WEC finalizes lineup for Dec. 3 with television bouts also announced
November 18, 2008 by Sam Caplan
Filed under Breaking News, WEC 37
World Extreme Cagefighting has announced the full lineup for Dec. 3’s WEC 37 event set to take place in Las Vegas at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. As a part of the finalized lineup, the promotion has also designated the four main card fights that will air live on VERSUS.
In addition to Miguel Torres defending his WEC bantamweight title vs. number one contender Manny Tapia, bantamweight prospects Will Ribeiro and Brian Bowles will due battle; former IFL featherweight champion Wagnney Fabiano debuts vs. Akitoshi Tamura; and Urijah Faber-protege Joseph Benavidez will square off with Danny Martinez in a bantamweight clash.
Six fights have been confirmed for the undercard, with Mark Munoz taking on Ricardo Barros in the final light heavyweight fight in WEC history; former NCAA champion Johny Hendricks facing Justin Haskins in a welterweight bout; former NCAA All-American Shane Roller vs. Mike Budnik in a lightweight tilt; former IFL lightweight standout Bart Palaszewski making his WEC debut vs. Alex Karalexis; featherweights Cub Swanson vs. Hiroyuki Takaya are slated to go head-to-head; welterweight Blas Avena will return vs. Kevin Knabjian; and featherweights Diego Nunes and Cole Province also scheduled to compete against each other.
The winner of the Ribeiro vs. Bowles fight could end up facing the winner of the Torres vs. Tapia fight at a future date while Haskins was signed to the card as a replacement for Alex Serdyukov. Province is also a replacement for Massachussets-native Josh Grispi, who was forced to pull out of the event due to injury. The Avena vs. Knabjian matchup was also just added.
Let’s go HASKINS!!!!
I hope they get to show all the fights on the main card. The pace and length of that last was pathetic.
this card is so crazily stacked i really wish i could see the whole thing.