Ohio-The Heartbreak State (WEC 47 analysis)

Ohio-The Heartbreak State

WEC 47 marred the setback of one storied career and an end to another. Coming off reeling defeats in their previous bouts, Miguel Angel Torres and Jens Pulver stepped into the octagon with the full intention of righting the ship. Unfortunately, as fate would have it, neither would leave with their hands held high. Too make matters worse both would lose in devastating fashion. Pulver was outworked and outgrappled, losing to BJJ practitioner Javier Vasquez via a very tight arm bar that left the former UFC Lightweight champion writhing in pain. Miguel Torres, known for his durability and toughness in fights was defeated by Joseph Benavidez through vicious ground and pound before eventually tapping due to a guillotine.

Despite two consecutive losses, the 29 year old Torres is more likely to bounce back. However, the 35 year old Pulver’s career has likely seen the end of the road. With five consecutive defeats under the WEC banner in the past two years, it’s hard to argue that Pulver deserves constant courtship of the MMA media spotlight. Don’t get me wrong. Pulver should be revered for all his accomplishments and for everything he has done for the sport, but there are new and exciting prospects that deserve to be seen on the main card. Despite this, "Lil Evil’s" big heart and never-die attitude are virtues that helped him achieve greatness over the years. 

The main event which featured Brian Bowles defending his Bantamweight belt against Dominick Cruz proved no exception to heartbreak and upset. Bowles apparently broke his right-hand after throwing the first punch, very akin to Faber vs. Brown II. With the hand brutally damaged, Bowles was forced to retire after the second round.

As I sat watching these fights I could only wonder "how could such a great card be both exciting and disappointing at the same time?" Well for one, only three out of eleven fights went the distance. But more importantly, each former or current champion lost. And not by a close decision—they were all stopped decisively by their opponents before any of the fights went to the third round. If one were to watch the fights, one would see that each fighter appeared lackadaisical in their approach. Whether it was not moving well, leaving limbs open for submission, or just poor luck, fate was just not on their sides. But how can that be? Torres and Bowles had last fought each other nearly eight months prior, surely they were well prepared and well-versed for an "inferior" opponent’s game plan. Pulver himself had last fought in June, and had even stated that he was in tremendous fight shape. Excuses aside, Torres and Bowles will look to train harder once they are cleared from their indefinite medical suspensions.  While Bowles only has only suffered one loss in his career, Torres will seemingly have to climb a steeper path to get back to prominence after suffering devastating back-to-back defeats.