WEC 44 Preview: Clash of the Miniature Titans
Published by Jim Genia on November 17th, 2009 in Current Events

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The WEC is cursed with few superstars and even fewer compelling match-ups, but Wednesday night’s WEC 44 installment – which features featherweight champ Mike Brown defending his crown against the unstoppable killing machine Jose Aldo – is the exception to that dark magic rule. Gifted with fists made of stone and enough wrestling to dictate where a fight does or does not go, Brown is the man who twice convincingly defeated WEC poster boy Urijah Faber. Aldo, meanwhile, redefines the descriptive term “explosive striker” – a nifty trait that compliments his Nova Unao jiu-jitsu black belt nicely. Putting the two of them together is a surefire recipe for fireworks, and with the UFC brand offering up fewer and fewer must-see bouts lately, this lone freebie on the Versus channel is a pairing that could rate a pay-per-view card. This clash of the miniature titans is that huge.

The American Top Team-trained Brown last tasted defeat back in 2005, and over the course of 26 fights has faced a veritable who’s who of badass small folk, including the aforementioned Faber, Leonard Garcia, Jeff Curran and Yves Edwards. If an opponent gives him an opening, Brown can club him into unconsciousness; if an opponent wants to go the distance, he can fight him hard for all five rounds. Brown is the champ, has defended his belt twice, and is one of the best.

And Aldo could very well knock him right out.

Hailing from a team known for producing near-flawless grapplers, the Brazilian seems to be bucking his brethren’s submission trends, employing everything from lightning-like fists to double flying knees to literally rattle the brains of foes and send them stunned to the canvas. Aldo hasn’t lost since 2005 either, although compared to Brown’s list of opponents, his has fewer top guys – a fact that may prove key in deciding who will come out on top. For while Aldo can end a fight suddenly and at any moment, he might have trouble performing that feat against someone at Brown’s level. If this one ends early, it will be because Aldo detonated like an IED. If it ends late, it’s because the champ succeeded in grinding the Brazilian down to a fine paste on the floor of the cage.

The rest of WEC 44’s roster is strangely compelling as well. In another featherweight pairing, TUF 5 runner-up and Armenian judoka Manny Gamburyan will meet Leonard Garcia in what promises to be a contest of “twist and throw” against “big punches upside the head”. Both men were ill-suited for the UFC, but now seem to have settled in nicely into their WEC home. Expect Gamburyan to go for a leglock and for Garcia to answer with TKO-worthy punches. Ex-lightweight champ “Razor” Rob McCullough returns to take on Karen Darabedyan, another Armenian judoka and teammate of Gamburyan. No matter what Darabedyan brings into the cage, McCullough’s likely got too much experience for the youngster to handle; Razor should win this one via TKO. Lightweight Danny Castillo rounds out the card with his match-up against Shane Roller in what could be two wrestlers engaging in a fast-paced battle for dominance on the ground or a lame striking contest on the feet. This one could go either way.