Wineland Wants ‘That Shiny Belt Buckle’

It doesn’t get any easier for Eddie Wineland. Coming off losses to Urijah Faber and Joseph Benavidez, the former WEC bantamweight champion is scheduled to fight the speedy Demetrious Johnson here in Chicago on January 28th for UFC on Fox 2.

The native of nearby Chesterton, Indiana is happy to fight so close to home. “I love to fight on this card because I’m such a home body and long trips just aren’t my thing,” Wineland told Chicago’s MMA.

While he’s thrilled to be staying close to home, it’s never been Wineland’s dream to fight in front of family and friends, many of whom won’t have to journey far to come see him at the United Center. “The only dream I have set my sights on is that shiny belt buckle,” Wineland said.

The road to obtaining that belt hits a crucial speed bump in the elusive Johnson. This fight will determine if Wineland is still a title contender. A loss to Johnson would be his third in a row, and surely would send him to the back of the bantamweight line.

Wineland’s pro career has been something of a roller coaster ride. He became the WEC’s first-ever bantamweight champ by beating Antonio Banuelos at WEC 20, just a month before his 22nd birthday. He lost the belt to Chase Beebe less than a year later.

He wasted little time in getting another strap. He went out and won the TFC bantamweight title, then returned to the WEC. He fought Rani Yahya here in Chicago at WEC 40, where he was submitted in the first round.

He shrugged off that loss and rattled off four straight WEC victories, which included back to back ‘Knockout of the Night’ honors. Wineland’s power slam KO of Ken Stone in the last-ever WEC event turned heads, went viral across the web and got fans jacked to see him again.

A win over Faber seemingly would have garnered Wineland another title shot, but Wineland couldn’t land the shots he wanted. Now he gets “Mighty Mouse”, who just went five rounds with the champion Dominick Cruz. And he’ll do it here in Chicago on national TV. The perfect place for Wineland to start his climb again.

RICARDO LAMAS VS. DAVE JANSEN AT WEC 50

MMA Junkie is reporting that local fighter Ricardo “The Bully” Lamas will fight Dave “The Fugitive” Jansen at WEC 50.

The Team Top Notch fighter is coming off a vicious KO win of Bendy Casimir at WEC 47 in March. In round 1 of that fight, Casimir went for a takedown and Lamas delivered a fierce knee to Casimir’s head that crumbled him to the canvas and left him unconscious. The Bully got the win and improved to 8-1 overall and 3-1 in the WEC. His lone loss as a pro came via a Danny Castillo TKO last August.

Jansen has also been defeated only once as a pro. He lost via unanimous decision to Kamal Shalorus in January after rattling off 15 straight wins to start his MMA career. Jansen’s last fight was also his WEC debut, beating Rich Crunkilton by unanimous decision.

WEC 50 features the first title defense for current champ Dominick Cruz, who will battle the electric Joseph Benavidez, “WEC 50: Cruz vs. Benavidez”. It takes place August 18 at The Pearl at the Palms Casino Resort and the main card airs live on Versus.

BARTIMUS AND THE BULLY WIN AT WEC 47

Two Chicago-area fighters are leaving Columbus, Ohio with victories, while Miguel Torres is leaving with his second consecutive loss.

Bart Palaszewski took on the very tough Karen Darabedyan in a lightweight battle. Bartimus immediately felt the power and quickness of Darabedyan, who was coming off an impressive win against former WEC champ Rob McCullough. Darabedyan had Bart on the ground and was delivering punishment. Bart absorbed a lot of blows but kept looking for subs. Near the end of  round 1 Palaszewski latched on to an arm and hyperextended it until he got the tap. Itwas an amazing submission and Bartimus moves to 34-13 with the win.

Team Top Notch fighter Ricardo Lamas was coming off a TKO loss to Danny “Last Call” Castillo at WEC 42. He needed little time to get back on a win streak with a stunning defeat of France’s Bendy Casimir. In round 1 action, Casimir went for a takedown and Lamas delivered a fierce knee to Casimir’s head that crumbled him to the canvas and left him unconscious. The Bully got the win and improves to 8-1 overall and now 3-1 in the WEC.

Miguel Torres never really got going against Joseph Benavidez, his first fight since losing his WEC title to Brian Bowles. Miguel was active in moving and circling the cage, but couldn’t find the timing on his strikes or kicks. The faster Benavidez easily nullified the nearly 10-inch reach disadvantage with takedowns and easily working his way inside against Torres. The last takedown in round 2 proved fatal for Torres. Benavidez had him up against the cage and delivered a vicious elbow that gashed open Torres’ forehead and immediately started to gush blood. Torres tried to escape but Benavidez caught him in a tight guillotine and Torres was forced to tap. It was a stunning defeat for Torres. Brian Bowles lost the title to Dominick Cruz, so perhaps we will see a Bowles/Torres rematch down the line.

Photos taken from Sherdog’s WEC 47 gallery

MIGUEL TORRES GETS READY FOR WEC 47

The Las Vegas Sun catches up with Miguel Torres as he trains for his next fight against Joseph Benavidez at WEC 47. In the interview, Miguel seems revitalized. He explains why he has a totally different camp to train with for the bout against Benavidez in Columbus on March 6th. Benavidez is coming off a very impressive win against Rani Yahya.