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LC Davis (13-2-0) vs. Javier “Showtime†Vasquez (13-2-0)
LC Davis comes to the WEC after the closing of Affliction MMA and his WEC debut is against the fighter he was supposed to take on at Affliction: Trilogy, Javier Vasquez. LC Davis is a longtime veteran of the International Fight League, where he fought the likes of Jay Estrada, Conor Heun, Wagney Fabiano and Rafael Dias. In his lone Affliction appearance before the closing of the company, LC Davis defeated Bao Quach by unanimous decision. LC Davis is a fighter who is comfortable wherever the fight ends up, with eleven victories coming by knockout and submission. Javier Vasquez is a longtime veteran of the King Of The Cage promotion, where he once fought UFC veteran Alberto Crane. In his professional MMA debut, Javier Vasquez made it to the finals of the Neutral Grounds 5 Tournament, defeating Sean Kim and Ken Kellenberger, before losing to Victor Hunsaker in the finals. Javier Vasquez also spent some time in Elite XC, where he defeated JC Pennington and Adriano Pereira in those appearances. Javier Vasquez will be looking to put the fight on the ground, with eight victories coming by way of submission.
My Prediction: LC Davis
WEC Featherweight Division Fight
Diego “The Gun†Nunes (12-0-0) vs. Rafael Dias (12-5-1)
Diego Nunes is an undefeated fighter who made his WEC debut at WEC 37: Torres vs. Tapia, where he defeated Cole Province by unanimous decision. Before competing in the WEC, Diego Nunes primarily competed overseas in promotions like Shooto, GP Tornado and Storm Samurai. Of those twelve victories achieved by Diego Nunes, only one of them has gone to a decision, which speaks to his finishing abilities. Diego Nunes is a fighter who is comfortable wherever the fight ends up, with eleven victories coming by knockout and submission. Rafael Dias has had an interesting run thus far in the WEC, with a victory over Mike Budnik and a loss suffered to Danny Castillo. Rafael Dias also had a long run in the Absolute Fighting Championships, where he fought the likes of Brian Geraghty and Steve Kinnison. Rafael Dias also competed in the Bodog Fight promotion, where he fought UFC veteran Per Eklund. Rafael Dias will be looking to put the fight on the ground, with seven victories coming by way of submission.
My Prediction: Diego Nunes
WEC Bantamweight Division Fight
Rani Yahya (14-4-0) vs. John Hosman (13-4-1)
Rani Yahya is a longtime veteran of WEC competition, with victories coming over Mark Hominick, Yoshihiro Maeda and Eddie Wineland, with a lone loss coming to Chase Beebe. Rani Yahya also made a lone appearance in the Palace Fighting Championships, where he defeated Louie Moreno by knockout. Rani Yahya primarily competed overseas in promotions like MARS, K-1 and TNT before coming to the WEC in 2007. Rani Yahya will be looking to put the fight on the ground, with thirteen victories coming by way of submission. John Hosman will be making his WEC debut in this fight, but he is a longtime veteran of the Xtreme Fighting Organization promotion. While in the Xtreme Fighting Organization, John Hosman fought Marcus Cobb, Tristan Yonker, Mustafa Hussaini, James Haourt, Mike Powell and Courtney Landis. John Hosman also competed in the debut event for the Adrenaline MMA promotion, where he lost to Joe Pearson by submission. John Hosman will be looking to put the fight on the ground, with seven victories coming by way of submission.
My Prediction: Rani Yahya
WEC Lightweight Division Fight
Ed “9mm†Ratcliff (6-1-0) vs. Phil Cardella (8-3-0)
Ed Ratcliff is a veteran of WEC competition, having defeated Johnny Sampaio and Alex Karalexis, while suffering a lone loss to Marcus Hicks. Before coming to the WEC, Ed Ratcliff fought in the Total Combat promotion, where he went undefeated with victories over Josh Olivas, Brett Cooper, Jamie Schmidt and Chris Reed. The loss to Marcus Hicks at WEC 33 snapped a six fight undefeated streak that had lasted nearly three years. Ed Ratcliff will be looking to use his striking skills to gain the victory, with five prior wins coming by knockout. Phil Cardella made his lone WEC appearance thus far at WEC 39, where he lost to Danny Castillo by split decision. Before coming to the WEC, Phil Cardella spent the majority of his time in the Gracie Fighting Challenge and Renegade Extreme Fighting promotions, where he fought WEC veteran Rafael Dias. Phil Cardella will be looking to put the fight on the ground, with seven victories coming by way of submission.
My Prediction: Ed Ratcliff
WEC Lightweight Division Fight
Marcus “The Wrecking Ball†Hicks (8-2-0) vs. Shane Roller (5-2-0)
Marcus Hicks is a longtime veteran of WEC competition and at one point was the top contender for the WEC Lightweight Title. Thus far in the WEC, Marcus Hicks has defeated Sergio Gomez, Scott McAfee and Ed Ratcliff, while suffering defeats to Jamie Varner and Rob McCullough. Before suffering the loss to Jamie Varner at WEC 35, Marcus Hicks was on an eight fight undefeated streak that lasted over six years. Marcus Hicks will be looking to put the fight on the ground, with five victories coming by way of submission. Shane Roller has spent some time in the WEC with victories over Todd Moore and Mike Budnik, while suffering a loss to Benson Henderson. Of his seven professional fights, Shane Roller has only seen one fight go past the first round, which speaks to his finishing abilities. In an interesting career note, Shane Roller has not had a fight going past three minutes of the first round in two years. Shane Roller is a fighter who is comfortable wherever the fight ends up, with all five victories coming by knockout and submission.
My Prediction: Marcus Hicks
WEC Featherweight Division Fight
Fredson Paixao (8-3-0) vs. Cole Province (5-1-0)
Fredson Paixao made his WEC debut at WEC 40 in 2009, where he lost to Wagney Fabiano by unanimous decision. Before coming to the WEC, Fredson Paixao primarily competed overseas in the Jungle Fight promotion, where he fought Rani Yahya, Fabio Mello, Jean Robert Monier, Miljan Djurasinovic and Marcos Galvao. Fredson Paixao also fought once in the Gracie Fighting Challenge promotion, where he defeated Elite XC veteran Thomas Denny. Fredson Paixao will be looking to put the fight on the ground, with four victories coming by way of submission. Cole Province made his WEC debut in late 2008 at WEC 38 in a losing effort to Diego Nunes by unanimous decision. Before entering the WEC in 2008, Cole Province mainly fought in the Freestyle Cage Fighting promotion, where he defeated Jared Lopez, York Ash and Ed Wedding. The loss to Diego Nunes at WEC 38 snapped a five fight undefeated streak for Cole Province, the streak lasted over a year. Cole Province will be looking to put the fight on the ground, with four victories coming by way of submission.
My Prediction: Fredson Paixao
WEC Featherweight Division Fight
Leonard “Bad Boy†Garcia (12-4-0) vs. Jameel “The Sergeant†Massouh (21-5-0)
Leonard Garcia made a huge impact in the WEC since debuting in the promotion in early 2008, becoming the top contender to the WEC Featherweight Title. While in the WEC, Leonard Garcia defeated Hiroyuki Takaya, Victor Estrada and Jens Pulver, while suffering a loss to Mike Brown. Leonard Garcia also had a run in the UFC, competing against the likes of Roger Huerta, Allen Berubie and Cole Miller. A victory for Leonard Garcia could earn him another title opportunity or a potential dream match with Urijah Faber. Leonard Garcia will be looking to put the fight on the ground, with nine victories coming by way of submission. Jameel Massouh made his WEC debut at WEC 40 in 2009, in a losing effort to Rafael Assuncao by unanimous decision. Before coming to the WEC, Jameel Massouh primarily competed in other promotions like fightFORCE, Pancrase, Adrenaline MMA and Madtown Throwdown. Jameel Massouh started off his MMA career in impressive fashion with an eleven fight undefeated streak that lasted nearly two years. Jameel Massouh is a fighter who is comfortable wherever the fight ends up, with seventeen victories coming by knockout and submission.
My Prediction: Leonard Garcia
(Note: I will be doing live coverage of WEC 42: Torres vs. Bowles right here on PWInsiderXtra.com on Sunday August 9th at 9pm EST.)
You can contact David Tees at bigtees360@yahoo.com
