World Extreme Cagefighting debuts north of the border tonight with WEC 49 at the Rexall Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Heavy.com will be bringing you live results from the evening’s card, beginning at 9 p.m. ET with results from the Versus broadcast.
The card features a main event between former WEC lightweight champion Jamie Varner and the fast-rising contender Kamal Shalorus. Also on the card, Canadian featherweights Yves Lavigne and Mark Hominick face off, while top featherweight contenders Josh Grispi and L.C. Davis match up in a bout of their own.
Rounding out the main card, Canadian native and lightweight prospect Chris Horodecki will face Danny Downes, a late replacement for the card, while Eddie Wineland and Will Campuzano represent the 135-pounders as the only bantamweights on the main card.
Coverage of the card will begin with preliminary card results at 7 p.m. ET, followed by main card fight recaps as they happen at 9 p.m. ET. Full results can be found below.
Preliminary Card
Renan Barao def. Anthony Leone via submission (armbar) at 2:29 of Round 3.
Chris Cariaso def. Rafael Rebello via unanimous decision (30-26, 29-28, 29-28)
Diego Nunes def. Raphael Assuncao via split decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-28)
Erik Koch def. Bendy Casimir via submission (triangle choke) at 3:01 of Round 1.
Wagnney Fabiano def. Frank Gomez via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).
Will Kerr def. Karen Darabedyan via submission (armbar) at 1:20 of Round 1.
Main Card
Eddie Wineland vs. Will Campuzano
Bruce Buffer got the main card underway this evening, introducing Wineland and Campuzano, who make up the lone bantamweight fight on the televised card. The two started off the fight making it apparent that neither was lacking in the speed department, but Wineland made the biggest impression in the first round, working angles and landing several big shots. Campuzano failed to establish much of a rhythm in the first five minutes, but did land several powerful leg kicks.
In the second, Campuzano made his gameplan clear, attacking the legs of Wineland. Wineland continued to use great head movement and used solid angles, which gave him the edge once again. About midway through the round, the former 135-pound champion landed a powerful shot that clearly hurt Campuzano, who crashed to the floor and covered up. He somehow survived and stood up, throwing knees and kicks wildly. However, a vicious shot to the mid-section from Wineland crumpled Campuzano, leading to a second round stoppage. Wineland def. Campuzano via technical knockout at 4:44 of Round 2.
Chris Horodecki vs. Danny Downes
Immediately following the opening bell, Horodecki took the fight to Downes. The hometown fighter dominated his last-minute replacement of an opponent, constantly threatening throughout the first round with his submission game. By the end of the round, Horodecki had taken Downes to the floor a handful of times, gained the mount, and almost locked in two submissions. Needless to say, Horodecki had the much better round.
The second round was not much kinder towards Downes. Horodecki decided to engage on the feet and put together fluid combinations that left the seemingly exhausted Downes without an answer. As the clock ticked down, the losing fighter attempted to work combinations against Horodecki, but failed to do so without getting tagged with counters. The frustration began to show on the face of Downes, as the two fighters went to the third round of the lopsided affair.
Downes entered the third with the mentality of a madman, throwing wildly with a much better boxer in Horodecki. Surprisingly, Downes actually tagged his opponent several times, even forcing Horodecki to think takedown. When he did, Horodecki quickly moved to the back and looked for the submission. He worked a choke in and forced Downes to tap out to a deep rear naked choke. Horodecki def. Downes via submission (rear naked choke) at 1:09 of Round 3.
Josh Grispi vs. L.C. Davis
Grispi has made quite the name for himself with his early finishes throughout his career. So Davis surviving the first two minutes was a victory in itself. Neither fighter really took control of the fight early the way Horodecki did in the first fight. However, that immediately changed when L.C. Davis looked for a takedown. Davis slammed Grispi to the mat, but not before the young prospect could lock on a deep guillotine. And no one breaks free from a Grispi guillotine choke. Davis goes to sleep and Grispi sets himself up for another top featherweight opponent. This kid is not a long way off from a title shot against top pound for pound fighter Jose Aldo. Grispi def. Davis via technical submission (guillotine choke) at 2:33 of Round 1.
Mark Hominick vs. Yves Jabouin
The two striking-prone featherweights got off to a magnificent pace, especially Jabouin. He continuously threw combinations for the first two minutes of the round. He was literally throwing non-stop. Hominick landed a fair amount of shots, but Jabouin simply looked more dominant due to the quantity of strikes. The round ended with both fighters staying busy, but Jabouin was clearly the more active striker.
The second round started with Jabouin attempting to take on an active role. He continued to remain the more active fighter, but Hominick started to land the better combinations. A vicious shot to the liver sent Jabouin into survival mode, but he managed to work his way back to the feet and landed a great shot that sent Hominick to the floor. Jabouin looked for the finish, but his ground and pound was stifled. Hominick reversed Jabouin into the full mount and pounded him out until the referee stepped in to stop the fight. Great back-and-forth effort by both fighters in what will almost surely earn the Fight of the Night honors. Hominick def. Jabouin via technical knockout at 3:21 of Round 2.
Jamie Varner vs. Kamal Shalorus
Early on, it seemed that both of the lightweight contenders were content to stand and bang. Varner worked the better combinations in the striking game, but Shalorus landed a plethora of damaging leg kicks. Varner successfully dipped in and out of Shalorus’ range and caught him with about two minutes left in the first. Shalorus survived the pressure from Varner and raised in hands in the center, letting out a battle cry. No, seriously, a battle cry. Varner looked concerned with his failure to get the stoppage, and Shalorus continued forward, throwing his heavy hands towards the head of the former champion. The two exchanged in the closing of the round with Shalorus landing some big shots. Great first round of the main event.
The second round opened just as everyone in the Rexall Place hoped it would, with both men willing to trade with one another. Shalorus once again took the center of the cage, working his leg kicks tirelessly. Unfortunately, an inside leg kick sent Varner to the floor in pain. However, it was an apparent groin shot, which caused the referee to deduct a point from Shalorus. The round wound down with Varner circling away from his opponent, as Shalorus was the complete aggressor following the point deduction.
The final round began with another shot to Varner’s groin. Varner once again fell to the ground in pain, but Shalorus did not lose a second point. Varner elected to continue and Shalorus continued his stalking ways. Finally, with about three minutes remaining, Shalorus scores a takedown to earn some points towards a victory. Varner remained active off of his back, but could not get Shalorus off of him. But with 40 seconds remaining, Varner finally was able to push Shalorus off of him and the two stood for the final moments of the round without much significant action. Varner felt he earned the victory, raising his hands in confidence. However, the judges’ rendered a rather strange, unsatisfying decision that is sure to draw plenty of criticism. Fight ends in a draw (29-27, 27-29, 28-28).