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01-14-2008, 04:34 PM
The WEC’s Magnificent Seven – The Submissions of 2007
01/02/2008
By Thomas Gerbasi
With the WEC being home to some of the best ground fighters in mixed martial arts, it goes without saying that the organization was going to bring fans some of the best submissions of 2007. But it’s a dark horse that sailed to the top of the list this year, a man who brought a Lil’ Evil with him to the WEC.
7 – WEC 29 – August 5 – Carlos Condit WSub1 Brock Larson
If anyone doubted Carlos Condit’s claim to being one of the top welterweights in the world, regardless of organization, those doubts were silenced when ‘The Natural Born Killer’ defended his WEC 170-pound crown with a beautiful armbar submission of tough Brock Larson. Want a little more on Larson’s credentials? His only loss in 20+ previous wins was via decision to UFC contender Jon Fitch. That’s nice company for Condit to be in.
6 – WEC 28 – June 3 – Rani Yahya WSub1 Mark Hominick
Before the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu ace sunk in a fight-ending rear naked choke to put a checkmark in the win column in his WEC debut, this bout may have been one of the most bizarre ever aired on national TV as the unorthodox Yahya did everything in the book to get Hominick to the mat, and some of the desperation takedown attempts were downright comical. But once Yahya got close enough to put his hands on Hominick, it was just a matter of time until the Black Belt ended matters, and in doing so, once again showed the effectiveness of the ground game.
5 – WEC 31 – December 12 - Urijah Faber WSub 2 Jeff Curran
If you beat a guy like Jeff Curran, you’ve got to be a helluva fighter; if you submit the Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt, you’re something special, and WEC featherweight champion Urijah Faber proved to be worthy of all the hype and attention he received in 2007 as he survived a bunch of dicey situations early in the fight to come back and force Curran to tap out from a guillotine choke in the second round.
4 – WEC 27 – May 12 – Marcus Hicks WSub2 Sergio Gomez
From the first punch he got hit with, Marcus Hicks was in deep trouble, as his eye rapidly swelled shut against Sergio Gomez, who kept the pressure on for the majority of the opening round. When the bell sounded, doctors hopped in the cage to examine Hicks’ eye, and though they allowed him to continue, they probably weren’t going to if he went through another five minutes with one eye. So what did Hicks do? He submitted Gomez with a guillotine choke in the second round of an entertaining fight with some solid ground work by both men as well as more than a little drama.
3 – WEC 31 – December 12 – Paulo Filho WSub1 Chael Sonnen
Chael Sonnen was about to pull off one of the biggest upsets in 2007. For much of the first round of their WEC middleweight title bout, Sonnen was handing champion Paulo Filho his head, hurting him early and perhaps even having him knocked out briefly on the canvas until the Brazilian got his wits back. But even after that, Sonnen dominated the ground fighting. Little by little though, you saw Filho working for submissions on the mat as he cleared his head more and more. Suddenly, he had Sonnen’s arm and started cranking it. And though the end met with some controversy over whether Sonnen verbally submitted or not, the fight ended with five seconds left and the belt still around Filho’s waist as he snatched victory from the jaws of the defeat.
2 – WEC 31 – December 12 – Charlie Valencia WSub1 Ian McCall
A classic showcase for the excitement and fast-paced action of the bantamweight division, this fight may have ended with a fairly routine guillotine choke, but what Charlie Valencia did to get to that point was one of the most exciting sequences you will see. First Valencia hurt McCall with a punch, then he moved in grabbed his stunned foe and flipped him backwards over his head to the mat. Then came the finishing choke. It was all the greatest aspects of MMA in one short burst, and more than worthy of a mention here.
1 – WEC 31 – December 12 – Jens Pulver WSub1 Cub Swanson
With all the bad blood between these two featherweights, knockout of the year or fight of the year would probably be the likely category for the fight between Jens Pulver and Cub Swanson. But it was Pulver’s guillotine choke that ended matters just 35 seconds into the bout, and in the great scheme of things, this may have been the most important result of the year for the WEC. If the highly-touted former UFC lightweight champion came to the WEC and lost, not only does it kill off a bout between Pulver and featherweight champ Urijah Faber, it would mean three losses in a row for ‘Lil’ Evil’ and a huge question mark over his career. But when pushed to the wall, Pulver always comes up aces, and he did it again on December 12th.
Honorable Mention – Urijah Faber WSub1 Chance Farrar, Blas Avena WSub1 Tiki Ghosn, Blas Avena WSub1 Joe Benoit, Miguel Torres WSub1 Jeff Bedard, Doug Marshall WSub1 Ariel Gandulla.
Source ([Only registered and activated users can see links])
01/02/2008
By Thomas Gerbasi
With the WEC being home to some of the best ground fighters in mixed martial arts, it goes without saying that the organization was going to bring fans some of the best submissions of 2007. But it’s a dark horse that sailed to the top of the list this year, a man who brought a Lil’ Evil with him to the WEC.
7 – WEC 29 – August 5 – Carlos Condit WSub1 Brock Larson
If anyone doubted Carlos Condit’s claim to being one of the top welterweights in the world, regardless of organization, those doubts were silenced when ‘The Natural Born Killer’ defended his WEC 170-pound crown with a beautiful armbar submission of tough Brock Larson. Want a little more on Larson’s credentials? His only loss in 20+ previous wins was via decision to UFC contender Jon Fitch. That’s nice company for Condit to be in.
6 – WEC 28 – June 3 – Rani Yahya WSub1 Mark Hominick
Before the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu ace sunk in a fight-ending rear naked choke to put a checkmark in the win column in his WEC debut, this bout may have been one of the most bizarre ever aired on national TV as the unorthodox Yahya did everything in the book to get Hominick to the mat, and some of the desperation takedown attempts were downright comical. But once Yahya got close enough to put his hands on Hominick, it was just a matter of time until the Black Belt ended matters, and in doing so, once again showed the effectiveness of the ground game.
5 – WEC 31 – December 12 - Urijah Faber WSub 2 Jeff Curran
If you beat a guy like Jeff Curran, you’ve got to be a helluva fighter; if you submit the Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt, you’re something special, and WEC featherweight champion Urijah Faber proved to be worthy of all the hype and attention he received in 2007 as he survived a bunch of dicey situations early in the fight to come back and force Curran to tap out from a guillotine choke in the second round.
4 – WEC 27 – May 12 – Marcus Hicks WSub2 Sergio Gomez
From the first punch he got hit with, Marcus Hicks was in deep trouble, as his eye rapidly swelled shut against Sergio Gomez, who kept the pressure on for the majority of the opening round. When the bell sounded, doctors hopped in the cage to examine Hicks’ eye, and though they allowed him to continue, they probably weren’t going to if he went through another five minutes with one eye. So what did Hicks do? He submitted Gomez with a guillotine choke in the second round of an entertaining fight with some solid ground work by both men as well as more than a little drama.
3 – WEC 31 – December 12 – Paulo Filho WSub1 Chael Sonnen
Chael Sonnen was about to pull off one of the biggest upsets in 2007. For much of the first round of their WEC middleweight title bout, Sonnen was handing champion Paulo Filho his head, hurting him early and perhaps even having him knocked out briefly on the canvas until the Brazilian got his wits back. But even after that, Sonnen dominated the ground fighting. Little by little though, you saw Filho working for submissions on the mat as he cleared his head more and more. Suddenly, he had Sonnen’s arm and started cranking it. And though the end met with some controversy over whether Sonnen verbally submitted or not, the fight ended with five seconds left and the belt still around Filho’s waist as he snatched victory from the jaws of the defeat.
2 – WEC 31 – December 12 – Charlie Valencia WSub1 Ian McCall
A classic showcase for the excitement and fast-paced action of the bantamweight division, this fight may have ended with a fairly routine guillotine choke, but what Charlie Valencia did to get to that point was one of the most exciting sequences you will see. First Valencia hurt McCall with a punch, then he moved in grabbed his stunned foe and flipped him backwards over his head to the mat. Then came the finishing choke. It was all the greatest aspects of MMA in one short burst, and more than worthy of a mention here.
1 – WEC 31 – December 12 – Jens Pulver WSub1 Cub Swanson
With all the bad blood between these two featherweights, knockout of the year or fight of the year would probably be the likely category for the fight between Jens Pulver and Cub Swanson. But it was Pulver’s guillotine choke that ended matters just 35 seconds into the bout, and in the great scheme of things, this may have been the most important result of the year for the WEC. If the highly-touted former UFC lightweight champion came to the WEC and lost, not only does it kill off a bout between Pulver and featherweight champ Urijah Faber, it would mean three losses in a row for ‘Lil’ Evil’ and a huge question mark over his career. But when pushed to the wall, Pulver always comes up aces, and he did it again on December 12th.
Honorable Mention – Urijah Faber WSub1 Chance Farrar, Blas Avena WSub1 Tiki Ghosn, Blas Avena WSub1 Joe Benoit, Miguel Torres WSub1 Jeff Bedard, Doug Marshall WSub1 Ariel Gandulla.
Source ([Only registered and activated users can see links])