WEC 38: 1/25/09, San Diego, CA

[rawli007]

9:30 ET, Live on VERSUS

- Donald Cerrone vs Jamie Varner (lightweight title)
- Urijah Faber vs Jens Pulver
- Danillo Villefort vs Mike Campbell
- Jose Aldo vs Rolando Perez
- Ben Henderson vs Anthony Njokuani
- Edgar Garcia vs Hiromitsu Miura
- Dominick Cruz vs Ian McCall
- Scott Jorgensen vs Frank Gomez
- Blas Avena vs Jesse Lennox
- Charlie Valencia vs Seth Dikun

I didnt know this card was this weekend. :shrug: It looks like the WEC has brought in a bunch of guys since getting rid of the bigger weight divisions.

Dont have much to say other than Faber will win again and looking forward to seeing Aldo on a main card. I dont have a clue who takes the main event after seeing Cerrone dropped twice in his fight against Razor...

Dont have any lines, either.

 

[The Sponge]

Pulver is so washed up. I said that after there first fight and then he gets knockout out his very next fight. LOve his hyping tho. U would think he was 6ft 8 300 lbs.

 

[Ghost Kid]

Didn't even realize this card was happening !

Haven't seen any odds yet....I imagine Faber will be an astronomical favorite here....

 

[rawli007]

http://sherdog.com/news/articles/cerrone-training-with-gsp-varner-still-confident-15886

p.s. Im a little hurt that kickserv never told us that pretty much the WHOLE greg jackson camp is up in Canada helping GSP..

:scared :scared

 

[Ghost Kid]

And finally we have odds:

Donald Cerrone +135
Jamie Varner -165

Jens Pulver
+395
Urijah Faber
-475

:00x32

the rest at *****************

 

[rawli007]

Bummer... i dont really have any single play leans other than Ian McCall. I wish McCall/Cruz was on the main card, both guys are tough IMO.

Pulver was on TAGG radio the other day, saying a lot has been going on in his personal life; one of his close friends was shot and killed, he had a baby girl, etc... a lot of these things have set his training back. taggradio.com is the website if anyone can bare the hosts long enough to listen to a show.

 

[The Sponge]

http://sherdog.com/news/articles/cerrone-training-with-gsp-varner-still-confident-15886

p.s. Im a little hurt that kickserv never told us that pretty much the WHOLE greg jackson camp is up in Canada helping GSP..

:scared :scared

Kick is up there too. He holds the spit bucket. He is keeping it on the down low.

 

[kickserv]

Ya never know where that kickserv is now do ya:wall:

And everybody knows that Canada is where it is at baby:00hour

 

[rawli007]

And everybody knows that Canada is where it is at baby:00hour

But you're in Vegas, right?

Where is GSP staying? :shrug: :brows:

 

[kickserv]

First off GSP is off topic so you are banned an hour...

2nd...I am under strict instructions not to disclose where in Vegas I am at right now....GSP is safe though...all good, all good:SIB

Also.....imagine Faber loses back-to back fights.....:scared

That would be a little crazy now wouldn't it:scared

 

[rawli007]

First off GSP is off topic so you are banned an hour...

No. Remember, GSP is NEVER OFF TOPIC !! :00hour

Same with Kimbo. Anything Kimbo goes...

 

[gardenweasel]

varner vs cerrone?....whoa......

both pretty well rounded....varner maybe a little better on his feet....cerrone all arms and legs might have a small advantage in the sub. dept.....

varner`s more experienced...fought much tougher competition...and the fact that when cerrone stepped up vs mccullough,he couldn`t sub him.....he won,but he couldn`t sub him...and mccullough`s no jiu jitsu ace....

i`m probably gonna use varner in a par or two...but the height advantage has me double clutching here....

some opinions?....

btw,faber was a wec wunderkind...but i saw tyson griffin rough him up petty good on youtube....in the ufc,faber`s gonna take his share of losses...

 

[Ghost Kid]

Was hoping to put Aldo and Faber together, but the prices are too damn high

rumblings around the internet that this is a very playable fight:

Danillo Villefort vs. Mike Campbell
this guy Villefort holds a win over Massensio. Campbell is a power punching newbie.

I think Varner vs. Cerrone is going to be a GREAT fight, but I don't know if I can pick a winner

 

[weepaul]

I am going with Cerrone at +135.

Varner is the better boxer and is a much better wrestler but I think Cerrone is the better kickboxer and is very dangerous from his back.

I think Varner will be surprised that Cerrone's kickboxing skills allow him to hang on the feet.
I believe Varner will shoot and take Cerrone down and Cerrone will go from sub to sub.

I also think Cerrone might have the better gas tank.

 

[rawli007]

Cerrone is probably the smart play, b/c i see this being a very close fight... always like to c a solid underdog in a fairly even matchup.

There's been a lot of trash talking, the majority coming from Varner, saying Cerrone will get ko'd if he stands with him. This is possible b/c Cerrone did get dropped by Razor Rob TWICE, but i thought Cerrone fought a much better version of Razor Rob than Varner did...

As poor as McCullough looked against Varner, Varner still looked very tentative with his striking (up until the KO). Also, Varner was taken down at will by Marcus Hicks in their fight, granted he came back with another KO win. Cerrone has never really been one to shoot for a takedown and stay on top, but i did see him take down GSP in the last episode of Primetime Live. :shrug:

I think it's a draw when it comes to standup... Varner is the better wrestler, but Cerrone is deadly off his back, so no worries for Cerrone backers. I give Varner the conditioning advantage... Cowboy's fight with Razor was very fast-paced, but he looked extremely exhausted by the the 3rd rd. Plus, that was Cowboy's first fight ever to go past RD 1! I know Varner trains his ass off, and has been training 3 times a day for two months now.. Ive never seen him lose his wind, but that doesnt mean it wont happen, of course.

more notes:
Carlos Condit now trains at Arizona Combat sports (Varner's camp), but he's good friends w/ Cowboy, too. :shrug: Varner has CB Dollaway at ACS..... and Ryan Bader, dont know who else.

Cerrone been training alongside a bunch of guys prepping for fights under Greg Jackson. Leonard Garcia, Nate Marquardt, GSP, Jardine, etc. all have fights coming up, so Cerrone should come well-prepared and in great shape.




:director: Probably gonna sit this one out, but if i did make a play it would be small on Cowboy.

 

[gardenweasel]

There's been a lot of trash talking, the majority coming from Varner, saying Cerrone will get ko'd if he stands with him. This is possible b/c Cerrone did get dropped by Razor Rob TWICE, """"but i thought Cerrone fought a much better version of Razor Rob than Varner did"""""""...

As poor as McCullough looked against Varner, Varner still looked very tentative with his striking (up until the KO). Also, Varner was taken down at will by Marcus Hicks in their fight, granted he came back with another KO win. IQUOTE]

honestly...no offense intended...but i totally disagree...l....you`re making excuses for mccullough..i`m not so sure that you`re "better" after getting brutally k.o.`ed....usually it takes a toll...

the REASON mccullough lost to varner was because varner`s a better fighter....more well rounded...and he beat him at his own game......

and mccullough didn`t look "poorly" in either fight...they were fairly competitive..i just think that mccullough`s a level below these two...

the better men won...and now they fight....

it`s a tough fight to call...could go either way...i just like varner`s coolness under pressure...he doesn`t panic..

as far as hicks goes,these championship fights are 5 rounders.....because a guy comes out early and blows his wad,while the other guy is smart and experienced enough to remain calm and pick his spots,doesn`t mean the guy who looked good early is anything more than a bad tactician...

anyway,hicks couldn`t keep him on the ground for 5 seconds....he crushed hicks...


we really disagree...but,thats what we`re here to do...:toast:...now i`m having second thoughts....

 

[rawli007]

Razor didnt look like Razor against Varner IMO... Rob was coming off 7 straight wins (?), but i thought he fought not to lose rather than to win against Varner. McCullough was not competitive in that fight; he fought scared. Then he went on to do the same against Kenneth Alexander, earning him the name Blunt Razor here at madjacks.

Varner has said he fought the tougher Rob, but i thought Rob looked a lot stronger and more aggressive against Cerrone. Not much backpedaling against Cerrone, and a LOT more strikes landed. He dropped Cerrone a couple times, but Cerrone dropped him as well and Razor didnt slow down.

 

[rawli007]

Right now, the top4 fights i have listed are the only ones guaranteed to be on tv. Hoping they show Cruz/McCall and Lennox/Avena....... both of these fights will be more competitive than stupid Faber/Pulver II.

 

[dawgball]

The Varner/Cerrone fight is a really tough fight to pull the trigger on. I don't think it's smart money to put on Cerrone and -160 is a little large for this tight of a fight.

No plays for me.

 

[rawli007]

Good call. Varner should win, but knowing how dangerous Cerrone is off his back makes him tempting as an underdog......

No play here, either.