WEC 47 ‘Bowles vs. Cruz’ was the organization’s debut in Columbus, Ohio, and featured several important matchups in the bantamweight division: Champion Brian Bowles was set to defend his title against Dominick Cruz, former champion Miguel Torres took on Joseph Benavidez in a #1 contender bout, and a rising prospect Scott Jorgensen looked to break into the title picture.  As usual, the card was rounded out by a smattering of lightweight and featherweight bouts.

Bart Palaszewski vs. Karen Darabedyan (155 lbs)

Round 1: The fighters circle each other tentatively.  Karen lands the first significant punch.  Bart answers with leg kicks.  Karen advances with a flurry, backing Bart into the cage, then goes for a takedown.  Palaszewski grabs on to a guillotine but gets slammed as Darabedyan breaks free and lands elbows to the head.  Bart tries for an omoplata and uses it to regain guard.  Bart attempts and armbar and a triangle but Karen evades danger and finds openings for elbows and punches.  Karen stands over Bart and eats an upkick then dives back into Palaszewski’s guard.  Palaszewski keeps looking for an armbar and finally secures one, straightening out Karen’s arm.  Darabedyan tries to roll out of it but he is trapped and forced to tap out.

Fight Grade: 4/5

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In the UFC’s continued quest for world dominance, UFC 110 took place in Sydney, Australia – another new location for the promotion.   The unofficial theme of the night was a reunion of some of Pride FC’s biggest stars – Mirko ‘Cro Cop’ Filipovic, Wanderlei Silva, and Antonio ‘Minotauro’ Nogueira, all three fighting to maintain relevancy in the twighlight of their careers.

Mirko Filipovic vs. Anthony Perosh (HW)

Round 1: Mirko leads with a punch and misses with a head kick.  Perosh shoots for a takedown and Mirko sprawls, punching the side of Anthony’s head.  This sets the pace for the entire round, with Perosh’s takedown attempts repeatedly stuffed.  Mirko punishes Perosh on the feet with uppercuts and straight punches.  Perosh is persistent but unsuccessful with his shots, bleeding from the nose by the end of the round.  Round 10-9 Filipovic

Round 2: Perosh throws hands briefly, eats an uppercut and shoots for another takedown.  Mirko sprawls.  Perosh is still not having any success with his takedowns.  Mirko hurts Perosh with a body kick.  Perosh throws a couple of leg kicks and shoots again; Mirko stuffs the shot and punches the head of Perosh.  Perosh pulls guard and Mirko blasts him with an elbow from the top.  The elbow opens a huge, gushing cut on Anthony’s forehead.  The fight is stopped to check the cut and somehow allowed to continue.  Perosh attempts a few more failed takedowns and absorbs more punishment until the round finally ends.

The fight is stopped between rounds because of the severity of the cut, giving Mirko Filipovic the TKO victory.

Aftermath: This was a major mismatch, with the local fighter Perosh stepping in as a last-minute replacement for the ill Ben Rothwell who was originally scheduled to fight Filipovic.  Perosh never stood a chance in this matchup, and remains winless in the UFC.  Despite his willingness to fight on short notice, it’s unlikely he will get another UFC bout, unless perhaps they hold another event in Australia soon.

‘Cro Cop’ gets a much needed win, looking workmanlike against a outmatched opponent.  It looks like he will still take on Rothwell next – this should be a better indicator of just how far the mighty Cop has fallen.

Fight Grade: 2/5

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In the recent years, it has become a tradition for the UFC to put on a major event the night before Superbowl.  This year, UFC is still reeling from the string of illnesses and injuries suffered by key fighters in the past few months, and so the Superbowl event had a rather underwhelming card.  Headlined by the “seniors’ tour” matchup of Mark Coleman vs. Randy Couture, 109 piled on the nostalgia with Matt Serra taking on Frank Trigg on the undercard.  The rest of the event was mostly filled with matchups with little divisional significance, with the notable exception of Nate Marquardt taking on Chael Sonnen for the shot at the middleweight title.

Preliminary Card (Spike TV)

Melvin Guillard vs. Ronnys Torres (155 lbs)

Round 1: Torres ducks under a punch and takes Guillard down.  Torres passes into half-guard and works for a kimura.  Guillard escapes and stands up.  Torres leads in with a punch then takes Guillard down again but Guillard reverses and ends up on top, then stands up and backs away.  Guillard lands a couple of kicks.  Torres misses with a flying knee.  Guillard attempts a spinning back fist but misses as well.  Torres shoots for another takedown, eats a knee on the way in but completes the takedown.  Ground and pound from Torres but Guillard is able to stand up and blasts Torres with two hooks as the round ends.   Round 10-9 Torres

Round 2: An ice bag breaks up in Torres’ corner between the rounds, extending the break to several minutes.  Both fighters come out swinging and missing.  Torres attempts to slam Guillard, lifting him up high against the cage; Guillard prevents the slam and they trade punches.  Torres shoots in – right into a knee again, then eats another knee after Guillard breaks free.  Guillard defends another takedown attempt but Torres takes his back standing and Guillard rolls, ending up in Ronnys’ guard.  Torres looks for a kimura but Guillard escapes and lands a big punch.  Round 10-9 Guillard

Round 3: Guillard is throwing haymakers, looking for a finish.  Guillard defends a takedown attempt and punishes Torres with big punches.  Torres fires back then earns a takedown.  Torres passes into side control and once again works a kimura.  Guillard escapes to his feet.  Guillard rocks Torres with a punch but gets taken down again.  Torres picks up Guillard and attempts a slam but lands on his back, mounted by Guillard.  Guillard tees off from the top as the round ends.  Round 10-9 Torres

Melvin Guillard wins a unanimous decision, 29-28 on all scorecards.

Aftermath: Melvin Guillard gets back on the winning track, somewhat controversially.  He should be faced with the winner of the upcoming bout between Spencer Fisher and Duane ‘Bang’ Ludwig.

Ronnys Torres’ long awaited UFC debut has been delayed by a series of injuries, and he performed fairly well coming off a lengthy layoff.  Still, the loss places him near the bottom of the UFC’s lightweight division and he should prove his mettle by taking on either Mac Danzig or the fellow struggling Brazilian prospect Thiago Tavares.

Fight Grade: 3/5

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