Tag: WEC 49

WEC 49 Weigh-In Video

Filed under: WEC All 22 fighters participating in Sunday night’s WEC 49 event will step on the scale Saturday for the weigh-ins, and if you can’t be there in Edmonton you can watch right here at MMAFighting.com.

In the main event, lightweights Jamie V…

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All 22 fighters participating in Sunday night’s WEC 49 event will step on the scale Saturday for the weigh-ins, and if you can’t be there in Edmonton you can watch right here at MMAFighting.com.

In the main event, lightweights Jamie Varner and Kamal Shalorus will have to make the lightweight limit of 155 pounds, with a one-pound buffer.

Immediately following the weigh-in, the WEC will host a question-and-answer session for fans, which will also stream live.

The weigh-in starts at 7 PM ET and the video is below.

Ben Henderson Defends Position on Rematches, Awaits Varner-Shalorus Winner

Filed under: WEC, NewsSunday’s main event between lightweights Jamie Varner and Kamal Shalorus at WEC 49 isn’t a title fight, but it will have title implications.

WEC general manager Reed Harris said on a media call Tuesday that the winner will get t…

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Sunday’s main event between lightweights Jamie Varner and Kamal Shalorus at WEC 49 isn’t a title fight, but it will have title implications.

WEC general manager Reed Harris said on a media call Tuesday that the winner will get the next crack at current champion Ben Henderson. Varner, a former WEC lightweight champ, has been down that road before. Henderson caught him in a guillotine at WEC 46 in January to unify his interim title with Varner’s belt.

And while Varner said he’s not overlooking Shalorus on Sunday, it’s clear his eyes are on a chance at redemption against Henderson, whom he was critical of for his stance of not wanting rematches after he’s beaten someone.

“See the thing is, he doesn’t have that decision-making power (to turn down a rematch),” Varner said Tuesday. “I think Ben knows – I think it’s a little bit of fear, to be honest with you.”

But Henderson defended his position on rematches to MMA Fighting on Thursday.

Is Renan Barao WEC’s Next Superstar? Jose Aldo Thinks So

Filed under: WEC, FanHouse ExclusiveRenan Barao was just a fresh-faced 18-year-old when he made his professional MMA debut in Natal, Brazil, losing by unanimous decision. Apparently, he responds well to adversity, because he has not lost since. Dependi…

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Renan Barao was just a fresh-faced 18-year-old when he made his professional MMA debut in Natal, Brazil, losing by unanimous decision. Apparently, he responds well to adversity, because he has not lost since. Depending on who you talk to, Barao either has a 21-, 23- or 25-fight unbeaten streak. No matter who you talk to, or what number you believe, it’s one of the most impressive current stretches in MMA.

The 23-year-old Barao finally brings that long run of success to a major promotion when he faces Anthony Leone during Sunday’s WEC 49 undercard in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, and many think you should mark this date on your calendar as the start of something big.

Former Bantamweight Champ Eddie Wineland Wants to Stay in the Hunt

Filed under: WECAsk 100 MMA fans to name the former WEC bantamweight champion from Indiana, and all 100 of them are liable to say Miguel Torres. And while the Torres response is true – and certainly understandable – Eddie Wineland might have something …

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Ask 100 MMA fans to name the former WEC bantamweight champion from Indiana, and all 100 of them are liable to say Miguel Torres. And while the Torres response is true – and certainly understandable – Eddie Wineland might have something to say about that.

Wineland was the WEC’s first champ at 135 pounds. He won the belt at WEC 20, knocking out Antonio Banuelos for the title. But that was in the WEC’s pre-Zuffa era, before the big TV deal with Versus and really before “MMA” was a household term. Casual fans not really knowing him could be forgiven. Besides, he lost the belt less than a year later in his first defense at WEC 26.

But on Sunday, at WEC 49 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, Wineland goes after his third straight win, and he’ll do it against Will Campuzano to open the televised card on Versus – the latest step on his goal to get another crack at the title.

“You always want to be on the main card – everybody always wants to be seen,” Wineland said. “But whether I’m the first fight or the last fight, as long as I’m there and I get to fight and I get that win, that’s really all that matters.”

WEC Newcomer Danny Downes Ready to Go ‘International’ Against Horodecki

Filed under: WEC, NewsWhen Danny Downes picked up the phone early Tuesday afternoon and was told there was a spot for him on Sunday’s WEC 49 card if he was up for it, his affirmative response came quickly.

“Obviously, I would have preferred an eight-w…

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When Danny Downes picked up the phone early Tuesday afternoon and was told there was a spot for him on Sunday’s WEC 49 card if he was up for it, his affirmative response came quickly.

“Obviously, I would have preferred an eight-week training camp,” Downes told MMA Fighting on Wednesday. “But when you get the big call, you answer.”

WEC Beware: A Phenom on One Good Leg, Now Josh Grispi’s Healthy

Filed under: UFC, FanHouse Exclusive, NewsAt 21 years old, Josh Grispi is a grizzled veteran with big wins on his record, a horrific injury in his past and now, he hopes, a stirring comeback story.

The kid they call “The Fluke” actually began his care…

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At 21 years old, Josh Grispi is a grizzled veteran with big wins on his record, a horrific injury in his past and now, he hopes, a stirring comeback story.

The kid they call “The Fluke” actually began his career as a kid. As in, he was underage. He was 17 and determined, so he fudged the truth a little bit about the nature of the competition, got a parent’s signature and went off to chase a dream.

It was during his 18th birthday when everything started going wrong and right. He was legal now, so nothing could stop him from fighting (and that’s exactly what he was doing on his 18th birthday), but it was also the day that his right ankle suffered an injury from a misdirected kick. Over the next three years, it would get progressively worse, to the point that when he finally had a thorough exam, his doctors recoiled in horror.

“How are you even walking right now?” one doctor asked.