps him work his way inside, which is where his strengths are. Excellent fight camp.

WEC 47 Play-by-Play

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