WEC 43 Preview

Anthony Njokuani vs. Muhsin Corbbrey

The Bottom Line: A battle of lightweights who seem forever on the periphery of the division, both Njokuani and Corbbrey have a chance to break through in the wide-open WEC 155-pound division. The breakthrough will materialize for Njokuani, who is the more well-rounded and disciplined fighter. Corbbrey’s relentless aggression leaves huge holes in his defense, and his cardio doesn’t stick around past the first round. A lopsided decision goes to Njokuani, who has nothing but opportunity awaiting him in the friendly confines of the cage.

Deividas Taurosevicius vs. Javier Vazquez

The Bottom Line: After taking a controversial split decision loss in his WEC debut to L.C. Davis, Vazquez gets a shot at vindication against IFL castaway Taurosevicius, who is looking to find his own footing in a new home. Despite a tough road back to MMA, Vazquez proved his game is still plenty sharp. He should be able to grapple his way to a decision against the equally mat-minded Taurosevicius, who lacks the depth of skill Vazquez has displayed. Expect a technical bout that ultimately favors Vazquez’s superior positioning and submission savvy.

Eddie Wineland vs. Manny Tapia

The Bottom Line: Every undercard needs to have a guaranteed slugfest. This is it. Wineland only knows how to fight upright, and Tapia will be all too happy to oblige. And with good reason, as Wineland lacks KO power and relies primarily on piling on damage while Tapia can step right in the pocket and grind out most anyone looking to keep his game under wraps. A two-fight losing streak ends for Tapia, as he pounds out a TKO win fueled by body blows and a bit of that old-school Mexican fighting spirit.

Charlie Valencia vs. Coty Wheeler

The Bottom Line: Two speed-freak bantamweights square off as Valencia and Wheeler try to carve out a permanent WEC spot at the expense of the other. While Wheeler’s record is prettier, he hasn’t faced the same competition as Valencia, who has stayed competitive against some of the division’s best. Besides that, Valencia has the more fundamentally sound approach and doesn’t make the rookie mistakes that Wheeler can’t seem to stop himself from making. It’s a fatal flaw that Valencia will mercilessly exploit.

Wagnney Fabiano vs. Mackens Semerzier

The Bottom Line: The fighting pride of Virginia, Semerzier is lined up for a tough big-time debut against top-tier contender Fabiano in a fight that is akin to sending the world’s best 13-year-old basketball player to the Memphis Grizzlies and expecting a NBA title in short order. Fabiano is simply one of the most suffocating ground specialists in the game. Semerzier lacks both the experience and skill at this point in his career to keep him from turning this fight into a jiu-jitsu competition. For the uninitiated, there aren’t many human beings alive whom Fabiano can’t hit with the Mario Sperry special, and Semerzier is about to become another in a long line.

Scott Jorgensen vs. Noah Thomas

The Bottom Line: Best known for a brief run on “The Ultimate Fighter,” Thomas is looking for vindication as a bantamweight -- a search that got off to a bad start when he lost to Frank Gomez in his WEC debut. That trend is set to continue against Jorgensen, who is too good a wrestler for Thomas to do much of anything against except flail wildly and make puppy dog eyes at the referee in search of a stand-up. Jorgensen won’t turn heads with this fight, but he will go home unscathed and with a cut-and-dry unanimous nod in tow.