World Extreme Cagefighting came to the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio tonight for WEC 47: “Bowles vs Cruz.” The event was headlined by an exciting WEC Bantamweight Championship bout between Brian Bowles and new champion Dominick Cruz.
Also on the card, former 135-pound champ Miguel Torres was defeated by Joseph Benavidez in a likely number one contender’s bout, while Jens “Lil’ Evil” Pulver competed for the final time in a loss to Javier “Showtime” Vazquez. MMARising.com has live play-by-play from the night’s action.
WEC Bantamweight Championship
Dominick Cruz vs Brian Bowles
Round 1:
Cruz threw a big leg kick early on and Bowles answered with a pair of right hands. He continued to throw big right hooks, but Cruz sidestepped and landed a nice shot of his own. Cruz pushed the pace and looked to land looping hooks and head kicks, but Bowles ducked under and countered with a solid right. Both fighters connected with right hands that stunned the other, but they stayed on their feet.
Seconds later, Cruz rocked Bowles with a right hook and Bowles backed away to recover. Cruz continued to dance around Bowles and picked his shots, then drilled Bowles with a counter right cross. Bowles rushed in and tried for a standing guillotine choke, but Cruz used the opportunity to take Bowles down. Bowles scrambled to his feet and Cruz landed a leg kick. A one-two and a kick landed for Cruz and Bowles answered with a right hook. 10-9 Cruz.
Round 2:
Both fighters threw big punches in the opening 30 seconds of round two, but neither landed anything cleanly. Leg kicks followed and Bowles stopped Cruz’s momentum briefly with a counter right hand. Bowles caught a kick from Cruz, but Cruz cracked him with a right hook. Cruz scored with a four-punch flurry and tripped Bowles with a leg kick. Bowles’s nose began to bleed more freely as he got back to his feet.
The fighters once again traded power punches and Bowles landed a pair of right hooks. Cruz answered with a combination and another vicious leg kick. More punches and a body kick landed for Cruz and he stuffed a takedown. Time was called after an inadvertent low blow from Cruz. The fight continued and both fighters threw haymakers. Bowles landed a big one-two and Cruz immediately answered with a left hook. He took Bowles down just before the bell. 10-9 Cruz.
In between rounds, the doctor stopped the fight due to an apparent broken right hand of Bowles. Cruz was deemed the winner and becomes the new champion.
Winner: Dominick Cruz by TKO (Doctor Stoppage – Broken Hand) at 5:00 of round two. He improves to 15-1-0 and becomes the new WEC Bantamweight Champion.
Joseph Benavidez vs Miguel Torres
Round 1:
Torres kept his distance early on and threw occasional kicks to the legs. Both fighters just missed with right hands and Torres landed kicks to the arm and leg. Benavidez replied with a hard right hook, but Torres shook it off. Quick combinations scored for both fighters and both landed leg kicks. Benavidez caught a kick and landed a big right hook, then tripped Torres to the mat.
Torres stood and the fighters clinched against the cage. Benavidez scored a takedown as Torres tried to pull guard. He worked for an armbar, but Benavidez stood up. Torres upkicked from the bottom and Benavidez dove back into his guard. He secured a guillotine choke from the top, then let it go and landed elbows. Benavidez stayed on top until the bell. 10-9 Benavidez.
Round 2:
As in round one, Torres stayed on the outside and the fighters traded kicks in the second round. Benavidez landed a combination and Torres looked to establish his jab. Benavidez maintained a southpaw stance and landed a hard kick to the body. An exchange of punches followed and Benavidez scored a very impressive takedown.
Benavidez immediately unleashed a barrage of elbows that cut Torres on the forehead. A scramble ensued and Benavidez locked on a guillotine choke as Torres bled all over the place. Benavidez rolled Torres over and he quickly tapped out. Huge win for Benavidez.
Winner: Joseph Benavidez by Submission (Guillotine Choke) at 2:57 of round two. He improves to 12-1-0.
Javier “Showtime” Vazquez vs Jens “Lil’ Evil” Pulver
Round 1:
Pulver pushed forward and landed a nice left hand right away and Vazquez fired back one of his own. He clinched, but Pulver secured a guillotine choke and dragged him to the mat. Vazquez escaped and Pulver stood up. Vazquez followed and took Pulver down seconds later. He took Pulver’s back and then moved to mount, but Pulver reversed and took top position. Pulver stood and kicked Vazquez’s legs, but Vazquez scrambled to his feet and scored a takedown.
Vazquez moved right to side-control and pinned Pulver’s arms down. He rained down short right hands as Pulver tried to get out. Pulver partially escaped and Vazquez took his back. Vazquez moved to mount and secured a very quick armbar, which forced Pulver to submit. Impressive win for Vazquez.
Winner: Javier Vazquez by Submission (Armbar) at 3:41 of round one. He improves to 14-4-0.
L.C. Davis vs Deividas Taurosevicius
Round 1:
Both fighters looked to find their range early on and Davis clinched after an exchange of kicks. He pressed Taurosevicius up against the cage and the fighters traded knees to the body. Taurosevicius reversed and tried for a takedown, but Davis put Taurosevicius against the cage again. Short strikes landed for both fighters until the referee separated them.
Taurosevicius landed a leg kick, but Davis answered with a lead right hand. The fighters clinched and traded strikes in close. A short elbow found the mark for Davis and Taurosevicius replied with knees. He tried to take Davis down, but met with no success. He continued to try for the takedown, but could not get Davis to the mat. 10-10 round.
Round 2:
Davis countered an early leg kick with a three-punch flurry and mixed in body kicks soon after. Taurosevicius shot in and tried for a takedown, but Davis maintained his balance and reversed position. Taurosevicius wound up flat on his stomach, but he scrambled to his feet and took Davis down. Taurosevicius threw short punches with his free hand until Davis worked back to his feet.
A knee from Taurosevicius strayed low and Davis was clearly in pain, but referee Jerry Poe instructed the fighters to continue. A second low blow followed from Taurosevicius, but the referee did not see it. He separated the fighters and Taurosevicius missed with a wild head kick. Davis threw a one-two and Taurosevicius clinched. The fighters battled for takedowns until the bell. 10-9 Taurosevicius.
Round 3:
The final round began with an exchange of quick punches and Taurosevicius struck his way into a clinch. Davis muscled him up to the cage as the crowd grew restless. Taurosevicius reversed and threw elbows over the top until Davis backed away. Taurosevicius threw a body kick and a one-two and worked his way into a clinch again. The crowd voiced their displeasure.
The referee separated the fighters and they both landed big left hands at the same time. Davis scored a takedown and Taurosevicius countered by working for an omoplata. He landed short punches from the bottom while keeping Davis in place. In a horrendous move, the referee stood the fighters up just as Taurosevicius secured the omoplata. The round ended in a clinch. Very close round. 10-9 Davis, just barely.
Winner: L.C. Davis by Majority Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-29) after three rounds. He improves to 16-2-0.
Bart “Bartimus” Palaszewski vs Karen Darabedyan
Round 1:
The fighters circled early on and Palaszewski landed a kick to the body. He followed with a leg kick, but Darabedyan teed off with punches against the cage. Palaszewski held on, but Darabedyan slammed him to the mat. Palaszewski worked for a pair of omoplatas, but Darabedyan powered out. From the top, Darabedyan rained down punches and hammerfists and Palaszewski answered with upkicks.
Darabedyan postured up and threw elbows, then dropped a series of powerful punches. Palaszewski survived, but Darabedyan kept the pressure on with short strikes. In a split second, Palaszewski transitioned into an armbar and rolled Darabedyan over. Darabedyan, who had been in complete control, had nowhere to go and was forced to submit. Very impressive comeback win.
Winner: Bart Palaszewski by Submission (Armbar) at 4:40 of round one. He improves to 34-13-0.
Scott “Young Guns” Jorgensen vs Chad “The Savage” George
Round 1:
George shot in for a takedown early on, but Jorgensen locked on a guillotine choke. George got back to his feet against the cage, but Jorgensen maintained the choke. He nearly lifted George off the ground with the front guillotine choke and George tapped out just as he lost consciousness and fell to the mat. Amazing submission win.
Winner: Scott Jorgensen by Submission (Guillotine Choke) at 0:31 of round one. He improves to 9-3-0.
Anthony “Showtime” Pettis vs Danny “Last Call” Castillo
Round 1:
The opening round began slowly as the fighters tentatively threw single kicks and punches. Castillo clinched and took Pettis down, but Pettis defended well from the bottom. The fight returned to the feet and Pettis jumped in with a wild flying knee that missed badly. Time was called after an accidental low blow from Castillo.
Action resumed and Pettis floored Castillo with a brutal head kick. He followed with half a dozen unnecessary punches before referee Jerry Poe, who was horribly out of position, finally pulled him off. Devastating victory for Pettis.
Winner: Anthony Pettis by KO (Head Kick & Punches) at 2:17 of round one. He improves to 9-1-0.
Undercard Fights:
Chad Mendes defeated Erik “New Breed” Koch by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) after three rounds. He improves to 6-0-0 with the win.
Leonard “Bad Boy” Garcia and George Roop fought to a Split Draw (29-27, 27-29, 28-28) after three rounds. Garcia moves to 13-5-1, while Roop moves to 10-6-1.
Fredson Paixao defeated Courtney Buck by Technical Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) at 2:39 of round one. He improves to 9-3-0, 1 ND with the win.
Ricardo Lamas defeated Bendy Casimir by KO (Knee) at 3:43 of round one. He improves to 8-1-0 with the win.
While the main event ended in anticlimactic fashion, WEC 47 was otherwise an excellent event and served as a solid lead-in for the promotion’s pay-per-view debut at WEC 48 on April 24th. Dominick Cruz and Joseph Benavidez established themselves as the future of the 135-pound division, while aging legend Jens Pulver competed for the final time.
(Photo Credit: Sherdog.com)