By 
Quick Finishes and Surprises were the Theme of WEC 47 Preliminary Card.
Columbus, Ohio was buzzing with sports fans from all over the world as they gathered to watch the world’s best Lightweights, Featherweights & Bantamweights battle it out at Nationwide Arena.
Preliminary Card
• Scott Jorgensen (135) vs. Chad George (135.5)
• Erik Koch (144) vs. Chad Mendes (145)
• Danny Castillo (155.5) vs. Anthony Pettis (154.5)
• Leonard Garcia (145) vs. George Roop (145.5)
• Courtney Buck (145) vs. Fredson Paixao (144.5)
• Bendy Casimir (155.5) vs. Ricardo Lamas (155)
Those of us who were lucky enough to be present for the Preliminary fights were treated to one of the most thrilling cards I’ve seen in recent times for the WEC.
The first fight of the evening set the pace for the fans anxious to see plenty of fight action. WEC newcomer and Lightweight fighter Bendy Casimir fought against WEC Lightweight Veteran Ricardo ‘The Bully’ Lamas. Action moved back and forth as the fighters traded blows. Casimir made a pair of unsuccessful attempts to take ‘The Bully’ to the floor. On the third attempt Casimir was greeted with a powerful knee that caused him to succumb to the ‘Sleep Monster’. The referee immediately waved of Ricardo Lamas so that no other punches could be delivered and declared victory to Lamas at the 3:43 mark of Round 1. The crowd was immediately on their feet and prepared for an intense night of action. Richard Lamas (6-3-0 MMA, 0-2-0 WEC) def. Bendy Casmir (19-6-2 MMA, 0-1-0 WEC) by Knockout.
The adrenaline in the crown continued running high as two Featherweights anxious to keep their jobs in the WEC took to the cage. Fredson Paixao and Courtney Buck couldn’t be any more different in their fighting styles. Paixao is a talented Brazilian grappler and Courtney Buck is a much taller technical striker with a distinct reach advantage. Buck immediately used his reach advantage to punch Paixao and knock him to the canvas. Punching ‘Yes!’ (the crowd when wild!), but then Buck made the choice to follow Paixao to the mat – What a Mistake! Paixao quickly took Buck’s back as he tried to gain his footing to reach standing position – that was a ‘NO GO!’ Paixao sunk in his hooks, followed by a textbook rear-naked choke. The proud and strong willed Buck refused the tap and immediately passed out into ‘Sleepy Land’. At 2:39 into Round 1 it looks like Fredson Paixao (9-3 MMA, 1-1 WEC), will keep his job with the WEC and Courtney Buck (6-3-0 MMA, 0-2-0 WEC), will be out looking for other employment.
A disappointing night for Leonard Garcia (13-5-1 MMA, 3-2-1 WEC), and George Roop (10-6-1 MMA, 0-1-1 WEC), after 3 rounds of intense fighting – ‘typical Leonard Garcia slugger style’ – and back & forth take downs, the judges scored the fight with much displeasure and ‘booing from the crowd’. Doug Crosby scored it 29-27 Roop, Cardo Urso scored it 29-27 for Garcia, and Harry Hiles scored it 28-28, resulting in a split draw. Comments after the fight had both fighters believing that they won and could easily go a few more rounds to clear up any confusion by the judges.
Fans quickly recovered from their disappointment and perceived lack of action once Anthony ‘Showtime’ Pettis and Danny Castillo took to the cage. As the fighters made their way to the cage, I quickly moved to the edge of my seat when I noticed that UFC Heavyweight and Duke Rufus trained fighter Pat Barry was cornering Pettis. This was going to be an interesting mix of fighting styles. Castillo, the obvious better wrestler of the two, immediately took down Pettis but wasn’t able to keep him down. A grazing slight kick to the groin of Pettis was easily shaken off before the fighting continued. Pettis set up Castillo with a quick jab and delivered a high left kick directly to the head. Textbook Duke Rufus! Castillo was ‘lights out’ before he hit the mat. To seal the deal, Pettis followed up with several quick punches as Castillo lay ‘napping’. The referee moved in just in time to keep Anthony Pettis (9-1-0 MMA, 2-1-0 WEC) from allowing Danny Castillo (8-3-0 MMA, 3-3-0 WEC) the opportunity sleep through the rest of his evening. If you had blinked, you would have missed it. That end came at the 2:17 mark of Round 1.
After such a quick finish, the crowd began to get restless as the action for the night continued… In a 3 round judge’s decision, newcomer Chad Mendes (6-0-0 MMA, 1-0 WEC) was victorious in his assault against the more experienced Erik Koch (8-1-0 MMA, 1-1-0 WEC). Koch tried his best to keep the fight standing but in the end Mendes won by ground and pound assault. Mendes’ strong wrestling base prevailed. Koch who had been unbeaten in his professional career will now be looking forward to his next fight to turn things around.
Fan restlessness and want for excitement quickly returned when we experienced one of the most fabulous, beautiful, and swift STANDING guillotine chokes ever! On the last fight of the Preliminary card Scotty ‘Young Guns’ Jorgenson submitted Chad George in 0:31 seconds of Round 1. George went in for the shoot; Jorgenson was able to hold his feet for the perfect sprawl and lock in a neck hold that lifted George off of the mat. His choke was so tight that Chad George had no choice but to submit. A celebratory Scotty Jorgenson (8-3-0 MMA, 5-2-0 WEC) was on fire with enthusiasm. This fight set the pace for what proved to be an interesting night of Main Card fights for WEC 47.
