Tag: lasvegas

WEC 52 Undercard Live Blog: Davis vs. Assuncao, Semerzier vs. Swanson, More

Filed under: WECLAS VEGAS – MMA Fighting is at The Pearl at The Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas for WEC 52, one of just two cards left in the promotion’s history before merging into the UFC in 2011.

The main card, headlined by the bantamweight debut…

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LAS VEGAS – MMA Fighting is at The Pearl at The Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas for WEC 52, one of just two cards left in the promotion’s history before merging into the UFC in 2011.

The main card, headlined by the bantamweight debut of former featherweight champion Urijah Faber against Takeya Mizugaki, airs live on Versus at 9 p.m. Eastern.

The preliminary bouts not scheduled for broadcast feature L.C. Davis vs. Raphael Assuncao, Edward Faaloloto vs. Anthony Njokuani, Dustin Poirier vs. Zach Micklewright, Michael McDonald vs. Clint Godfrey, Mackens Semerzier vs. Cub Swanson and Brandon Visher vs. Yves Jabouin.

MMA Fighting has round-by-round updates of the six preliminary card bouts below.

WEC 52 Weigh-in Results

Filed under: WEC, NewsLAS VEGAS – All main-card fighters made weight for their bouts at WEC 52 on Wednesday in Las Vegas, including main-event fighters Urijah Faber and Takeya Mizugaki.

Faber, the WEC’s former featherweight champion, is making his de…

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LAS VEGAS – All main-card fighters made weight for their bouts at WEC 52 on Wednesday in Las Vegas, including main-event fighters Urijah Faber and Takeya Mizugaki.

Faber, the WEC’s former featherweight champion, is making his debut at bantamweight. He acknowledged after tipping the scales at 136 pounds that his first cut to 135 wasn’t easy.

“I’m ready. I can’t wait,” Faber told Craig Hummer. “It’s been a fun cut. It’s been a little difficult at the end, but I feel great. I’ve got a great opponent in Mizugaki – he comes forward and can take a beating. He can give a beating too, but I’m not going to let him.”

Mizugaki, whose WEC debut in April 2009 was a bantamweight title bout against then-champion Miguel Torres, also weighed 136.

Official weigh-in results after the jump.

Takeya Mizugaki: Bout Against Urijah Faber as Big as a Title Fight

Filed under: UFC, WECLAS VEGAS – It’s hard to get a bigger stage than a title fight, but as far as Takeya Mizugaki is concerned, his fight against Urijah Faber at WEC 52 on Thursday is just as big.

Mizugaki is just 18 months removed from his WEC debut…

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Takeya MizugakiLAS VEGAS – It’s hard to get a bigger stage than a title fight, but as far as Takeya Mizugaki is concerned, his fight against Urijah Faber at WEC 52 on Thursday is just as big.

Mizugaki is just 18 months removed from his WEC debut, a bantamweight title fight against then-champ Miguel Torres in Torres’ Chicago backyard. Though he lost a unanimous decision, he was the first fighter to ever take Torres five rounds.

Mizugaki (13-4-2, 2-2 WEC) is 2-1 since that loss to Torres, losing to top bantamweight contender Scott Jorgensen by decision last December and winning decisions over Jeff Curran and Rani Yahha – though many observers thought Curran beat him. He finds himself back on the big stage, main eventing against the company’s poster boy, who is dropping down from featherweight to fight at 135 pounds for the first time.

“To me, this fight is as big as when I fought Miguel Torres for the WEC (bantamweight) title,” Mizugaki said through his translator, Shu Hirata, Tuesday at The Palms in Las Vegas. “I feel like I’m challenging Urijah because he’s one of the stars of the WEC, so this is almost the same value as a title fight.”

Demetrious Johnson to Replace Eddie Wineland at WEC 52

Filed under: WEC, FanHouse Exclusive, NewsEddie Wineland has been forced out of his fight at WEC 52 against Damacio Page and will be replaced by Demetrious Johnson.

WEC officials confirmed to MMA Fighting on Wednesday that Wineland was off the card, …

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Demetrious JohnsonEddie Wineland has been forced out of his fight at WEC 52 against Damacio Page and will be replaced by Demetrious Johnson.

WEC officials confirmed to MMA Fighting on Wednesday that Wineland was off the card, and sources close to the situation said Johnson has been tapped on three weeks’ notice.

Sources close to Wineland’s camp said the Indiana-based fighter has been dealing with a left shoulder injury and doctors recently advised him to not fight on the Nov. 11 card in Las Vegas. Sources also said the injury is not expected to set Wineland back very long, and there is even hope he could find his way onto the WEC 53 card on Dec. 16 in Phoenix.

Rich Franklin vs. Forrest Griffin Fight Planned for Feb. 5 UFC Card

Filed under: UFC, NewsA light heavyweight fight between former champions Rich Franklin and Forrest Griffin is in the works for the UFC’s card on Super Bowl Saturday, Feb. 5, which tentatively has been labeled UFC 127.

Sources with knowledge of the pl…

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Forrest GriffinA light heavyweight fight between former champions Rich Franklin and Forrest Griffin is in the works for the UFC’s card on Super Bowl Saturday, Feb. 5, which tentatively has been labeled UFC 127.

Sources with knowledge of the planned bout told MMA Fighting that the fight has yet to be signed, but is the intended direction of the promotion. Additionally, sources have informed MMA Fighting’s Mike Chiappetta the battle between the two former champions is expected for that event.

The bout will likely serve as the pay-per-view’s co-main event under an anticipated middleweight title fight between champion Anderson Silva and Vitor Belfort. Light heavyweight contenders Jon Jones and Ryan Bader are also expected to fight on the card. The event has not yet been announced, but is expected to take place in Las Vegas.

Eddie Wineland, Damacio Page to Meet at WEC 52

Filed under: WEC, NewsEddie Wineland, the WEC’s first bantamweight champion, will meet Damacio Page at WEC 52 in November.

MMA Junkie first reported the fight on Thursday, and sources close to Wineland’s camp confirmed to MMA Fighting that the Indian…

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Eddie Wineland, the WEC’s first bantamweight champion, will meet Damacio Page at WEC 52 in November.

MMA Junkie first reported the fight on Thursday, and sources close to Wineland’s camp confirmed to MMA Fighting that the Indiana-based fighter has agreed to the bout, though contracts have not yet been signed.