WEC 40 took place in Chicago, IL – the hometown of the reigning WEC bantamweight champion Miguel Torres, who was set to defend his title against Brian Bowles in the main event. When Bowles pulled out of the fight with an injury, he was replaced by one of Japan’s premier 135 lbs fighters – Takeya Mizugaki.
Raphael Assuncao vs. Jameel Massouh (145 lbs)
Round 1: Assuncao slips in an early exchange but Massouh fails to capitalize. Assuncao takes the upper hand in standup, knocking down Massouh with a punch. Assuncao follows Massouh to the ground and works strikes from the top. Massouh has an active guard and attempts several submissions; Assuncao stays out of danger and eventually the fighters get back to their feet. Assuncao lands a solid combination then grabs a guillotine as the round draws to a close. Round 10-9 Assuncao
Round 2: Mostly standup action in this round, with Assuncao clearly dominating. Massouh attempts a takedown but has no luck bringing the fight to the ground. Massouh throws a high kick and slips, ending up on his back with Assuncao working from half-guard to finish the round. Round 10-9 Assuncao
Round 3: Massouh comes out aggressively, likely knowing that he needs to finish his opponent to win this fight. Massouh is once again losing the standup battle and pulls guard. Assuncao passes Jameel’s guard and gains full mount, but Massouh reverses and ends up on top. After a struggle Assuncao sweeps Massouh; Jameel attempts submissions but is unable to do much off his back. Round 10-9 Assuncao
Raphael Assuncao takes a unanimous decision with scores of 30-27 from all three judges.
Fight Grade: 4/5
Shane Roller vs. Ben Henderson (155 lbs)
Roller drops Henderson early and locks in a guillotine with Henderson’s back to the fence. The hold looks tight but somehow Henderson escapes and takes Roller down. As Roller gets back to his feet, Henderson unloads with a combination that drops Shane, and proceeds to pound Roller until the ref stops the bout. Roller complains about the stoppage.
Fight Grade: 4/5
Bart Palaszewski vs. Anthony Njokuani (155 lbs)
Round 1: Njokuani uses his reach advantage to establish a jab and controls Bart on the feet. Palaszewski takes Njokuani down but is unable to keep him on the mat. Njokuani drops Palaszewski and follows up with ground and pound; Bart survives long enough for the referee to call for a stand-up. Palaszewski gets another takedown as the round ends. Round 10-9 Njokuani
Round 2: Njokuani drops Palaszewski again, early in the round. Palaszewski doesn’t have anything left as Anthony pounces on him, causing the ref to stop the bout giving Njokuani a TKO victory.
Fight Grade: 4/5
Joseph Benavidez vs. Jeff Curran (135 lbs)
Round 1: For the majority of the round, the fighters trade on the feet, with neither man having a big advantage. Benavidez keeps throwing big looping hooks & overheads until one finally lands and drops Curran. Curran recovers quickly, and the round ends with Curran on his back and Benavidez standing over him, not eager to engage on the ground. Round 10-9 Benavidez
Round 2: A fairly even, back and forth round. After some standup Benavidez takes Curran down and they exchange submission attempts, neither man coming close. Benavidez is slightly more dominant in a close round. Round 10-9 Benavidez
Round 3: Curran is more aggressive in his standup and Benavidez takes it down again. Curran gets back to his feet; they trade takedowns and Benavidez is on top again. Benavidez pounds Curran from the top as Curran throws up a last-ditch triangle attempt. Round 10-9 Benavidez
Joseph Benavidez takes a unanimous decision with scores of 30-27 on two of the scorecards and 29-28 on the third.
Fight Grade: 4/5
Champion Miguel Torres vs. Takeya Mizugaki (135 lbs title bout)
Round 1: Mizugaki gets inside of Torres’ reach and throws flurries that force the champ to cover up. Torres responds with combinations of his own; Mizugaki repeatedly gets by Miguel’s jab and lands to the body and head. Torres counters by knees from the clinch but Mizugaki separates. Mizugaki is really taking it to the champ and wins the opening round. Round 10-9 Mizugaki
Round 2: Mizugaki starts out with the same tactics as in the first round, until Torres picks up the pace and rocks Mizugaki with a punch. Torres pushes Mizugaki against the fence and punishes him in the clinch. Torres control the remainder of the round though Mizugaki is still landing shots. Round 10-9 Torres
Round 3: Torres is keeping Mizugaki at bay with jabs and kicks, moving out of the way of Takeya’s flurries. Still, Mizugaki lands enough strikes to open a large cut above the eye of Miguel. The fight is halted briefly to check the cut. Mizugaki slows down a bit as the round ends. Round 10-9 Torres
Round 4: Torres is fighting with more urgency, and mixes up standup with takedown attempts. Mizugaki stops most of the takedowns but is not able to get any offense going. Round 10-9 Torres
Round 5: Mizugaki looks tired but is still moving forward and landing combinations. Torres throws caution out the window and slugs it out with Mizugaki. Both fighters absorb a lot of punishment and are seemingly unfazed, but the champion is doing more damage which starts to show on Mizugaki’s face. Round 10-9 Torres
Miguel Torres retains his title with a unanimous decision with scores of 49-46 on two of the scorecards and 48-47 on the third. Brian Bowles enters the cage post-fight to hype up his upcoming/postponed title shot.
Fight Grade: 4.5/5
Great fights all around. In the future, they really need to allocate a 3-hour time slot for the WEC events so that more fights can be shown!