WEC Light Heavyweight Championship Bout:

Doug Marshall vs. Brian Stann

 

WEC light heavyweight champion Doug Marshall defends his title against U.S. Marine Brian Stann. Marshall has a 7-2 record and trains out of Visalia Fight Club in California. Stann has a 5-0 record and trains out of Team Quest with Dan Henderson.

 

Marshall comes off a quick submission victory over Ariel Gandulla at WEC 31, while Stann dominated Jeremiah Billington en route to a stoppage at WEC 30.

 

The light heavyweight division is the thinnest in World Extreme Cagefighting; with a lack of quality competition for Marshall, but on Wednesday he will face his toughest test to date in Stann. Although he lacks experience, Stann is one of the brighter prospects in the WEC.

 

Each fighter possesses knockout power, but Marshall seems to have better technique on the feet and combined with his power, he can turn this into an ugly fight for Stann. Neither fighter is overly polished on the ground, but Marshall has been tweaking his ground game at Pacific Martial Arts.

 

This fight isn’t going to the ground, though. These two will swing for the fences and put on an entertaining war on the feet. Stann will look to use his reach over Marshall and stay on the outside, while Marshall will look to get inside and tag Stann with uppercuts and eventually land a fight-ending combination.

 

Prediction: Doug Marshall by knockout in the first round.

 

 

Middleweight Bout:

Chael Sonnen vs. Bryan Baker

 

Team Quest middleweight Chael Sonnen takes on judo black belt Bryan Baker. Sonnen has a 19-9-1 record and trains out of Team Quest with Matt Lindland. Baker has a 6-0 record and trains out of Team Wildman Vale Tudo with Thomas Denny.

 

Sonnen comes off a submission loss to WEC middleweight champion Paulo Filho at WEC 31, while Baker won a close decision over Eric Schambari at the same event.

 

Sonnen was scheduled to face Filho in a rematch for the title, but the Brazilian fighter pulled out because of personal reasons. Sonnen now faces the inexperienced, but dangerous Baker. A lot is riding on this fight, whoever wins will no doubt get a shot with Filho for the title.

 

Both fighters’ strengths lie in their ground games; Sonnen with his wrestling and Baker with his Judo. So the key to the fight will come down to which one can dictate the pace of the fight on the feet. Baker is an aggressive, powerful striker, while Sonnen is a technical striker who employs dirty boxing as one of his main weapons.

 

Sonnen will slow the pace of the fight and use his wrestling to ground the powerful Baker, keeping him down and pounding away with strikes en route to a decision.

 

Prediction: Chael Sonnen by decision.

 

 

Lightweight Bout:

Marcus Hicks vs. Ed Ratcliff

 

Undefeated Texan Marcus Hicks takes on eccentric karate stylist Ed Ratcliff. Hicks has a 7-0 record and trains out of Marcus Hicks Jiu-Jitsu in Texas. Ratcliff has a 6-0 record and trains out of North County Fight Club with Dominic Cruz.

 

Hicks comes off a decisive submission victory over Alaskan Scott McAfee at WEC 30, while Hicks destroyed Ultimate Fighting Championship veteran Alex Karalexis at WEC 31.

 

Whoever wins this fight will challenge newly crowned WEC lightweight champion Jaime Varner in his first title defense. That should be more then enough motivation to win the fight. This could easily turn out to be the fight of the night with the way these two match-up.

 

Hicks is a polished boxer, while Ratcliff has a wild and entertaining striking arsenal at his disposal with knees and kicks. On the ground, the clear advantage goes to Hicks being a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, while Ratcliff isn’t known for his groundwork.

 

Ratcliff put a beating on Karalexis in his last fight, and that is important because Hicks has a similar striking style, which played right into Ratcliff’s game. They are going to start banging it out from the opening bell, but as soon as Hicks feels at a disadvantage, he will take the fight to the ground. Ratcliff will get back to his feet and continue to beat on Hicks until midway through the fight when he finally puts him away.

 

Prediction: Ed Ratcliff by TKO in the second round.

 

 

Light Heavyweight Bout:

Tim McKenzie vs. Steve Cantwell

 

Bodog Fight veteran Tim McKenzie takes on Las Vegan brawler Steve Cantwell. McKenzie has an 11-4 record and trains out of California. Cantwell has a 4-1 record and trains out of Nevada.

 

McKenzie comes off a submission victory over Pancrase veteran Yuichi Nakanishi at Bodog Fight Vancouver, while Cantwell quickly stopped Justin McElfresh with strikes at WEC 29.

 

McKenzie has been on the fight circuit for several years, but has been unable to breakout into a more prominent fighter. Cantwell is an interesting prospect that has a chance of a lifetime in the WEC to become a star.

 

Both fighters have shown a willingness to strike, but Cantwell seems to have better power in his hands. Being a product of Cesar Gracie, McKenzie has an edge on the ground.

 

McKenzie will test the waters on the feet, but will soon thereafter take the fight to the ground and lock on a submission to end the fight.

 

Prediction: Tim McKenzie by submission in the first round.

 

 

Welterweight Bout:

Hiromitsu Miura vs. Blas Avena

 

Japanese fighter Hiromitsu Miura takes on local fighter Blas Avena. Miura has an 8-4 record and trains out of Samurai Sword in Japan. Avena has a 4-1 record and trains out of Las Vegas.

 

Miura comes off a dominating stoppage victory over Fernando Gonzalez at WEC 29, while Avena submitted Joe Benoit at WEC 30.

 

Miura has looked impressive in both his appearances in the WEC, taking Jason Miller to the limit and truly dominating Fernando Gonzalez. Avena on the other hand has been impressive since moving down to welterweight, quickly submitting Tiki and Joe Benoit.

 

Miura is the better striker of the two and on the ground he slightly has an advantage over the scrappy Avena. Moving down in weight, Miura more then likely will be the bigger and stronger fighter, using it to his advantage.

 

Expect Miura to pick Avena apart on the feet and on the ground he will outwork him en route to a decision.

 

Prediction: Hiromitsu Miura by decision.

 

 

Welterweight Bout:

John Alessio vs. Brock Larson

 

UFC veteran John Alessio takes on Midwest wrestler Brock Larson. Alessio has a 22-10 record and trains out of Xtreme Couture with Jay Hieron. Larson has a 22-2 record and trains out of Minnesota Martial Arts Academy with Nick Thompson.

 

Alessio comes off a tough decision victory over Todd Moore at WEC 31, while Larson submitted Troy Allison at CFX 7: Brutal.

 

The winner of the fight will get a chance for redemption, earning a second crack at WEC welterweight champion Carlos Condit. Both fighters were submitted by Condit last year and are itching for another crack at him.

 

Alessio is the better striker, but Larson has power in his hands, lacking only technique in his strikes. They both have their strengths on the ground, Larson being a strong wrestler and Alessio being a slick submission fighter.

 

Larson will quickly take the fight to the ground, but Alessio has shown excellent takedown defense in his last couple of fights. Alessio will outwork Larson on the feet, avoid being put on his back, and win a decision.

 

Prediction: John Alessio by decision.

 

 

Lightweight Bout:

Rich Crunkilton vs. Sergio Gomez

 

WEC lightweight contender Rich Crunkilton takes on Midwest fighter Sergio Gomez. Crunkilton has a 14-2 record and trains out of The Amory with Kurt Pellegrino. Gomez has a 7-1 record and trains out of the Freestyle Academy with Dave Strasser.

 

Crunkilton comes off a disappointing knockout loss to Rob McCullough at WEC 30, while Gomez stopped Brent Rose with strikes at Freestyle Combat Challenge 31.

 

This is an important fight for both fighters as neither wants to suffer two losses in a row. Crunkilton wants to get himself back into title contention and a solid win over Gomez will get him closer to that, while Gomez needs a win to remain in the WEC.

 

Gomez is a polished boxer, while Crunkilton is more versatile with his striking as he implores knees and kicks into his striking. Gomez is a wrestler, but Crunkilton is no slouch on the ground with a solid submission game, he can end the fight in an instant.

 

These two will come out aggressive on the feet, but Crunkilton will stick to his game plan and take the fight to the ground where he can exploit Gomez’s weakness with submissions and lock on a fight ending hold.

 

Prediction: Rich Crunkilton by submission in the first round.

 

 

Welterweight Bout:
Alex Serdyukov vs. Ryan Stonitsch

 

Russian import Alex Serdyukov takes on the debuting Midwest fighter Ryan Stonitsch. Serdyukov has a 6-4 record and trains out of the Jake Shields Fight Team with Jake Shields. Stonitsch has an 8-0 record and trains out of Rockford Kickboxing & Jiu-Jitsu in Illinois.

 

Serdyukov comes off a dominating stoppage victory over Mike Gates at Palace Fighting Championships 6, while Stonitsch won a decision over Daisuke “13” Hanazawa at Bourbon Street Brawl 5.

 

Serdyukov will look to establish himself in the welterweight division and make a possible run at the title after stringing together a couple of wins. He will need to be cautious against a newcomer like Stonitsch, who will look to make his own statement in his WEC debut.

 

Serdyukov has the edge in both the stand-up and on the ground, while Stonitsch seems to be the better wrestler of the two. It should be an interesting mix of styles with the well-rounded Serdyukov willing to go anywhere in the fight to get the job done.

 

Look for Serdyukov to pick Stonitsch apart on the feet, forcing him to take it to the ground where Serdyukov will lock on a submission for the victory.

 

Prediction: Alex Serdyukov by submission in the first round.

 

 

Bantamweight Bout:

Kenji Osawa vs. Chris Manuel

 

Shooto import Kenji Osawa takes on American Top Team prospect Chris Manuel. Osawa has a 13-7-1 record and trains out of Wajyutsu Keisyukai A3 with Hidetaka Monma. Manuel has a 6-0-1 record and trains out of American Top Team with Marcus Aurelio.

 

Osawa comes off a decision victory over Nobuhiro Yamauchi at Cage Force 5, while Manuel stopped Rex Payne with strikes at DFP: Inauguration.

 

The bantamweight division has become one of the staples of the WEC and it adds two new exciting fighters with this bout. These two are sure to fight at a relentless pace.

 

Osawa is the better striker of the two, while Manuel’s biggest strength will be on the ground. Osawa has shown excellent takedown defense and that could pose a problem for Manuel if he wants to take the fight down.

 

This will be a back-and-forth fight, each will get their licks in, but at the end of day it will come down to experience and cardio. Osawa will tag Manuel with shots on the feet and outwork him on the ground en route to a decision.

 

Prediction: Kenji Osawa by decision.

 

 

Middleweight Bout:
Logan Clark vs. Scott Harper

 

UFC veteran Logan Clark takes on late replacement Scott Harper. Clark has a 7-1 record and trains out of Team Crazy in Minnesota. Harper has an 8-3 record and trains out of American Top Team with Wilson Gouveia.

 

Clark comes off a questionable decision loss to Eric Schambari at WEC 29, while Harper won a decision over Dave Vitkay at ISCF: Return of the Kings.

 

Clark was originally a replacement for Nissen Osterneck to face Bryan Baker, but Baker then took a fight against Chael Sonnen, so now he faces Harper. Harper gets a chance of lifetime to compete in the WEC and get exposure as a fighter.

 

Clark has the edge on the ground with submissions and on the feet, as he is the better striker with technique. Harper looks to be a better wrestler and has more power in his strikes then Clark. He will be the bigger fighter of the two, as he usually has fought at heavyweight.

 

That could also be a disadvantage for Harper because he will have a short amount of time to cut down in weight, which will affect his cardio. Clark will outwork Harper on the feet and the ground, wearing him out and finishing off the fight with strikes midway through the bout.

 

Prediction: Logan Clark by TKO in the second round.