Benavidez and Torres Break Down WEC 47 Main Event

Joseph Benavidez and Miguel Torres fight each other in Saturday night's WEC 47 co-main event. But both had a lot to say about the evening's main event between WEC bantamweight champion Brian Bowles and challenger Dominick Cruz.

JOSEPH BENAVIDEZ:
I like Brian Bowles. He's a great guy, so as far as fighting him, we've trained together a little bit, and I'd love to have the fight with Dominick Cruz again. Of course I want to avenge my loss, and I know I'm better than that, so I could beat him. There's that aspect of wanting to fight Cruz again, but as far as the outside looking in, if I had to pick someone, I'd definitely pick Bowles.

I just think he has more ways to finish the fight. And if it's a five-round fight, the only way Dominick really has at beating him is a decision. It's going to be hard to stay away from his submissions and power for five rounds. He can maybe do it for three rounds. I just think that Bowles has more ways to finish the fight, and Cruz has one, which is to out point him.

You can't underestimate Cruz. He has that point, beating people on points down to a science basically, so it's going to be a great fight, but if I had to bet, I'd pick Brian.

MIGUEL TORRES:
At first when I looked at the fight I thought Dominick Cruz would have the edge, and then I started watching fights on Bowles and fights on Cruz, and Cruz fights with his hands down a lot, and he's fought a lot of shorter guys. A lot of his opponents have been shorter guys, so I think the same strategy that he's used against his past opponents and keeping his hand real low, Brian just needs one big punch to hurt Cruz. I haven't seen Cruz get rocked yet. I'm leaning more towards Bowles because with one punch you can change everything.

The fights that I've seen of Cruz, he moves very well, and he's a very good striker, but he leaves his hands real low. He might have the edge in wrestling. I think Dominick's wrestling is better than Bowles', but I haven't seen Bowles get pushed yet. I couldn't push him past the first round, so we're going to see. It's an interesting fight.

Bowles Feels Torres is Looking Past Benavidez

As evidenced via his Twitter account, Miguel Torres is known for saying some pretty outlandish things. So when Brian Bowles heard that Torres, the former WEC bantamweight king who was dethroned by the aforementioned Georgia boy, was talking he didn't pay any attention to it.

"Miguel's not known for not saying some crazy stuff," said Bowles.

"I really don't even pay attention to what he says anymore. I just let him say and do his own thing."

Torres was obviously still sore from the loss that ended an impressive 17-fight winning streak. It was the first finish that Torres had suffered of his two losses as a professional.

Never one to turn down a fight, Bowles is open to a rematch in the future, but believes that Torres has another daunting task on his hands when he meets spitfire bantamweight Joseph Benavidez, who Bowles also calls a friend.

"He's got a tough fight lurking ahead of him right now and he needs to be worrying about Joseph," said the WEC 135-pound champion.

"I'm friends with Joseph. I'd like to see him win. I'd like to see him fight for the title."

WEC 47: Bowles vs. Cruz Video Preview

An extended video preview of the WEC bantamweight championship between champion Brian Bowles and challenger Dominick Cruz...

WEC 42 Attendance Numbers Are In

Keith Kizer, Executive Director of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, on Tuesday released the official attendance and live gate numbers for WEC 42 on Aug. 9 at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.

According to the NSAC's tally, a total of 1,640 people paid for their tickets inside the newly revamped event hall, while 442 people received "comp" tickets and 870 tickets went unsold.

All in, the event produced $175,835 in revenue for the lightweight wing of Zuffa, LLC.

The promotion's new bantamweight champion, Brian Bowles, may not need surgery after all to repair his damaged left hand, which he knocked out longtime champ Miguel Torres with in the first round of their meeting. He is currently suspended by the NSAC until February, though he may be cleared earlier if docs okay him.

WEC 42: The Numbers Don't Lie

PRESS RELEASE:

The saying goes that "the numbers don't lie." If that's the case, the World Extreme Cagefighting card on Aug. 9 at Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, NV should be one of the most entertaining of the year. Headlined by a title bout and filled with vicious strikers, menacing grapplers, and exciting clashes, WEC: Torres vs. Bowles will undoubtedly prove why the WEC is home to the best light weight fighters in the world.

As the MMA community gears up for the action-packed evening of fights on Aug. 9, let's take a look at some of the key numbers behind WEC: Torres vs. Bowles. From knockout ratios to the amount of years spent training, each fighter has been assigned a number that correlates to their success inside the WEC cage.

2 - Languages spoken by featherweight Rafael Dias. Preparing for his upcoming fight with fellow Brazil Diego Nunes, the American Top Team product speaks both English and Portuguese. A jiu jitsu black belt, Dias trains with the likes of Thiago Alves and Mike Brown on a daily basis.

17 - The age at which 145-pound competitor Diego Nunes made his amateur Muay Thai debut in his native Brazil. Undefeated at 12-0 as a professional mixed martial artist, Nunes has clearly benefitted from the Muay Thai experience he developed nine years ago.

9 - Number of times bantamweight Kenji Osawa has forced his opponent to fight him to a decision. With 15 wins in his professional career, the 32-year-old, who faces Rani Yahya in August, hopes to use his plethora of cage experience to best his Brazilian opponent.

13 - Out of 14 career wins, Rani Yahya has recorded 13 submission victories. In April, Yahya made quick work of former bantamweight champion Eddie Wineland, submitting the 24-year-old in the first round.

2001 - The year in which former Marine Phil Cardella made his MMA debut. The Relson Gracie-trained Texan will fight feared knockout artist Ed Ratcliff in lightweight action at Hard Rock.

83 - Knockout percentage of lightweight Ed Ratcliff. Five of "9MM's" six wins have come by way of knockout.

3 - Number of times lightweight Shane Roller earned All-American honors as a collegiate wrestler at Oklahoma State University. The Las Vegas resident battles Marcus Hicks on Aug. 9.

1 - Showing a knack for finishing fights, Dallas, TX product Marcus Hicks has only been to a decision once in his professional career.

4 - Number of times featherweight Cole Province earned a Division II collegiate wrestling championship while attending University of Central Oklahoma. The 28-year-old battles Brazilian Fredson Paixao next month.

4 - Number of Brazilian jiu jitsu world championships won by Fredson Paixao. If you think that's impressive, take a look at the 9 national championships Paixao won in his native Brazil.

1984 - The year in which "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" was conceived in comic book form. The martial arts-loving turtles later became a favorite television show of featherweight Jameel Massouh, who battles Leonard Garcia in August.

16 - Age at which Leonard Garcia began training in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Garcia, who trains with Rashad Evans, Keith Jardine, and Donald Cerrone in Albuquerque, NM, hopes a win on Aug. 9 puts him back in the 145-pound title picture.

43 - Number of professional fights on the resume of bantamweight Jeff Curran. Curran battles Japanese star Takeya Mizugaki on the undercard of WEC: Torres vs. Bowles.

25 - Number of minutes Takeya Mizugaki fought bantamweight champion Miguel Angel Torres in their epic April clash. The 25-year-old hopes to earn another crack at Torres by besting Curran in Las Vegas.

95811 - The area code of Ultimate Fitness, the Sacramento, CA gym that lightweight contender Danny Castillo calls home. The once-beaten San Francisco native, who trains with fellow WEC stars Urijah Faber and Joseph Benavidez, takes on Ricardo Lamas in a fight that will push the winner one step closer to a shot at the 155-pound title.

157 - The weight class lightweight Ricardo Lamas competed in at Division III Elmhurst College. Lamas, a well-rounded, slick punching mixed martial artist, achieved All-American status as a collegiate wrestler.

3 - Consecutive WEC wins for bantamweight Dominick Cruz. The San Diego, CA resident, who takes on Joseph Benavidez at The Joint, has scored consecutive wins over Charlie Valencia, Ian McCall, and Ivan Lopez.

1,151 - Approximate number of miles between Las Cruces, NM and Sacramento, CA. That is the distance bantamweight star Joseph Benavidez of Las Cruces traveled in order to train with Urijah Faber in Sacramento.

0 - The number of times 135-pound title challenger Brian Bowles has been defeated. He'll look to stay unbeaten when he fights champion Miguel Angel Torres in the main event on Aug. 9.

22 - Submission victories recorded by bantamweight champion Miguel Angel Torres. With 37 professional wins, submissions account for 59 percent of Torres' victories.

Tickets for Torres vs. Bowles are on sale now and priced at $40, $55, $85, $100, $125, $175, and $225. Tickets may be purchased by calling Ticketmaster Charge-By-Phone at 1-800-745-3000 or by visiting the Hard Rock Box Office. Tickets also are available online through www.wec.tv or www.ticketmaster.com.

Torres vs. Bowles will be televised nationally live on VERSUS beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT. All of the network's live WEC events are presented in HD and Spanish language SAP where available. For more information and how to find VERSUS in your local viewing area, visit http://www.versus.com/findversus.

Why Brian Bowles is the No. 1 WEC Bantamweight Contender

Brian Bowles highlight video showcasing why he is the number one contender to WEC bantamweight champ Miguel Torres.

Would anyone disagree?

Miguel Torres Highlight Video

As he prepares for his latest title defense, WEC bantamweight champion Miguel Torres -- the No. 1 ranked fighter in the class in the world -- is featured in this highlight video from the WEC. He squares off with No. 2 ranked Brian Bowles in an epic clash at The Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas on August 9.

Is Brian Bowles the one that can finally knock Miguel Torres off his pedestal, or will he be the latest name added to the Torres hit list?

Miguel Torres, Brian Bowles & Kenny Florian Answer Fan Questions

WEC's Bowles May Be Out of Action for 3 Months

MMAWeekly.com recently broke the news that WEC bantamweight Brian Bowles was forced from his title shot at WEC 40 with champ Miguel Torres. Rory Singer, owner of Hardcore Gym in Athens, Ga. and co-manager of Bowles, confirmed that a very recent back injury caused the withdrawal.

According to Singer, Bowles will need 3 weeks to a month to adequately recover from the injury, which he declined to elaborate on.

Singer said they would wait to see what the title picture looked like after the April 5 card in Chicago, but said he would need "2 or so months to get (Bowles) in shape for a 5-rounder."

Since his pro debut in 2006, Bowles is undefeated in 7 appearances, and finished four of his WEC opponents en route to the title shot. The 28 year-old Athens native was unavailable for comment.

Torres Says Curran Should Get a Shot... but Bowles Should Be First

"Jeff Curran, he's a good fighter. He's been fighting longer than me. He's been in this sport for a long time. Me and him have a lot of similar qualities in our fighting style. I think a fight with him is going to be inevitable," says current WEC bantamweight champ Miguel Torres.

"We were supposed to fight in my hometown a couple of times, and for whatever reason, it never worked out. I think one time I tore my ACL. Then he went up in weight. And we never got to match up again. Now he's come back to 135. I'd be glad to fight him someday."

Just not right now says Torres, who feels that Brian Bowles, with his recent win over Will Ribeiro, has earned it more than Curran.

"I think Brian Bowles went out in the 135s and has proven himself more than anybody. Jeff Curran called me out, talking some smack. He's just trying to get a fight without having to work for it. I see a lot of what Brian does... he wants his time; I think it's his time to get a shot."

To be sure though, Torres is not in any way writing off a future bout with Curran. In fact, it's one he feels has to happen, and he's got the local nailed down, as well.

"It's going to have to happen in Chicago... It's going to have to happen for sure. And I think Chicago would be the prefect venue. He has a huge following. He has a huge gym. I have a huge following in my hometown. It would sell out for sure, easily."

But for now, the No. 1 bantamweight fighter in the world feels it's Bowles' turn for a crack at his title.

Several WEC 37 Fighters Undergo Drug Testing

As is typical for most athletic commissions, the Nevada State Athletic Commission on Wednesday night required WEC 37 main event fighters Miguel Torres and Manny Tapia to submit to the state's drug testing process.

In addition to the main event WEC bantamweight title bout, Nevada also tested several other fighters at random. At WEC 37, these fighters included Shane Roller, Cub Swanson, Bart Palaszewski, Josh Hendricks, Joseph Benavidez, Brian Bowles, and Wagnney Fabiano.

Drug test results are sent to an independent facility for processing and are not immediately available. Results should be known within a matter of days.

WEC Start Time At 8pm EST On Versus

Just a reminder that the World Extreme Cagefighting event this Wednesday night in Las Vegas will start the live broadcast on Versus at 8pm EST/5pm PST.

This is the same time as the last show, but some cable systems did not catch up in time and the listing was incorrect.

The main event for the show will pit #1 bantamweight, Miguel Torres, defending his title against Manny Tapia.

The undercard televised fights will be a showcase of the lighter weight classes, as two top featherweights, Wagnney Fabiano and Akitoshi Tamura, square off as well as bantamweight fights as Brian Bowles faces Will Ribeiro and Joseph Benavidez against Danny Martinez.