Leonard “Bad Boy” Garcia vs “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung

Round 1:
Jung landed a big leg kick early in the first round and Garcia replied with a one-two and a kick of his own. Both landed big punches and knees in close as the action picked up. The fighters threw wild punches and knees, but most strikes missed. Garcia landed a big knee and Jung replied with one of his own. Jung threw an elbow over the top and broke free of a clinch. More punches and a knee followed for Jung as Garcia began to tire.

Garcia backpedalled and Jung partially landed a head kick. Jung floored Garcia with two looping hooks and followed with more punches, but Garcia recovered and tried for an armbar. Jung escaped and scored with punches and elbows. An exhausted Garcia got back to his feet and the fighters exchanged big punches. Jung rocked him with a head kick and a flying knee. Garcia fired back, but Jung kept the pressure on with punches. Amazing round. 10-9 Jung.

Round 2:
Jung landed a big head kick in the second round and the fighters teed off with punches. Garcia finally landed a big hook that rocked Jung, but Jung somehow stayed on his feet and weathered more punches. The ridiculous action continued as the fighters threw haymakers, but both stayed up. A spinning backfist followed and Garcia clinched. Jung broke free and recovered. He landed a nice overhand right. Garcia threw his first head kick and the fighters traded leg kicks. Jung landed a flurry and a knee.

Jung took Garcia’s back while standing and dragged him to the mat. Jung secured a body triangle, but Garcia scrambled and the fighters stood. The crowd continued to go crazy with cheers and Garcia scored with a left hook. The exhausted fighters continued to throw power strikes and Jung landed a front kick to the body. Jung threw a barrage of punches and knees and time was called to replace Garcia’s mouthpiece. Action resumed and Garcia unloaded with punches and knees of his own. Insane round. 10-9 Garcia, barely.

Round 3:
Jung opened the final round with a kick and Garcia replied with a one-two. He landed a knee as Jung moved in and Jung fired back with two punches. Garcia seemed to be reinvigorated in the final round, but Jung kept him at bay with jabs. A big exchange followed and both fighters landed. Jung lunged in with a hook that just missed. Garcia countered with punches and a body kick.

Jung continued to walk Garcia down and landed a quick combination. Garcia missed with wild hooks and Jung drilled him with a spinning backfist and punches. Garcia landed a punch-kick combo and Jung battered him with huge punches against the cage. Garcia held strong and fired back, then landed a knee. Garcia threw a body kick and Jung connected with a left hook. A wild exchange ended the round. Fight of the Year candidate. 10-9 Jung.

Unfortunately, the amazing fight was marred by yet another terrible decision in a Garcia bout, as he was once again awarded with a Split Decision that he did not deserve. Jung clearly won the fight.

Winner: Leonard Garcia by Split Decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29) after three rounds. He improves to 14-5-1.

 

Anthony “Showtime” Pettis vs Alex Karalexis

Round 1:
Karalexis walked Pettis down for the first 40 seconds, but was drilled with a jumping switch kick to the jaw. Pettis landed two hard shots, but Karalexis recovered and clinched. Pettis broke free and threw a one-two. Pettis landed a body kick, but Karalexis caught it and took Pettis down. He punched from the top, but Pettis scrambled to his feet. The fighters separated and Karalexis missed with a wild right.

Pettis landed a stiff leg kick and caught one from Karalexis. He landed a right hook and another jumping switch kick. More leg kicks followed for Pettis and he landed a jab that prompted Karalexis to try for a takedown. Pettis broke free and absolutely teed off with four vicious leg kicks that buckled Karalexis’s lead leg. The round ended in a clinch. 10-9 Pettis.

Round 2:
Karalexis rushed in with punches in round two and took Pettis down. Pettis looked to set up an armbar and worked back to his feet. Another hard leg kick landed for Pettis, but Karalexis scored another takedown. Pettis kicked Karalexis off briefly, but Karalexis fell back into his guard. Pettis locked on a tight triangle choke and Karalexis was forced to submit. Good win for Pettis.

Winner: Anthony Pettis by Submission (Triangle Choke) at 1:35 of round two. He improves to 10-1-0.

 

Brad “One Punch” Pickett vs Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson

Round 1:
Big punches were exchanged early on and Johnson landed a body kick. Pickett answered with a left hook and sent Johnson off-balance with a quick flurry. Johnson threw a head kick and followed with a punch-kick combo. Pickett scored a takedown and landed a big elbow. Johnson defended against the cage and battled back to his feet. Pickett caught a kick and took Johnson down.

Johnson upkicked from his back, but Pickett stayed in his guard. He tried to move straight to mount, but Johnson defended. Johnson escaped to his feet and landed a lightning-fast flurry and a knee. He threw a head kick and Pickett answered with a Superman Punch. Pickett took Johnson down briefly, then a second time right after. He isolated Johnson’s arms and landed elbows. Johnson scrambled to his feet again. Excellent round. 10-9 Pickett by a slim margin.

Round 2:
Johnson scored with kicks in the second round and Pickett replied with counterpunches. Johnson continued to pick his shots with single kicks and quick punches, but Pickett clinched and took him down. Pickett looked to work from side-control, but Johnson scrambled out and scored with hard kicks on the feet. He landed a combination and Pickett scored another takedown.

Pickett landed a big elbow from Johnson’s butterfly guard and kept him pinned up against the cage. Johnson stood and was suplexed to the mat. Johnson escaped and got to his feet again. He threw a combination and a head kick. The fighters clinched and Pickett scored an emphatic slam takedown. He moved to mount and landed punches until the bell to win the round. 10-9 Pickett.

Round 3:
Johnson opened the final round with kicks and Pickett fired back with a counter right hook. Johnson scored a takedown and locked on a front headlock as Pickett stood. Johnson landed knees to the face and the fighters clinched against the cage. Pickett took Johnson down and moved to half-guard. Johnson defended well from his back and scrambled to his feet. He broke free of a clinch and put together a wild combination.

Johnson scored another takedown and worked from Pickett’s guard. He landed an elbow and the fighters stood, but Johnson used a front hip toss to take Pickett down. Pickett scrambled and reversed, then slammed Johnson to the mat. Pickett moved to mount and threw short punches to the body. Johnson regained half-guard and exploded back to his feet. Pickett took him back down and the fight ended in a scramble. Great fight. 10-9 Pickett.

Winner: Brad Pickett by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 19-4-0.

 

Chad “Money” Mendes vs Anthony “Cheesesteak” Morrison

Round 1:
The fighters exchanged quick leg kicks early on and Mendes pushed forward with a flurry. He clinched, but Morrison landed two punches and circled away. Morrison threw a lead left hook and followed with a jab that snapped Mendes’s head back. Mendes shot in for a takedown and got it. Morrison tried to get back to his feet, but Mendes locked on a modified arm-in guillotine choke. He pulled Morrison to the mat and Morrison quickly tapped out. Very impressive submission by Mendes.

Winner: Chad Mendes by Submission (Guillotine Choke) at 2:13 of round one. He improves to 7-0-0.

 

Takeya Mizugaki vs Rani Yahya

Round 1:
Mizugaki scored a takedown early on, but Yahya worked back to a knee and reversed. He took Mizugaki’s back and a scramble followed. Yahya tried to take Mizugaki’s back again, but Mizugaki returned to his feet and the fighters traded strikes. Mizugaki clinched and pressed Yahya up against the cage. He landed punches in close and took Yahya down, then struck from the top until the bell. 10-9 Mizugaki.

Round 2:
Mizugaki backed Yahya up with a flurry in the second round and clinched against the cage, but Yahya looked to counter with a takedown. Mizugaki stuffed it and pushed Yahya to his back. Little transpired and the fighters were stood up. Mizugaki punished Yahya with a combination and backed him up. He followed with more punches and scored a takedown late in the round. 10-9 Mizugaki.

Round 3:
Yahya threw a haymaker right hand to begin the final round and missed wildly. He tried for a takedown and abandoned it in favour of a clinch near the cage. Yahya took Mizugaki’s back and Mizugaki countered with reverse elbow strikes. Yahya tried for a rear-naked choke, but Mizugaki defended. Mizugaki eventually swept and landed strikes from Yahya’s guard. Close round. 10-9 Yahya, barely.

Winner: Takeya Mizugaki by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 13-4-2.

 

Tyler “Thunder” Toner vs Brandon “The Viper” Visher

Round 1:
Toner opened the fight with a series of kicks that kept Visher at a distance, but Visher landed a nice combination and just missed with a right hook. Visher threw kicks of his own and Toner landed a one-two. Visher rushed in and Toner stunned him with a counter hook. Visher recovered and Toner landed another leg kick. Visher scored with an overhand right, but Toner floored him with a left cross. Visher partially recovered, but Toner threw elbows until referee Herb Dean rescued Visher. Good win for Toner.

Winner: Tyler Toner by TKO (Elbows) at 2:36 of round one. He improves to 10-1-0, 1 NC.

 

While the WEC Lightweight Championship bout ended quickly and the main event was not as competitive as some had hoped, WEC 48 was easily one of the best mixed martial arts events to take place in recent years. Though marred by questionable scoring, the all-out war between Leonard Garcia and Chan Sung Jung was the most exciting bout of the year and a potential Fight of the Year candidate.