The Sports Informant

I got in touch with World Extreme Cagefighting athlete Urijah Faber today, hoping to get an update on his health. He did in fact break his hand, and as I expected, it wasn’t just his right hand that he hurt.

Urijah Faber broke his right hand in the first round of last night's fight. (Photo courtesy of Kurt Garcia)

“There is a picture on my Website,” Faber said, encouraging interested parties to visit UrijahFaber.com to catch a glimpse of the full extent of the injury that kept him from throwing punches the final four rounds of his championship fight the night before. “(I have) two bad fractures on my right hand and a dislocated thumb and sprained joint on the left.”

Looking back, the WEC: Brown vs. Faber II fight card at Arco Arena wasn’t particularly fantastic, despite an impressive list of athletes stepping in the cage. The four fights on the main card had a champion fighting (Mike Brown), two former champions fighting (Urijah Faber and Jens Pulver, although Pulver was a champ in the UFC), and a new No. 1 contender fighting (Jose Aldo should fight next after Faber’s loss). The undercard even had an Ultimate Fighter finalist (Manny Gamburyan) debuting in the WEC. It had the potential to be one of the better evenings in fight history.

Despite a few bursts of excitement, and an amazing battle in the main event, there were several disappointments throughout the evening, some not even including fighters in the ring. Of the four main card fights, only one went past the first round, while two were done less than 30 seconds each into the first.

I want to dissect the evening for my readers, so I’ll go into every detail one by one, but overall I have to admit that despite the ups and downs of the event, it was an entertaining outing worth showing up for, and there are no regrets as I sit at work Monday morning tired as a dog in afternoon sun.

Champion Mike Brown throws a punch at Urijah Faber. (Photo courtesy Kurt Garcia)

Main Event: Featherweight Championship

The main event displayed a five-round championship battle that went back and forth between the current and retaining champion Brown and the former champ and hometown hero Faber.

While Brown was the bigger, stronger fighter, and the favorite picked by experts, the “California Kid” came ready with a game plan to counter Brown’s strengths, and it made for an entertaining chess match all fight long. Before Faber broke his hand, he landed quick shots to the face and body of Brown, who seemed frustrated with Faber’s elusiveness and his own inability to land the power punch that knocked Faber out in November 2008.

Still, Brown persisted and when eventually able to get a grip on Faber, took control of the fight. He had Faber against the cage or on the mat in every single round, scoring valuable points that ultimately got the win by decision. It would have taken a great display of punches from his feet for Faber to counter on the scorecards, and with a broken right hand and an injured left that only allowed him to slap Brown’s face in the later rounds rather than punch it, Faber couldn’t do that.

Urijah Faber heads to an ambulance after the fight, escorted by his camp. (Photo courtesy Kurt Garcia)

The result was another title defense for Brown, a disappointing loss for Faber in front of his home town and a trip in the ambulance to the hospital after.

While the loss was also disappointing to the roaring crowd in attendance hoping Faber could pull out the win late, and he almost did with a standing choke in the fifth round that his injured hands wouldn’t allow him to properly lock up to finish the fight, fight fans across the nation got a show worth watching, and for the WEC, that’s a winning situation. Faber’s broken hand may have actually helped him and the WEC in the losing effort, as now both can promote a third fight between the two warriors to see “what could have really happened with both fighters healthy.”

Post-fight analysis from the Sports Informant: Faber fought valiantly, and I understand now why Mike Brown is the champion. He has a chin of steel, the power of a bulldozer and the mentality of a raging bull. It took everything Faber had to avoid taking serious damage, and he did a great job of it, but was visibly tired from the third round on, a trait I’ve never seen from a Faber fight, as he’s typically the best conditioned athlete in the game.

But Brown’s a different animal, and when animals attack, it’s hard for anyone, including the “California Kid,” to stop them. Faber’s effort was unparalleled. His body just couldn’t endure it on Sunday. You can’t blame him for that.

Featherweight Fight: Cub Swanson vs. Jose Aldo

How much can you say about a fight that lasts eight seconds? Aldo, who has been storming through competition, is next in line for a title shot with Brown after demolishing Swanson in WEC record time, according to General Manager Reed Harris.

It took just one flying knee in the first round to end the fight, as Aldo sprinted forward at the fight’s start and lunged upwards. Swanson, trying to duck under an attack and go for a takedown, took the knee bluntly on his left eye, immediately falling to the ground in writing pain, covering his face with his hands. Aldo threw a few more punches to Swanson’s still body before the referee stopped the fight.

Swanson was left with a huge gash on his forehead that definitely needed stitches, and another gash right below his eyeball that was awfully close to causing retinal damage. I wouldn’t be surprised if Swanson thought he lost his eye when he fell to the ground. When the doctor told him he’d be OK, he got up, shrugged his shoulders and seemed fine.

Analysis: Aldo may have a shot against Brown. He’s agile and powerful, he finishes fights and adapts to his opponents. He’s a wizard on the ground and standing. Still, Brown is on top of the world right now, there’s no one better. It’s going to take a perfect fight, or a flying knee to the left eye, for Aldo to win.

Lightweight Fight: James Krause  vs. Donald Cerrone

Krause had the unfortunate pleasure of stepping in the cage with an angry Cerrone, whose championship fight with Jamie Varner was stopped due to injury to Varner, taking away what could have eventually been a victory for Cerrone. Now Varner’s hurt again and a rematch will have to be well down the road.

Clearly Cerrone was the superior fighter. Krause came into the fight submitting several previous opponents, but in lower fighting circuits. The entire first round Krause tried to get the fight to the ground, supposing he was the better ground specialist and inferior on his feet. He was right on one account, and it wasn’t the prior.

Cerrone was taken down once or twice, but took control of the fight once it was on the ground, avoiding submissions while countering with submission attempts of his own. Once the fight was standing again, Cerrone picked Krause apart, ultimately knocking him down with a punch and submitting Krause with a rear naked choke near the end of the first round.

Analysis: Varner was in attendance Sunday in a full suit. He sat ringside and watch Cerrone demolish Krause, then stood and smiled while Cerrone talked trash about him in the post-fight interview. Too bad it’s not the WWE, Varner would have jumped the fence and sprinted into the Octagon to fight right then and there.

Featherweight Fight: Josh Grispi vs. Jens Pulver

I was told before the fight that Josh Grispi is for real. I’ve been watching Pulver for years, so it sounded like a good fight in the making, at least until it actually began.

What could have been a triumphant return to Sacramento, a place Pulver has multiple times said he loves fighting at because the fans are so into the sport, ended quickly and embarrassingly for the one-time fight legend.

Despite not being a native of Sacramento, Pulver’s original training years ago came in Lodi. Pulver’s applause entering the Octagon was second only to Faber’s on the night. Pulver fought Faber last year at Arco and gained a lot of respect for his pre- and post-fight comments. He’s a great guy in and out of the ring, very respectful to his opponent and surroundings, and is always a straight shooter when giving quotes. Fans dig that, and it was obvious with their cheers both before and after his loss Sunday.

Unfortunately, as soon as the crowd died down, the fight began, Pulver ducked a punch, went in for a takedown and got caught in a guillotine choke. Pulver didn’t tap immediately, struggling to get out of the Grispi grip, but ultimately had to give in or suffer unconsciousness. As soon as he lost, he got up and told the crowd it’s over, he’s done, indicating he was retiring.

Surprisingly, the crowd was very responsive to Pulver even after the loss. He drew a standing ovation when he walked around the Octagon waving and thanking fans for years of support. At one point, he took off one of his gloves, handed it to his opponent and thanked him for the fight. Then he took off his shirt and threw it to a young boy in the front row of the stands.

After the fight, in the press conference, Pulver relented a bit on his earlier statement to retire, but always a realist, said he may be done anyway.

“I really don’t know (what’s next),” Pulver said. “It’s all about can you get employed? At the end of the day, it’s still a business. Where do you put someone like me? I’m struggling, can’t seem to get a hit, fighting these tough boys coming up on a roll. I was the No. 1 guy in the world at one point. I pioneered something. I’d love to sit back and watch, but at the same token, I’d still love to be a part of it. So, where do you go?

“Physically, I feel great. I’m 33 years old and I feel phenomenal. I don’t know how many people can sit back and retire at 33, but where does someone like me go? I don’t know where to go right now.”

Analysis: Pulver’s advantage is his character. While he’s gone down quickly in his last few fights, a sign to most fighters they are done, Pulver still is a fan favorite and I’m sure someone will sell tickets with him on the card. He’s been a great ambassador to the sport, and if he’s physically well enough to fight, he should. Granted, he shouldn’t be a headliner anymore, that’s just false advertisement. He’s got to earn that distinction back, and I think he can if he can avoid getting caught in bad situations. Put him up against a couple of other veteran fighters not in their prime, let him build himself back up and then see where can go from there. Not putting him in the ring anymore would be a mistake.

Undercard Fights

Just a quick rundown of the fights fans didn’t see at home:

Seth Dikun beat Rolando Perez in a Bantamweight bout using a triangle choke halfway through the first round. Frank Gomez beat Noah Thomas in a Bantamweight bout using a D’Arce choke in the second round. Antonio Banuelos eeked out a decision over Scott Jorgensen after three rounds of back-and-forth fighting in the Bantamweight division, although by my count Jorgensen was clearly the winner. Anthony Pettis showed some ground wizardry against Mike Campbell in a Lightweight bout, eventually submitting Campbell with a triangle choke. Rafael Rebello beat Kyle Dietz in a Bantamweight bout with a rear naked choke in Round 1. And Ultimate Fighter 5 finalist Manvel Gamburyan dominated John Franchi in a Featherweight bout to win a unanimous decision.

Respect for Fighters

An interesting side note to the fights was a comment Brown said in the press conference after. A reporter asked him why he blew a kiss to the fans upon his entry to the Octagon area, when he was standing right in front of me, actually. His response was genuinely human, and reminded us media that these fighters aren’t made of stone.

“It just keeps coming and coming and coming,” Brown said of taunts on his way to the cage. “I just think it’s so funny. These guys, they’re looking and I see them, they’re staring right at me, calling me a Fa–ot and stuff. I’m looking at these guys and it’s not easy what we do. It’s not easy to walk out there and put it all on the line like that. We fight for pride, for money, our health is on the line. There’s a lot on the line, man. These people are staring at you and calling you names.

“I just wish I could switch places with them for like a minute. Make them walk down to the stage. It’s not easy. It’s kind of like I was saying, ‘Alright, I love you too,’ (with the kiss).”

Despicable Fans

I shouldn’t even call them that. Real fans wouldn’t disrupt a show with such stupidity. People paid good money to witness cagefighting live, yet a few knuckleheads took the liberty of stealing the spotlight with fights of their own in the stands on Sunday night, causing several disruptions and ultimately cementing the reputation of Sacramento as a bad place to be.

Yahoo! Sports printed an article mocking the situation, then comments posted by readers blasted Sacramento for being a city full of thugs. After last night, I’m not sure they’re far off.

Apparently, when you’re bored, you fight. At least that’s what the morons in the stands thought while they impatiently awaited the arrival of the next main card fight multiple times throughout the night. Because two of the four main fights were over within 30 seconds, we in attendance were forced to watch tape-delayed fights shown to the people at home on the Versus channel, fights we’d already seen live earlier in the night. In those 20-minute intervals, we stood around waiting, and a few drunks decided to throw blows.

The first two fights were actually between two women in two different parts of the arena. Naturally, it took a while for the men around them to break up each fight. The final fight, of what I remember being five different fights throughout the night, took place in the nosebleed section as Faber and Brown were being introduced in the Octagon, annoying everyone trying to focus on the main event.

Good going guys and gals, you made yourselves look like idiots, you gave Sacramento a worse name than it already had in the national community and you nearly ruined a great night of fighting in the cage. You should be proud of yourselves as you get bailed out of jail this morning.

Why no KO?

Perhaps the biggest disappointment to some fans was the lack of knockouts throughout the night. Aside from Aldo’s knee, there actually wasn’t another knockout the entire event.

Fans expect a knockout from every fight. Unfortunately, you’re not going to get that from the WEC, at least when Mike Brown’s not fighting. The fact of the matter is, now that the WEC got rid of the heavier weight classes, the pop has left the organization.

Typically, the most brutal knockouts come from the heavier guys, who have more weight and power behind each punch. The lighter weights are defined by speed and accuracy, as fighters pepper one another round after round with pinpoint precision.

The lightweights are about artistic portrayals of athleticism, not barbaric displays of animal instinct.

Odds are you’re not going to see Mike Tyson destroy an opponent (again, unless Brown is fighting), but you may see Sugar Ray Leonard checkmate an opponent’s face in a beautifully scripted chess match. And to some, that’s much more entertaining.