Raphael Assuncao vs Yves “Tiger” Jabouin
Round 1:
The fighters circled each other and traded lightning-fast punches early on. Jabouin landed a left hook and a body kick, then followed with a quick combination and an overhand right. Jabouin caught a kick from Assuncao and punched him to the mat. He stood up and allowed Assuncao to follow and the fighters traded more quick strikes. Both connected with hard punches and Jabouin reversed a takedown. Jabouin could do little from the top and the fight returned to the feet. Both landed liver kicks and Assuncao attempted to throw Jabouin to the ground. Jabouin squirmed free and more big strikes were thrown. Jabouin clinched and the fighters traded knees. 10-9 Jabouin.
Round 2:
Quick punches landed for both fighters in the second round and an exchange of kicks followed. Assuncao scored with a head kick and a hard kick to Jabouin’s lead leg. Jabouin landed a leg kick of his own, but was met with a pair in return and a hard three-punch combo. The canvas appeared to be very slippery and both fighters had trouble maintaining their footing. Assuncao continued to score with a variety of kicks, but Jabouin drilled him with a body kick and a spinning back kick to the ribs. Assuncao battled back with two kicks and clinched. He dropped down and trapped Jabouin in a tight guillotine choke and Jabouin escaped just before the bell. 10-9 Assuncao.
Round 3:
Assuncao tripped Jabouin to the mat with a leg kick early on and followed with a hard right cross. Jabouin clinched against the cage, but Assuncao reversed and landed a knee, then scored a takedown. He took Jabouin’s back and flattened Jabouin out, then looked for a rear naked choke. Jabouin fought off the choke attempts, but could do little else. The fighters stood up and Assuncao landed a big knee. Jabouin answered with quick strikes and stalked Assuncao around the cage. Jabouin began to dance around Assuncao and picked his shots with strikes, then connected with a spinning back fist. The fighters clinched again and Assuncao took Jabouin’s back. 10-9 Assuncao.
The judges returned bizarre scores, with one each giving all three rounds to Assuncao and Jabouin, respectively. The deciding judge scored the fight for Assuncao, who took the well-earned decision.
Winner: Raphael Assuncao by Split Decision (30-27, 29-28, 27-30) after three rounds. He improves to 14-1-0.
“The Angel of Death” Damacio Page vs Will Campuzano
Round 1:
Page came out throwing bombs and connected with three, but Campuzano answered with heavy shots of his own. Both fighters landed haymakers and Page scored a takedown. Campuzano looked for a triangle choke from the bottom, but Page scrambled and took his back. Page landed punches and elbows, then secured a rear naked choke that forced Campuzano to submit. Extremely impressive win for Page.
Winner: Damacio Page by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 1:02 of round one. He improves to 12-4-0.
Undercard Fights:
Anthony Njokuani defeated Muhsin “The Technician” Corbbrey by TKO (Punches) at 1:42 of round two. The slow-paced fight finally picked up over one minute into the second round when Njokuani staggered Corbbrey with a head kick and dropped him with punches. He followed with more punches from a standing position until the referee stopped the fight. Njokuani improves to 11-2-0 with the win.
Scott Jorgensen defeated Noah “The Red” Thomas by TKO (Punches & Elbows) at 3:13 of round one. Jorgensen rocked Thomas early on, then scored a pair of takedowns. The fight returned to the feet and Jorgensen dropped Thomas with a flurry, then finished the fight on the ground with a barrage of punches and elbows. Jorgensen improves to 7-3-0 with the win.
Mackens “Mack da Menace” Semerzier defeated Wagnney Fabiano by Submission (Triangle Choke) at 2:14 of round one. Fabiano was in complete control early on after scoring a takedown and moving to mount, but Semerzier defended and Fabiano stood up. In a shocking turn of events, Semerzier trapped Fabiano, a world-class Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu standout, in a triangle choke and Fabiano had no choice but to submit. Easily one of the biggest upsets of 2009. Semerzier improves to 4-0-0 with the win.
Eddie Wineland defeated Manny “The Mangler” Tapia by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) after three rounds. The first round of this fight was competitive, with both fighters landing solid shots on the feet, but Wineland took full control in round two. He rocked Tapia with a right hook midway through the round and landed at will in the later stages. The final round was all Wineland and he dropped Tapia at one point, then scored a big takedown in the final minute to take the dominant decision victory. Wineland improves to 15-6-1 with the win.
Charlie Valencia defeated Coty “The Ox” Wheeler by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28) after three rounds. Wheeler dominated round one with punches as Valencia had all sorts of trouble staying on his feet on the slippery canvas. He rebounded with effective punches and takedowns in the latter two rounds, however, and it was enough to take a hard-fought decision in the process. Valencia improves to 11-5-0 with the win.
Deividas Taurosevicius defeated Javier “Showtime” Vazquez by Split Decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29) after three rounds. The first two rounds of this fight were extremely close, as Vazquez went for a variety of submissions in round one and Taurosevicius held a significant advantage in striking in the second. The final round saw Vazquez drop a badly fatigued Taurosevicius early on, but he could not finish the fight. Vazquez rocked Taurosevicius again and slammed him to the mat, then worked from back-control and mount until the bell.
This marked the fifth time in the last seven fights that a Vazquez bout has ended in a Split Decision, and this one did not go his way. It was not nearly as controversial as the robbery that he suffered against L.C. Davis at WEC 42, however. Taurosevicius improves to 11-3-0 with the win.
Overall, WEC 43 was another excellent event for the promotion and the upcoming WEC Lightweight Championship bout between champion Jamie Varner and interim champ Ben Henderson should be a great one.