The recent retirement of Shooto bantamweight ace Akitoshi Hokazono (Pictures) has left the WEC with an opportunity to step forward as the new gold standard of the division. It's an opportunity that virtually every bantamweight outside of Japan has been waiting for as well.
Some may consider Torres' title shot a bit premature given his only win in the WEC came against the relatively unknown Jeff Bedard (Pictures). However, Torres has spent the last few years being hailed as North America's franchise bantamweight prospect.
The reputation is well deserved, as Matisyahu may have been talking about Torres on "King Without A Crown." All that stands in Torres' way of finally wearing that crown is MMA's own Rocky Balboa.
At first glance, Beebe (11-1) is just another converted wrestler trying his hand at MMA. Hardly a natural on the feet and seemingly vulnerable to submissions on the mat, Beebe was never supposed to become the face of the WEC bantamweight division.
No one informed Beebe, though. Even if you did, it wouldn't do much to deter him. The striking of Eddie Wineland (Pictures) couldn't keep Beebe from grinding out a unanimous decision win, and all of Rani Yahya (Pictures)'s vaunted submission wizardry got him just as far as Wineland against Beebe.
Forget Rocky absorbing all of Clubber Lang's thunder. Beebe can shrug off a fully extended kneebar like a mosquito bite and still go for another 15 minutes while everyone wonders how some random 22-year-old wrestler from Chicago can win on sheer determination.
That excess of perseverance will serve Beebe well against Torres' multifaceted offense. As slick as they come on the mat and a gifted muay Thai practitioner on the feet, Torres has the kind of varied style that Beebe has yet to face.
The only real advantage that Beebe has is his wrestling, but Torres (20-1) remains dangerous regardless of where this fight goes. As was the case against Wineland and Yahya, Beebe will have to rely on wearing down Torres early and taking over late.
Unless the WEC keeps the "Rocky" soundtrack playing in the background for the duration of this bout, Torres should be able to put Beebe away with a triangle choke midway through the second round.
All you Beebe fans shouldn't worry, though. Whenever I pick against him, he seems to find a way to make me look like a complete idiot.
Antonio Banuelos (Pictures) vs. Manny Tapia (Pictures)
Sometimes we all need to see two grown men engage in full-blown fisticuffs. That is why the good folks at the WEC have decided to put Antonio Banuelos (Pictures) and Manny Tapia (Pictures) inside the same enclosure.
Forget the flowery prose and talk of silky smooth jiu-jitsu. These two are all about fireworks, and we'll get just that in this critical bantamweight clash.
As excited as any fan should be about this match, you can't help but wonder if Tapia (9-0-1) is still thinking about the knee injury that forced him out of a proposed title match with Chase Beebe (Pictures). Now he's facing an opponent set to steal his thunder in a division that's rapidly growing in terms of both popularity and competition.
It wasn't all that long ago that Banuelos (14-4) was in Tapia's shoes, the up-and-coming prospect set to turn the WEC bantamweight division into his own personal stomping ground.
A pair of knockout losses to Eddie Wineland (Pictures) and Charlie Valencia (Pictures) have instead left Banuelos cast in the role of gatekeeper. Not exactly a dream scenario for a fighter once thought to be the next brawling phenom out of The Pit.
Reclaiming that status will mean forcing Tapia out of his element and onto his back, where Banuelos' suspect chin becomes a non-issue. The problem with that approach is Tapia is the better wrestler and physically superior to Banuelos, who often seems unsure of himself inside the cage.
Grasping at straws against an opponent looking to remove you from consciousness is no way to get by in MMA. And Tapia proved in his bout against Brandon Foxworth (Pictures) that he's got more pace than Lionel Messi and all the striking skills of Batistuta.
The pace and punishment will wear on Banuelos from the opening bell before Tapia forces a mercy stoppage late in the first round. Regardless of who walks away from the evening as the division's champion, a worthy challenger will be waiting.
That or the Argentinean national soccer team will show up and demand an exhibition match against the WEC roster. It could happen.
Hiroyuki Takaya (Pictures) vs. Leonard Garcia (Pictures)
Shooto junkies, you may now rejoice. Everyone's favorite "Streetfight Bancho," Hiroyuki Takaya (Pictures), will be making his WEC debut against perennial fist-magnet Leonard "Bad Boy" Garcia.
Known to most MMA enthusiasts for his seemingly unnatural ability to absorb punishment, Garcia (10-3) took everything that UFC poster boy Roger Huerta (Pictures) could dish out for 15 minutes straight and still had the resolve to fire back from bell to bell.
A reprieve from the punishment came with a rear-naked choke win over TUF alumnus Alan Berubie, but the reprieve proved temporary as Cole Miller (Pictures) did his best Terry Tate and reminded Garcia that failure to refill the coffee maker will result in a ride on the pain train.
The pain train's newest conductor could turn out to be Takaya (9-4-1), who has finally ditched K-1's lightweight division in favor of returning to the featherweight class -- a move that paid immediate dividends for the former Shooto rookie champion at the expense of Canadian gaijin Antonio Carvalho (Pictures).
Not even the power of Carvalho's beard could stop Takaya from making his Shooto return a successful one. He masterfully stuffed the bearded one's takedowns and scored a TKO stoppage early in the closing frame.
With a fitting end to his Shooto career already taken care of, Takaya can now focus on turning the WEC's fan base onto his own personal brand of fistic mayhem.
You won't find a more willing participant than Garcia, who seems to forget his Brazilian jiu-jitsu training the second his opponent sends a strike his way. Getting into all-out brawls may win you fans, but taking that approach against Takaya is akin to playing Russian roulette with a fully loaded AK-47.
Surviving the onslaught of Roger Huerta (Pictures) is poor preparation for a precision striker such as Takaya, and the Japanese fighter is more than capable of stuffing Garcia's shoddy takedown attempts. This one won't be pretty, as Takaya turns Garcia into Timothy Treadwell post-bear mauling. If you have any regard for the children, make sure they're tucked away before the opening bell.
Me on the other hand, I plan on playing a tape of this fight at the local pre-school for educational purposes. Children need to understand that Hiroyuki Takaya (Pictures) is a lot like a bear -- a bear that rides a custom-made Harley Davidson and enjoys rap music.