WEC 39 preview: Mike Brown aiming to prove title win no fluke
Sunday night's "WEC 39: Brown vs. Garcia" could have just as easily been titled "Validation."
Leonard Garcia (12-3 MMA, 3-0 WEC) will be challenging for the WEC featherweight title less than a year after a harrowing brush with the law, while champion Mike Brown (20-4 MMA, 2-0 WEC) is still fighting for acceptance after his November 2008 upset of fan-favorite Urijah Faber.
Two likable characters, two dangerous opponents, but only one can walk away with the title.
"I know once I get knocked off everybody is going to sweep me under the rug," Brown recently told MMAjunkie.com (
www.mmajunkie.com). "I know how this sport is, so I have to keep my head focused and treat every fight like it's the most important in my life and train like an animal for it. I have to hold on to this while I can."
Brown will carry an eight-fight winning streak into the WEC 39 main event, including the victory over Faber that many MMA fans have written-off as "a lucky shot."
While Faber himself has acknowledged that the American Top Team fighter capitalized perfectly on his opportunity, that sentiment has not been shared by all. In a recent MMAjunkie.com/"Inside MMA" poll, only 9 percent of the voters thought Brown would still be holding the belt 12 months from now.
"It is what it is," Brown said. "I just have to keep winning and doing what I'm doing. I'm always assumed to be the underdog, and I'm the underdog against Garcia. I just have to do what I do."
While Las Vegas bookmakers have installed Brown as a slight favorite to defend his belt, the overriding public sentiment seems to be leaning in Garcia's direction. In the aforementioned MMAjunkie.com/"Inside MMA" poll, Leonard Garcia received 14 percent of the vote.
It's a strange turn of events for a fighter chastised by many observers during a difficult 2008 encounter with the legal system stemming from drug charges. Garcia was cleared of any wrongdoing in the situation, and two first-round stoppages over Jens Pulver and Hiroyuki Takaya have fans clamoring to see the "Bad Boy" add another quick win to his list.
"This is the biggest stage I've ever been on," Garcia recently told MMAjunkie.com. "I don't see myself losing this fight. I'm 5-0 in championship fights, and I do my best work in pressure situations. I feel like I'm up for the challenge."
A veteran of the WEC's very first card in 2001, Garcia has shown devastating hand speed and power in his past two contests. But the 29-year-old has a well-rounded set of skills that helped him earn submissions in nine of his first 10 wins.
Garcia knows his bout with Brown represents a chance to prove his worth as a featherweight after earning just one win in three tries in the UFC's 155-pound division.
"This fight is huge for both of us," Garcia said. "[Brown] has had his reign as champion. He had his highlight. I think this is my time.
Conventional wisdom says that Garcia's chances to win lie in his striking prowess. But Brown has yet to suffer a knockout or TKO loss in his near-eight-year career. Brown's losses to Masakazu Imanari, Joe Lauzon, Genki Sudo and Hermes Franca have all come by way of submission.
Meanwhile, most observers point out Brown's best chances lie in his ability to outwrestle Garcia and use his strength and tenacity to outwork his younger opponent. Should Brown be able to implement such a plan, he may be looking at a 25-minute mission. Garcia has not been stopped in his 15-fight career. The challenger's three losses have all gone to a decision, including a 20-minute affair in 1999. Brown has gone 15 minutes five times in his career, winding up on the winning side in each case.
A win for Garcia would bring yet another title to the impressive collection being built under the famed coach Greg Jackson and could establish the Texas-native as a bona fide Latino star as the WEC eyes a potential expansion into Latin America.
Should Brown be successful in his first title defense, the 33-year-old would take another step toward earning the public recognition that usually comes with being a champion -- and set-up a future rematch with Faber that would certainly prove an easy sell for the WEC.
Lightweight contenders, featherweight prospect in action
Also on the night's main card, two lightweight bouts will help to clear up the increasingly convoluted WEC 155-pound division.
Ricardo Lamas (5-0 MMA, 0-0 WEC), a late replacement for Richard Crunkilton, will face former IFL-star Bart Palaszewski (30-11 MMA, 1-0 WEC), while Marcus Hicks (8-1 MMA, 3-1 WEC) will meet former WEC lightweight champion Rob McCullough (16-5 MMA, 7-3 WEC).
The Lamas-Palaszewski bout lost a bit of its luster when Crunkilton was forced to bow out to injury. The matchup had been tagged as a No. 1 contender bout, though the change in opponent will certainly adjust that standing.
Nevertheless, a win for Palaszewski -- which would be his second-straight in the WEC and third-straight overall -- would certainly put "Bartimus" in a position to contend with the division's elite fighters while waiting on the return of champion Jamie Varner and the outcome of his expected rematch with Donald Cerrone.
Lamas won't be putting himself in contention should he pull the upset on extremely short notice. But should he maintain his undefeated status with a win over an established veteran like Palaszewski, Lamas would certainly open some eyes and earn himself a return trip to the WEC.
Hicks will be looking to bounce back from his August 2008 loss to Varner. Hicks' failed effort in a bid for the lightweight title was the first defeat of his seven-year career. Though the loss was decisive, Hicks showed about as much as heart as one can muster in a 128-second beatdown. The 33-year-old's chin endured Varner's best before finally succumbing to the onslaught.
McCullough will be looking to snap a recent 1-2 stretch. The heavy handed kickboxer trained for the first time at Xtreme Couture in preparation for the bout.
"Razor" Rob will certainly be looking to keep his distance and utilize his reach advantage and precision striking to tee off on his shorter opponent -- a plan Varner used to perfection. Meanwhile, Hicks will look to live up to his "The Wrecking Ball" moniker by working inside and bull-rushing his opponent to the floor.
A win is imperative to both fighters should they look to remain relevant in the immediate WEC lightweight title picture.
Lastly, Nova Uniao featherweight Jose Aldo (13-1 MMA, 3-0 WEC) will look to continue his storming of the division when he meets 38-fight veteran Chris Mickle (26-11-1 MMA, 0-0 WEC).
Aldo is just over a month removed form his brutal knockout of Rolando Perez at WEC 38. Aldo was added to Sunday's card less than a week after the performance, his third knockout or TKO in as many trips to the WEC.
Mickle was once among the sport's busiest fighters, registering 17 official results in 2005. The 25-year-old has slowed down in recent years, fighting just six times in 2007 and just once in 2008.
Mickle lacks a signature win, but has been in the cage with Jeremy Stephens, Edson Berto, Rich Clementi, Cole Miller and Clay Guida, among others. Mickle will surely need to call upon his best performance should he plan to derail the streaking Brazilian and not add Aldo to his list of notable defeats.
The main card of "WEC 39: Brown vs. Garcia" will air live on VERSUS on Sunday at 9:00 p.m. ET.
MAIN CARD (Televised)
Champ Mike Brown vs. Leonard Garcia (for featherweight belt)
Ricardo Lamas vs. Bart Palaszewski
Jose Aldo vs. Chris Mickle
Marcus Hicks vs. Rob McCullough
PRELIMINARY CARD (Un-televised)
Phil Cardella vs. Danny Castillo
Marcos Galvao vs. Damacio Page
Johny Hendricks vs. Alex Serdyukov
Kenji Osawa vs. Rafael Rebello
Alex Karalexis vs. Greg McIntyre
Mike Budnik vs. John Franchi
Justin Haskins vs. Mike Pierce
