WEC 48 Preview: The Prelims
Garcia vs. Jung
Apr 23, 2010
On the legendary Gang Starr cut “Mass Appeal,” the late, great Guru
flowed lyrical about the pitfalls of chasing the mainstream all the
while reminding us all how he will forever remain the superior of
his shortsighted peers. Much like Guru, the WEC has remained
self-evidently great and done so while forcing the mainstream to
come to them.
The prelim slate for this Saturday’s WEC 48 super-show is a testament to how the WEC rolls. With two bouts slated for a SpikeTV broadcast, the WEC is sending out the obscure, beloved Chan Sung Jung to take on fellow mad-bomber Leonard Garcia and backing it up with a striker’s special starring Alex Karalexis and Anthony Pettis.
The rest of the prelim lineup has just about every big-name
prospect south of 155 pounds as well as a main card quality clash
to round out the order. Seriously people, just read the preview and
try not to be overwhelmed by the greatness.
Leonard Garcia vs. Chan Sung Jung
The Breakdown: Helicopters and ballet spins will be on the fistic menu when Garcia and Jung bring their windmilling ways to the cage. For anyone uninitiated to the cult of “The Korean Zombie,” he made his name in Japan by fighting very much like a zombie would -- slow and uncoordinated but utterly relentless and possessed with an undying thirst for brains.
Jung’s propensity for “Mortal Kombat”-style uppercuts and bizarre overhand combinations has won him many a fan. This is the first time he has to worry about return fire for real, though. While Garcia isn’t about to win any Golden Gloves tournaments, he does hit like a heart attack and Jung’s defensive skills don’t exist. Typically Jung overcomes his porous defense with overwhelming offensive output, but Garcia has his same junkyard dog mentality and won’t be put off by the chance to turn this fight into an S&M spectacle.
It’s one thing to throw down with guys who can’t KO a puppy. It’s quite another to try the same tract with someone whose whole style is built on ripping spines out for sport. Expecting Jung to come out rocking a proper jab and footwork is flat-out unrealistic, which leaves him hoping he can beat Garcia on volume and valor. Banking on that strategy for Jung again ignores the fact that Garcia will be beyond willing to scrap hard and lean on his monstrous punching power.
Although grappling has always been a solid plan B for Jung, he isn’t the sort of next-level grappler that will give Garcia any pause. A competent grappler in his own right, Garcia is nigh impossible to submit and his size advantage alone will make Jung’s takedown attempts more trouble than they’re worth. The fact is that Garcia has trouble with opponents who can take him down or out-strike him. Jung can do neither.
The Bottom Line: Shades of Garcia’s bout with Hiroyuki Takaya from WEC 32 abound with Jung stuck playing the overvalued Japanese import. Some bonkers exchanges in the early going will set the table for Garcia to prove the age-old adage about zombies -- the only way to stop them is to take their head off.
The prelim slate for this Saturday’s WEC 48 super-show is a testament to how the WEC rolls. With two bouts slated for a SpikeTV broadcast, the WEC is sending out the obscure, beloved Chan Sung Jung to take on fellow mad-bomber Leonard Garcia and backing it up with a striker’s special starring Alex Karalexis and Anthony Pettis.
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Leonard Garcia vs. Chan Sung Jung
The Breakdown: Helicopters and ballet spins will be on the fistic menu when Garcia and Jung bring their windmilling ways to the cage. For anyone uninitiated to the cult of “The Korean Zombie,” he made his name in Japan by fighting very much like a zombie would -- slow and uncoordinated but utterly relentless and possessed with an undying thirst for brains.
Jung’s propensity for “Mortal Kombat”-style uppercuts and bizarre overhand combinations has won him many a fan. This is the first time he has to worry about return fire for real, though. While Garcia isn’t about to win any Golden Gloves tournaments, he does hit like a heart attack and Jung’s defensive skills don’t exist. Typically Jung overcomes his porous defense with overwhelming offensive output, but Garcia has his same junkyard dog mentality and won’t be put off by the chance to turn this fight into an S&M spectacle.
It’s one thing to throw down with guys who can’t KO a puppy. It’s quite another to try the same tract with someone whose whole style is built on ripping spines out for sport. Expecting Jung to come out rocking a proper jab and footwork is flat-out unrealistic, which leaves him hoping he can beat Garcia on volume and valor. Banking on that strategy for Jung again ignores the fact that Garcia will be beyond willing to scrap hard and lean on his monstrous punching power.
Although grappling has always been a solid plan B for Jung, he isn’t the sort of next-level grappler that will give Garcia any pause. A competent grappler in his own right, Garcia is nigh impossible to submit and his size advantage alone will make Jung’s takedown attempts more trouble than they’re worth. The fact is that Garcia has trouble with opponents who can take him down or out-strike him. Jung can do neither.
The Bottom Line: Shades of Garcia’s bout with Hiroyuki Takaya from WEC 32 abound with Jung stuck playing the overvalued Japanese import. Some bonkers exchanges in the early going will set the table for Garcia to prove the age-old adage about zombies -- the only way to stop them is to take their head off.
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