WEC 44 'Brown vs. Aldo' Preview

Rob McCullough vs. Karen Darabedyan

The Breakdown: With the WEC lightweight title picture looking more disorganized than FEMA, the division’s former champion, McCullough, and its latest new jack, Darabedyan, have a chance to stamp their tickets to title town. For Darabedyan, that means exploiting McCullough’s sudden conversion to cautiousness without bringing back the highlight machine of the “Razor” of old.

Most would argue that Darabedyan’s has his best hope on the mat, and while that may be true, it ignores McCullough’s excellent takedown defense and counterpunching. Darabedyan ranks far below Satoshi Ishii on the judo totem pole, and stepping inside McCullough’s range without medieval headgear will never be misconstrued as a smart idea.

The options are few for Darabedyan, but McCullough’s own struggles to rediscover his old form make him far more vulnerable than usual. Does Darabedyan have the savvy to take advantage of that or will he fall victim to the kind of youthful mistakes upon which McCullough prays? The fight hinges on that question.

The X-Factor: McCullough has made his life unnecessarily difficult of late by being far too passive in the cage -- a bizarre evolution considering his well-documented history of turning humans into glorified punching bags. He needs to return to his roots if he has serious intentions about reclaiming his place atop the division.

The conundrum for Darabedyan lies mostly in the fact that he was not supposed to be here. A short-notice replacement for the injured Anthony Pettis, this marks Darabedyan’s WEC debut and it comes in a co-headliner. Seizing the moment has proven an uncommon trait in unproven prospects. Darabedyan will need to buck that trend if he does not want his last memory of the night to be the sight of McCullough’s fist closing in on his jaw.

* * *

The Bottom Line: No one minds seeing hybrid judoka/karatekas make a splash, but stepping in on three week’s notice against one of the division’s most dangerous strikers is no way to make a living. Watch for Darabedyan to play right into McCullough’s hands by over-pursuing him on the feet and eventually running face-first into a straight right.