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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
WEC 51: ALDO VS. GAMBURYAN
SEPTEMBER 30, 2010
LIVE FROM BROOMFIELD, COLO.
In a mind-blowing move, the end of the UFL game on Versus got a post-game wrap up and the live broadcast for the WEC was pushed back close to ten minutes. Ridiculous. Anyway, this show is finally under way and a great night of fights are sure to be in store. Keep with us here tonight throughout the event!
Todd Harris and Stephen Bonnar welcome the crowd and break down the fights in store on the fight card tonight.
FIGHT ONE: MARK HOMINICK VS. LEONARD GARCIA (FEATHERWEIGHT)
[Commercial Break]
A UFC 121 commercial aired during the break, hard selling the possibility of Cain Velasquez becoming the first "Mexican Heavyweight Champion." They also ran with the line that Jake Shields is entering the UFC fresh off his "destruction of Dan Henderson." That event will be great on October 23.
ROUND ONE: Garcia has the crowd's backing here as they're both announced. Hominick moves forward off the bat and puts Garcia's back to the cage as he stalks. Garcia presses him back with a combo but Hominick blocks it. Garcia landed a good body punch. He got in with a nice combo to the head and body but Hominick walked right back at him.Hominick got in a hook. He blocked a high kick. Hominick with a nice right. Hominick landing a few shots in combination. Garcia landed a hard leg kick. Hominick came right back and landed the jab nicely a couple of times. Garcia pressed back and Hominick covered up. He pressed in wildly but didn't hit his mark. He went to a couple of body kicks. Hominick continues to press right back. Hominick pops Garcia's head back with a jab. Hominick got in with a jab some more and blocked another high kick. They each traded jabs in the center. Garcia is swinging wildly in spots but they're not finding their mark. Hominick continues to press. Garcia landed a left. Hominick continued to walk him down, and has the entire fight thus far. Garcia moved forward and Hominick landed a good counter punch. Garcia landed a nice leg kick. Hominick walks him down and lands another punch before the round ended.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Hominick. Extremely even round, but Hominick gets it for aggression and landing some good strikes. Garcia pressed in at times, but was continually backpedaling all round.
[Commercial Break]
ROUND TWO: Garcia came out aggressive but didn't connect on a few shots. Hominick went bakc to stalking. Hominick landed a nice body punch and backed out of the attempted counter. Hominick landed a nice hook. Garcia pressed and briefly got Hominick to the cage but couldn't connect. Hominick got out and landed a right. He landed another one. Hominick countered nicely with a jab as Garcia came in. Garcia missed an uppercut. Hominick pushed right back and landed a good jab. More jabs landing from Hominick. Garcia ran in and landed a body punch. Hominick with another combination. Garcia has a few punches blocked and Hominick came back at him again. Counter-left landed by Hominick. Garcia threw a couple of kicks that were partially blocked. Hominick with a two punch combo and another nice jab. Garcia landed a leg kick but it didn't keep Hominick from stalking. Hominick pressing forward some more and landing punches. He blocks a few more and backs out. Hard left hook landed by Hominick. Jab again landed. Hard right from Hominick. Garcia landed a good body shot but Hominick ducked under the follow up. Hominick still pressed late and landed another left hook. Garcia landed a right but Hominick absorbed it. He landed a jab as the round ended.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Hominick. No question on that one. Hominick turned it up slightly and landed a bunch more shots.
[Commercial Break]
ROUND THREE: Garcia pressed in early with a flurry but Hominick blocked most of them. He got in a body punch and Hominick came after him again. Hominick landed a jab. He landed another one as he had Garcia back-pedaling again. Garcia is trying to throw some wild punches but Hominick continues to block and avoid. Hominick landed a nice body shot and popped right back in with the jab. Another jab landed by Hominick, and then he popped in with a couple more. Garcia landed a nice punch. Another nice combo from Hominick. More punches landed by Hominick. Garcia pressed in but Hominick blocked the attempted punches and came right back with more punches that got in clean. Hominick with another hard body punch. Garcia tried to hold Hominick off but he doesn't land anything. Hominick lands another hard body punch. He staggered Garcia with a counter left but Garcia popped right back up. He landed a leg kick. Hominick continued to walk forward and landed another big combo. Hominick with another counter. Hominick with another counter jab. MOre punches land. Garcia tries to swing wildly but Hominick covers up and presses right back. Hominick landed some more punches and he avoided more punches from Garcia. Garcia just swinging for the fences but Hominick continued to counter. Hominick just tooled Garcia in the striking game in this fight.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Hominick. He blocked almost every strike thrown by Garcia and outclassed him on the feet. Good performance by the Canadian.
[Commercial Break]
WINNER: Hominick via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
POST FIGHT: Hominick said the gameplan was to make Garcia miss and make him pay for missing. He said he doesn't fear what his opponents bring to the table because he knows what he has to offer.
STAR RATING: (**) It was slightly disappointing from an excitement standpoint, but that was an absolutely excellent performance by Mark Hominick. Garcia continues to get far too much credit by judges in his fights, and there's not a chance he won the second or third round. I can see giving him the first, but that was just awful to score either of the other two for him.
FIGHT TWO: CHAN SUNG JUNG VS. GEORGE ROOP (FEATHERWEIGHT)
[Commercial Break]
ROUND ONE: Jung landed a leg kick early. Roop popped Jung's head back with a jab. Jung tried to stalk him down. He got him to the cage and landed a punch and they exchanged wildly. Roop pressed in with a head kick but it was blocked. He landed a jab but Jung continued to stalk him down. Jung with a nice right. Roop landed a leg kick after taking a right. Jung pressed in with a nice uppercut. Jung landed a jab and stalked. Roop landed a body kick. Roop is throwing the looping overhand right but is not landing it. Roop landed a body punch as he absorbed a kick to the body. Roop with a nice jab. Jung landed a counter left. Jung caught a kick and clinched, pressing Roop to the cage. Roop turned it around and they separated with an exchange. Roop landed a jab and then a short combo as he continued to circle on the cage. Jung came in with a flurry and landed a couple of hard punches. Jung with another combination that landed well. Jung landed a good jab. He's picking his spots well. They traded punches as the round ended.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Jung. A couple of the late exchanges saw him land the hardest punches of the round, and he edged a relatively even opening frame.
[Commercial Break]
ROUND TWO: Jung immediately stalked Roop down. Roop landed a stiff jab. Jung got in close, landed a body kick and briefly clinched. He is stalking well here and pressing the action. Roop got in a good high kick that was only partially blocked. Jung came in with a big flurry and landed a few of the shots. Roop blocked a few in there as well. Roop landed a hard body kick. Roop landed a jab and threw a high kick that knocked Jung out cold. He was out before he hit the ground. Holy hell. That was vicious. Perfectly placed kick. Huge win for Roop. If Jung gets back up he might literally be the Korean Zombie because that looked like a death blow. Man what a head kick. And it was just the FOOT that landed and not even the shin.
[Commercial Break]
WINNER: Roop via KO (head kick) at 1:30 of the second round
POST FIGHT: Roop said he was very motivated and very determined coming into this fight. He said he was honored to fight him and was glad he got the opportunity to showcase his skills in this one.
STAR RATING: (***+) Highlight reel knock out, one of the best of the year in a fight that had some nice exchanges. The finish made this a must see and that was the biggest win Roop has had to date, I think.
[Commercial Break]
-Urijah Faber is interviewed cageside. He talks about his return in November and his drop to bantamweight.
FIGHT THREE: MIGUEL TORRES VS. CHARLIE VALENCIA (BANTAMWEIGHT)
[Commercial Break]
ROUND ONE: Torres pressed in early and forced Valencia to circle on the outside. Torres landed a short combo and Valencia landed a couple of counter shots. Torres landed a jab as he continued to stalk. Valencia landed a leg kick. Torres got in a hard right. Very tentative start here. Torres pressing walking Valencia down but he's not eager to engage yet. Valencia landsa couple of hard leg kicks. Torres throws one of his own. Torres popped in with a flurry of punches as Valencia covered up. Torres clinched Valencia and pressed him to the cage. Valencia got separation with a nice knee. Valencia moved in with a body punch. Torres lands a kick that lands low on Valencia so he is given time to recover. Torres came forward again as they restarted. Valencia landed a leg kick. Torres with another jab. Torres comes in and knocked Valencia down in a flurry. He followed up with a bunch of punches on the ground but time ran out in the round.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Torres. He was already winning the round (barely) but secured it with that final flurry. Very nice finish to the round.
[Commercial Break]
ROUND TWO: Valencia threw a high kick but it was blocked as Torres walked him down again. Torres landed a jab. Valencia tried to shoot for an ankle but Torres stepped out. He landed a big right and followed it with a head kick that hurt Valencia. He followed up with a few punches on the ground but stood up and let Valencia get up, dropping him again with a knee to the head. He got down into Valencia's guard. He passed to side control and Valencia turned to his knees. Torres grabbed his back and pulled him down and worked for the rear naked choke. Valencia fought it off but Torres locked it on finally and forced the tap. Great second round for the former Champ and a big win he absolutely needed to win.
[Commercial Break]
WINNER: Torres via submission (rear naked choke) at 2:25 of the second round
POST FIGHT: Torres said his losses were an opportunity to evolve. He said his work at Tristar in Montreal is going to make him a better fighter. He said he's only 29 and he has a long way to go still.
STAR RATING: (**+) Very nice second round after an extremely tentative first. That was a great performance out of Torres in a fight he desperately needed to win, and he did it in convincing fashion.
[Commercial Break]
PRELIM FIGHT A: TIEQUAN ZHANG VS. PABLO GARZA (LIGHTWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Zhang is TINY compared to Garza here. Garza threw a high kick but it was blocked. Zhang got into the clinch and landed a couple of uppercuts before tossing Garza to the ground and getting into his guard. Garza sat up and Zhang tried to lock on a guillotine. Garza got loose and tried to get his legs up for an armbar. Zhang defended well and got out of the bad position. Garza's legs were up high, but Zhang stood up and passed to half guard. Zhang locked on a headlock in half guard. He tried to pass and Garza reversed, but as he did Zhang locked the guillotine on tight and forced the tap. Good stuff from Zhang.
WINNER: Zhang via submission (guillotine choke) at 2:26 of the first round
STAR RATING: (**+) Nice stuff out of Zhang. He defended well in Garza's high guard and pulled off a nice submission there in the scramble. Very well done.
[Commercial Break]
FIGHT FOUR: JAMIE VARNER VS. DONALD CERRONE (LIGHTWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Cerrone gave an evil staredown to Varner as Varner looked to the ground. Cerrone ran after Varner to kick off the fight, and Varner clinched him and they jockeyed for position against the cage. Cerrone got free and landed a big knee that hurt Varner. He chased after him but overshot a flying knee and got thrown to the ground. Varner backed off to recover. Cerrone landed a leg kick. Cerrone's got a lot of pent up anger here. Varner popped in with a combination. Varner backed off as Cerrone landed a punch. Varner got in with another hook. Cerrone tried to take Varner down but Varner held it off and landed a very nice two punch combination before backing out. "Varner sucks" chant starts up. Cerrone got in with a leg kick. Varner overshot a punch and Cerrone ducked under it and took him down but Varner immediately walked up the cage and got to his feet. They traded knees. Varner separated with a nice combo. Crazy fight through three minutes so far. Varner landed a beautiful two punch combo after avoiding Cerrone's punches. Cerrone started stalking and Varner circled on the outside. Varner missed on a huge left hook. He landed a nice counter as Cerrone got in. Cerrone landed a jab and a leg kick. Cerrone got in close in the clinch and Varner narrowly avoided the head kick. Cerrone rocked Varner with a jab and Varner shot in to recover. Cerrone got out of it and they started throwing bombs at each other as the round ended. Hell of a start to this one.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Cerrone. Varner's scoring with some big punches of his own, but Cerrone buckled him twice in that round and took him down. He'll edge the round. Great start to the fight though.
[Commercial Break]
ROUND TWO: Cerrone landed a leg kick but Varner hit him with a flurry. Cerrone landed a hard jab and a leg kick. He landed a body kick as Varner landed a right. Varner got in with a nice body punch and hook. They exchanged punches in the center briefly. Cerrone landed a hard kick to the thigh. Varner got in with another short combo. Another big combo landed. Cerrone ducked under a punch and took Varner down again and passed to side control. Varner held onto his head and moved to north-south. He got back up to his feet in a scramble and ate a body kick. Cerrone landed a leg kick. Big "Cowboy" chant in the crowd. Varner keeps grabbing his eye. Might be a cut. Cerrone got in with a nice knee. Varner with a short counter. Cerrone landed a nice left and they both came back to the center of the cage. Varner with another combo. Cerrone shot in but was stuffed. Varner landed a hard punch with a minute left. Cerrone landed a hard leg kick. Cerrone tried to get another takedown but Varner held him off. Cerrone pressed in with a short combo and leg kick. Varner shot but Cerrone held it off and then raised his arms to the crowd. Cerrone with a short combo as the round ends.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Cerrone. Varner was winning a lot of the exchanges, but lose some steam at the end of the round and got taken down there. Going to be close though, and wouldn't have a problem if a judge gave him that round due to his striking.
[Commercial Break]
ROUND THREE: They touched gloves to start the third. Some respect being earned between both here. Cerrone landed a body punch. Varner needs to do something big in this round. Cerrone got in a combo ending in a body kick. Another body kick landed by Cerrone. Varner tried to walk him down with a flurry but Cerrone grabbed a clinch. Cerrone landed a kick to the face but Varner just absorbed it. He's behind here and he needs to get some desperation under him. Cerrone shot in but Varner held off any takedown. Varner landed a hard right as he countered a body kick. Varner with another huge right. Varner is swinging with bad intentions and landing some big punches here. Cerrone is trying to clinch everytime Varner gets in close. Varner with another combo. Cerrone got in a punch. He ducked under a punch and again took Varner down. Cerrone landed a couple of punches and elbows in Varner's guard. Varner is holding on and hoping for a standup but he needs to get himself out of this. Cerrone grabs a body lock as Varner gets to the cage and gets back to his feet with a minute left. Time running out for Varner here. Cerrone shot in but Varner held it off this time. Varner swung a big shot and missed. He put his hands on his hips with 35 seconds left. Varner landed a hook. Varner's just got nothing left here. He eats a couple of hard kicks from Cerrone. Cerrone presses in with kicks. Varner stops fighting and puts a hand up to touch gloves and then Cerrone gives him a forearm shove and Varner pushes him in the back as the buzzer sounded. Almost had a Paul Daley moment there.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Cerrone. Varner was winning until he got taken down and then Cerrone turned it back on and Varner was too tired to do anything more.
[Commercial Break]
WINNER: Cerrone via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
POST FIGHT: Cerrone said after the fight that he'd give Varner a rematch in Arizona to settle the score. After that he said it won't all be put to bed. He said he wanted to be one up on Varner. He said he's not looking for any title shots, he just wants to keep fighting. Varner was booed again after the fight and said Cerrone's gotten a lot better. Varner being very respectful to Cerrone as the crowd started booing again. He said he wouldn't mind settling the score in Arizona.
STAR RATING: (***+) That was a great fight. Both fighters left everything in the cage and both landed and took some really hard punches and kicks throughout the fight. Cerrone was especially impressive with how well he had improved his wrestling game here, and Varner mistakenly took that part of Cerrone's game lightly and it cost him. If both are cleared to fight by the time December 16 rolls around they absolutely should put the rubber match on that card.
[Commercial Break]
MAIN EVENT FIGHT FIVE: JOSE ALDO VS. MANNY GAMBURYAN (FEATHERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP)
ROUND ONE: Aldo a very big height and reach advantage in this one. Gamburyan stumbles Aldo with a big overhand right but it didn't land flush and just knocked the Champ slightly off balance. Aldo popped in with a nice knee. Gamburyan landed a counter left. Both fighters are testing the reach here early on. Aldo with a hard leg kick. Aldo does a good job of backing out from Gamburyan's rushes early here. Aldo with another leg kick. Very slow start here thus far. The crowd starts raining some boos down on the lack of action so far in the fight. Aldo landed a body kick. Gamburyan pressed in and Aldo backed off. Gamburyan pops in with a left again. Aldo landed a really hard leg kick with a minute left. Another hard one lands. Gamburyan ran in and landed an overhand right but not flush. Some confusion as Gamburyan grabbed at his eye like it was an eye poke but Herb Dean told him he had to fight. Gamburyan shot as the round ended but Aldo held it off.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Gamburyan. Very close round, but Manny landed a couple of good punches and Aldo just didn't do a whole lot in that round.
[Commercial Break]
ROUND TWO: Gamburyan tried to shoot in but Aldo held it off. He got in a couple of leg kicks but Aldo came back with one of his own. Aldo landed an uppercut but it was partially blocked. Aldo landed a nice combo as Gamburyan got in close. He hurt Gamburyan with another right and Gamburyan sprawled. Aldo started throwing tons of huge shots and Gamburyan went out cold. Damn is he good.
[Commercial Break]
WINNER: Aldo via KO at 1:32 of the second round
POST FIGHT: Aldo said he took the first round to study what Gamburyan was going to do and then turned his gameplan on in the second. He said if it's up to him his title reign will last forever.
STAR RATING: (***) It was a really tentative second round, but the Champion turned it on and immediately went for the kill as soon as he had Gamburyan in trouble. That was a vicious flurry to finish that fight.
That's another great event from the WEC. Thanks to everyone who joined us here tonight for the live event, make sure to check back throughout the week for fallout from this event and more as we head into a very busy month of October in MMA.
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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Chris Park - Matt Pelkey
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