Fists of Fury and Shot at Glory

WEC 42...Torres vs. Bowles lived up to the hype in a BIG WAY!

Almost every fight on the undercard went the distance, so that pushed the Leonard Garcia fight to the 'live' card on Versus. And what a way to start off the night! It looked like it was 'lights out' for Leonard, but somehow Jameel Massouh did not realize how close he was to the win, and Garcia came back and made him pay.

Jeff Curran was a fan favorite in his 'Stars and Stripes' shorts, and chants of 'U-S-A' rang through the raucous crowd right from the start as he went up against Japanese sensation, Takeya Mizugaki. Many, including myself, believed Curran did enough to win the bout, but he was shut down in a decision which left the crowd in a funk.

Danny Castillo did not disappoint the legion of URIJAH fans by rep'ing Team Alpha Male in style, a HUGE right hand swayed momentum, and the match, in his favor. He pounced like a possessed tiger and finished off Ricardo Lamas.

The best 'back and forth' fight of the night was Cruz vs. Benavidez. From the start, it was a blur of fists, feet, and finesse. 3 rounds later, Cruz was declared the victor, and Benavidez flung himself to the canvas lamenting the lost opportunity. Cruz now sits as the #1 challenger in the Bantamweight pecking order.

Everyone assumed his opponent would be Miquel Angel Torres...

NOT.

The 'shot heard round the world' can now be matched by the 'shots' heard round the world! Torres delivered a few, but then took a barrage that not only cost him the belt, but looked as if it cost him some brain cells in the process. Brian Bowles believed in himself like few others did, very reminiscent of Mike Brown last year when he went up against Urijah Faber. Bowles shook up the Bantamweight division like a fallen hornet's nest, and now, lays claim to the crown that had sat on the intimidating brow of Miquel Torres for what seemed like an eternity.

This was a night of questionable judging, but also unquestionable determination. Respect was served up in large doses, but the MMA world lives by the mantra, "What have you done for me lately", so the celebrations will be shorted lived.

Miquel Torres left the cage battered, and yes, beaten down, but not 'beaten'. You can bet he will use this as motivation for what is sure to be a quest to return to the top spot. The utter shock of seeing the former champ out cold on the canvas was enough to leave the crowd in deafening silence, but like the phoenix, expect Torres to rise up from the ashes of this defeat.