From Kevin Iole's mailbag, WEC match-maker Sean Shelby lays out some variables that will factor into who gets the next WEC bantamweight title shot against Dominick Cruz:
"I’m not a big rematch guy, but when it comes down to it, what I’m going to do is watch the fights again and make a decision," said Shelby, an under-the-radar employee who has much to do with both the WEC’s and the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s success over the years. "If I see something that leads me to believe there could be a different outcome, whether that’s Cruz knocking him out this time or whether it’s Benavidez having a chance for a submission or to win a decision, then it’s possible. But if I think it’s going to be the same thing, well, we have a lot of really talented guys who are there who deserve a shot at the title."
Among those in the mix, Shelby said, are Antonio Banuelos, Scott Jorgensen and Damacio Page.
As I've pointed out so many times, Banuelos was given a gift decision win over Scott Jorgensen. Damacio Page will face Banuelos at WEC 48, and Page also has a decision win over Scott Jorgensen at WEC 32 about a year ago. So Page could very well be in line with a win against Banuelos. Shelby also kind of confirms that the WEC bantamweight division was kind of week when former champion Miguel Torres began his reign as champion:
"The division is so different than it was when he[Torres] entered [in 2008]," Shelby said. "Chase Beebe, the guy he beat to win the title, would have his hands full now just getting a win in the WEC. We focused so much on [featherweight] and [bantamweight] and there’s so much – and I hate this word – parity there, that I’m just not sure. It is so, so competitive now.
I agree. The division is ultra stacked right now as Goldberg would say. I wonder if Cruz can successfully defend the title even once?
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