Little guys gearing up for a big showdown in Ohio

Gotta love the WEC! I respect the fact that although these guys get half the attention, half the money, and half the promotional opportunities as their peers in the UFC, they continue put on some of the most exciting and memorable fights. Also, the WEC is home to three of my favorite fighters Jose Aldo Jr, Urijah Faber, and Miguel Angel Torres (aka DA MAN) all of whom are, in my opinion, ranked among the elite pound-for-pound fighters in the world. In fact, Aldo was recently selected as FIGHT magazines' 2009 fighter of the year.

Columbus, Ohio hosts the next big WEC event and showcases the ultra talented striker Dominick Cruz facing the current bantamweight champion Brian Bowles. Bowles pulled off the upset of the year against the seemingly invincible Miguel Torres way back in August via violent knockout. Torres, who former UFC champ and WEC commentator Frank Mir described as the "best American born mixed martial artist" prior to the fight, boasted a remarkable 37-1 record. The Mexican-American's dedication and work ethic was legendary, his ferocity and killer instinct unmatched. Yet, Bowles completely dominated Torres from the opening bell. Torres, used to pressing the action, was caught off guard by the Georgia native's power and precision. He was dropped to the mat with a quick right hand within the first 2 minutes and knocked unconscious soon after.

His opponent Cruz looked great in his last victory against Joseph Benevidez. He kept the shorter Benevidez on the outside and used quick footwork, good headmovement, and sharp strikes to secure the victory. He also imployed great defensive wrestling skills on the ground. However, Benevidez doesn't have the explosive punching power of Bowles. The soft spoken champion dropped the iron chinned Torres with a single right hand. Granted, most critics and sportswriters would probably agree that Torres was too aggressive and got caught by a good punch. But the fact remains that Bowles owns a pair of laser guided missles for hands and is a proven finisher, all 8 of his fights have ended via stoppage. Cruz will have to move his head a lot and use his speed advantage to stay out of danger. Bowles will try to draw Cruz into brawl and land heavy blows to end the fight.