WEC 52 ‘Faber vs. Mizugaki’ Preview

L.C. Davis (right): Dave Mandel | Sherdog.com

A good wrestler against a dangerous jiu-jitsu guy always evokes memories of the earlier days of MMA. Throw in a willingness to trade shots on the feet, and we have MMA’s modern equivalent. Davis is highly talented, with a quick shot and good positional awareness when it hits the ground. Assuncao gave an outstanding effort in his third-round submission loss to Urijah Faber, then was subjected to a mild upset at the hands of the up-and-coming Diego Nunes, who took a split verdict over him in June. The compact Assuncao probably has a more complete and consistent game than Davis, but the American has more athletic ability. When on his game, Davis has always impressed. Except both of them to work conservatively until the opportunity presents itself, probably with a takedown for Davis or a submission opening for Assuncao. The key is whether or not Davis can control the action on the feet and work effectively on the ground without opening himself to Assuncao’s dangerous submissions. Assuncao is also more accomplished on the feet than he is given credit for, wielding a compact right hand, especially when used as a counter. Davis grinds out a decision win in what should be a close match.

Njokuani is a true wild card, with exciting strikes and the ability to change a fight with one shot. Faaloloto is green, with only two professional fights under his belt. This is intended to serve as an opportunity for the new guy to put himself on the map or a chance for Njokuani to look exciting with a win and renew his marketability as the WEC merges into the UFC. Go with Njokuani by second-round stoppage.

Since Mickleweight and Poirier are 1-1 in their respective WEC appearances, a lot will be on the line in this lightweight match, with the loser likely looking at a detour back to the smaller shows. Both are lively on the ground and a little raw on the feet. Poirier is willing to risk giving up positions to go for submissions, while Micklewright is comfortable letting his hands go in exchanges. Expect a back-and-forth scrap, with Poirier getting a slight edge en route to a decision.

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Michael "Mayday" McDonald

In an interesting showdown at 135 pounds, the scrappy Godfrey tangles with the talented McDonald. McDonald’s standup might be a little stouter, but Godfrey seems to have better wrestling chops and good top control. Godfrey should circle and change directions to set up good shots from his southpaw stance, all while he avoids running into a flush strike as he moves to close the gap. He has a serviceable right hook, which could be helpful in exchanges as McDonald steps in to trade. Godfrey should have enough to grind out a decision win in a fast-paced bout.

Say this for Swanson: it seems like the WEC should give him a policeman award, because he always seems to be taking on the next monster in the ranks. Whether it’s Josh Grispi, Jose Aldo, Chad Mendes or the debut of Jens Pulver, Swanson seems to be on speed dial when the promotion needs someone to stick his nose into a tough match. He only loses to the top dogs. Semerzier’s follow-up performances to his stunning WEC debut -- a submission of Wagnney Fabiano -- have seen him come up flat against Deividas Taurosevicius and get outclassed against Javier Vazquez. Swanson gave a noble effort in being blanketed in his last outing against the powerful Mendes. He has to know he needs a win here to stay relevant in the featherweight division. Expect Swanson to be more aggressive and fight to keep it off the ground, using his movement while mixing strikes from different angles. Semerzier is in the same position, needing a win to stay pertinent. Swanson should do enough countering and escaping bad positions on the ground to pull out a close decision win, with a couple of scares along the way from Semerzier’s slick ground game.

Jabouin has been exciting throughout his career, showing a nice stand-up attack through which he seamlessly mixes in kicks and punches. He has also proven adept at defending takedowns, though more through quickness and athleticism than textbook wrestling-style skills. Visher’s work is cut out for him here. He has pretty quick strikes himself, and if Jabouin cannot dictate the exchanges on the feet, Visher will have an early edge in momentum. He will need to draw Jabouin into a slow grind-style bout, taking him down, working and controlling him from top position and zapping his gas tank. Jabouin can explode from anywhere if given the room to operate, and these two should make for some memorable exchanges standing, with Visher rallying to win via second-round stoppage.