Options: WEC 49 Edition

MMA is no stranger to controversial judging and WEC is no stranger to great fights. Both were a part of Sunday’s WEC 49. While there were far more great fights on the show, including what may have been the fight of the year in Mark Hominick v. Yves Jabouin, the show will likely be remembered for yet another example of the impact that the judges have on the sport and the vitriol with which a seemingly (or obviously) incorrect decision is met.

In the case of WEC 49, a match pitting former Lightweight champion Jamie Varner and Kamal Shalorus against one another in order to determine the division’s top contender was marred first by Shalorus penchant for insider low kicks, three of which struck Varner in his nether regions. Shalorus’ uncanny impression of Bobby Green’s hoodfighting style resulted in a point being deducted from his second-round score.

The oft questioned judgement of Cecil Peoples yielded a score of 28-28. It must have been an admission by Peoples that Shalorus leg kicks did, in fact, count towards his score; a notion Peoples argued against as recently as last October when he scored the first fight between current UFC Light Heavyweight champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and then champ Lyoto Machida in favor of Machida despite Rua’s consistently effective use of leg kicks. Meanwhile, lesser known judge Cameron Quwek awarded the fight to Shalorus, 29-27, a score which indicates that Quwek felt Shalorus won each round but was forced to score the second round as a draw due to Shalorus’ point deduction. Apparently both Quwek and Peoples felt that Octagon control, a criteria which could fairly be scored in favor of Shalorus, carried more weight in this fight than did the damage done, a category which Varner won handily.

A bad decision, or at least one that is loudly and/or largely contested, is one thing. For it to happen in a match with title implications, highlights the need for an overhaul to the entire system of adjudication in Mixed Martial Arts, which should include the dismissal of several judges consistently assigned to judge fights for the biggest promotions in the sport. But, while that argument continues to fall on deaf ears, the WEC must now determine how to move forward with determining the top contender to Ben Henderson’s Lightweight title. By virtue of their draw, both Varner and Shalorus appear to be out of the discussion for the immediate future. As a result, other options are desperately needed. That’s where the options for the winners (and draw-ers) from WEC 49 come in.

Jamie Varner

Option 1: Kamal Shalorus

I don’t really think this match is necessary, as anyone with eyes and a functioning brain understands that Varner beat Shalorus with or without a point being deducted from Shalorus in round two. However, if the WEC is bound and determined to have one of these two men fight for the WEC Lightweight title, they will need to fight to an honest conclusion. It would be extremely improbable that WEC President Reed Harris would come out and award Varner the next title shot because those of us not paid to judge the fight understand that Varner did, in fact, win, but I don’t think anyone would disagree were he to do so. Well, except for the Varner haters, of which there seems to be no shortage.

Option 2: Donald Cerrone

Varner is a man haunted by rematches. He’s looking for a rematch against WEC Lightweight champion Ben Henderson. He may well need a rematch against Shalorus in order to challenge Henderson again. If those two matches are off the table, a rematch against Cerrone seems as reasonable a match for Varner as any. As with his fight against Shalorus, Varner’s fight against Cerrone did not lack for controversy, as Varner earned a technical split decision when the bout went to the judges cards in the fifth round after Varner was unintentionally but illegally kneed in the head while on the ground. Cerrone, having just lost his rematch to Henderson, would remain at least one fight away from a third encounter with Henderson, but he would put himself firmly back in the contender’s mix in the WEC Lightweight division. Of course, Cerrone has longed for a rematch with Varner, who he cannot stand on a personal level, since the controversial decision was rendered against him. It’s no Quinton “Rampage” Jackson v. Rashad Evans, but it is a grudge match that would look very nice as a semi-main event on any WEC card.

Kamal Shalorus

Option 1: Jamie Varner

Again, this match need not happen. To everyone not named Cameron Quwek or Cecil Peoples, Varner won and therefore both fighters should go on to face other opponents. However, as the draw will stand on both fighters’ official records, it is at least plausible that the WEC may prefer to give Shalorus and Varner the opportunity to right the wrongs of the judges and give both men another opportunity to stake their claim as the top contender in the WEC’s Lightweight division.

Option 2: The winner of Shane Roller v. Anthony Pettis (WEC 50, August 18)

At the moment, and failing a rematch between Shalorus and Varner, the winner of Roller and Pettis will be the de facto top contender. That is, unless the WEC decides that neither Roller nor Pettis will have earned a title shot based on the result of their match alone. In that case, Shalorus could be asked to step in against the winner in order to define a strong top contender. Varner could very well fight the winner of Roller v. Pettis instead of Shalorus, but given that their is plenty of juice to be squeezed out of a rematch against Cerrone, it seems more likely that Shalorus would be available to fight the winner of the WEC 50 showdown.

Mark Hominick

Option 1: Leonard Garcia

It’s very tempting to suggest Chan Sung Jung as opposed to Leonard Garcia here. Not only did it seem as though Jung actually beat Garcia in their fight, but Jung is certainly the more technical striker of the two, which would make for some intriguing exchanges with a technical kickboxer such as Hominick. Alas, judges decisions cannot be overturned by logic and reasoning alone, and thus, Leonard Garcia is a practical choice of opponent for Hominick’s next fight. Given the great reception for Garcia v. Jung and the fact that Hominick v. Jabouin was even better, it’s tough to imagine Hominick v. Garcia turning out to be anything but an exciting stand up battle for as long as it lasts. Perhaps more importantly and in no small part because of their recent crowd-pleasing performances, a win for either Hominick or Garcia over the other would put either in the thick of title contention in WEC’s Featherweight division. Imagine: Mark Hominick as a title contender. It feels strange to suggest such a thing, but winning high profiles matches and the favor of the crowd will earn a fighter such an opportunity.

Option 2: Tyler Toner

If the thought of Hominick as a title contender is a bit much to swallow just yet, then consider an alternative stand up battle. Toner most recently ended the undefeated streak of Brandon Visher by TKO in the first round. Again, with Hominick’s superb performance against Yves Jabouin, any fight of his with a talented striker should be one that will captivate fans. A win for either Hominick or Toner would not put either in title contention, but a strong showing would should position the winner very close to title contention.

Josh Grispi

Option 1: Leonard Garcia

Since his dismantling of Jens Pulver, I’ve felt that Grispi is the future of the WEC Featherweight division. After his win over L.C. Davis, it seems clear that he has the best chance of any Featherweight to defeat current WEC champion Jose Aldo. That having been said and despite his superb performance against Davis, Grispi is not yet ready to fight Aldo. Fighting an aggressive striker like Garcia won’t exactly prepare Grispi for Aldo, who is on a whole other level of striking from not just Garcia but from every Featherweight, but it will give Grispi the invaluable experience of fighting a former title contender. Those sorts of experiences will be what it will take to prepare Grispi to fight, and perhaps defeat, Aldo.

Option 2: Chad Mendes

Mendes, the training partner of former WEC Featherweight champion Urijah Faber, is still flying under the radar, but he may well have a claim to being the next great Featherweight rather than Grispi. Now that Faber is out of the Featherweight division, at least for the time being, Mendes can begin in earnest his ascent to contender’s status. A match against Grispi would very likely create a top contender by virtue of both fighters success, with the victor remaining undefeated in the WEC or, in the case of Mendes, in his career. Realistically, the winner should fight at least once more prior to challenging Aldo, but a battle between two young, extremely talented Featherweights may be both difficult to ignore as an option and as a  contender eliminator.

Chris Horodecki

Option 1: Will Kerr

Horodecki was able to fully showcase his abilities against Danny Downes, who may be the only fighter who looks younger than Horodecki. Given that Downes took the fight on just four days notice, it’s difficult to argue that Horodecki should move significantly up in the WEC’s Lightweight rankings. Another fighter showcased in WEC 49 earned was Will Kerr, who earned television time by submitting Karen Darabedyan in the first round. Kerr, whose only other WEC fight was a loss to Kamal Shalorus, is a game opponent but one who Horodecki should be able to best if he is to be seriously considered among the top Lightweights in the WEC. The fact that Horodecki and Kerr fought on the same show should make the match easier to schedule, though Horodecki did appear to suffer at least a broken nose in his fight, which may put his timeline for a return to action slightly off from that of Kerr.

Option 2: Ed Ratcliff

The Ratcliff option is a concession to the obvious, but the match up is one that makes great sense for Horodecki. Ratcliff is very much tailor made to be part of one of the several epic battles in which Horodecki has been involved. At the same time, though Ratcliff may be able to get the better of him, Horodecki should be able to best Ratcliff in a kickboxing match, as his training with Shawn Tompkins should allow Horodecki to hone his skills to a degree above and beyond the Tae Kwon Do-based striking of Ratcliff.

Eddie Wineland

Option 1: Scott Jorgensen

A match versus Charlie Valencia, against whom Wineland was originally scheduled to compete, makes a lot of sense from a stylistic point of view, but as was pointed out during the WEC 49 broadcast, Wineland’s victory over Will Campuzano was his third in a row. That is to say that Wineland has moved beyond Charlie Valencia and into the nebulous “almost a contender” region. As such, it’s reasonable that the former and first-ever WEC Bantamweight champion should be given an opportunity to earn himself another shot at the title. A fight against Scott Jorgensen, who must at this moment be considered the top contender after Joseph Benavidez, would be such an opportunity. Of course, even without the title implications, Wineland v. Jorgensen is one hell of a fight on paper.

Option 2: Damacio Page

Everything true of a match between Wineland and Jorgensen is true of a match up between Wineland and Damacio Page. It would help to create a top Bantamweight contender in the WEC, and the match up is one that should not fail to entertain. The only concern with this option is the timeline of Page’s return to action. In his two most recently scheduled fights, Page was unable to compete due to injury. Might  the founding of Page’s own MMA promotion, Southwest Cage Fighting, along with his injuries, lead Page to remain outside of the cage for the foreseeable future?