411's Roundtable Preview: WEC 44 - Brown vs. Aldo

Posted by Dan Plunkett on 11.18.2009

WEC 44 is here! In the main event, Mike Brown defends his featherweight title against Jose Aldo. Also, title contenders Manny Gamburyan and Leonard Garcia battle it out. Plus, Rob McCullough looks to move one step closer to getting another shot at the lightweight title, while wrestlers Danny Castillo and Shane Roller square off! Check out 411’s complete WEC 44 roundtable for the main card breakdown and don’t forget to join us for coverage of the event Wednesday night!



WELCOME:
Stuck in between two major UFC events, WEC 44 is nearly upon us! In the main event, Mike Brown looks to defend his featherweight title for a third time! It won't be easy though, as his opponent, the explosive Jose Aldo, has won his last five fights by TKO. Now lets meet the staff and get to the picks!

THE STAFF:

From 411 Movies/TV, Games, and multiple MMA interviews, Jeffrey Harris!

From the Juggernaut MMA News Report, Jonathan Solomon!

From The Rear Naked Column, Samer Kadi!

From TBerg's Top 10, Todd Bergman!

From The Cardio Freak MMA News Report, Jeremy Lambert!





THE MAIN CARD:
Featherweight Bout: Manny Gamburyan vs. Leonard Garcia


Jeffrey Harris: Interesting matchup with two former UFC fighters and both guys had fairly mediocre runs in the lightweight division in the UFC after showing some promise early on. The winner of this fight could possibly be the #1 contender for the WEC Featherweight Title Gamburyan hasn't looked that great in his last couple fights and it seems weird that he can get a title shot after winning just two fights in the WEC (same for Garcia), but then again since the divisions in the WEC aren't super-deep, I guess they can afford to do that. Garcia's a good striker and he's got power. Garcia's early in his UFC run looked like he could be a force before the Emerson fight. With what's at stake, I kind of have the feeling this one will go to decision and I have a feeling Gamburyan will have the advantage with his judo skillz.

Winner: Manny Gamburyan, DEC.

Jonathan Solomon An intriguing fight this is in some part because a loss for either man drops them down significantly in the featherweight division. Anvil Gamburyan was successful in his WEC debut in June, taking a decision win over John Franchi. He's been training like a mad man for this fight and is probably in the best shape of his career. He takes that black belt in Judo into this fight and whether he can power Garcia around remains to be seen. Speaking of Garcia, his quest for another title shot continues with this fight. After being massacred by Mike Brown in March, he took a split decision from Jameel Massouh in August. Garcia may not have a black belt in any art but he has bricks for hands and if he can tee off on Manny, he will win. Gamburyan should not forget about his powerful takedowns but if he is unsuccessful with his shots, he will be in for a short day.

Winner: Leonard Garcia, TKO, Round 2.

Samer Kadi: After a successful debut against John Franchi back in June, Manny Gamburyan returns to the WEC to take on perennial slugger Leonard Garcia. I think the Rob Emerson fight taught Manny a valuable lesson and he will avoid trading leather with someone like Garcia. Manny is very heavy from the top and if he gets Leonard down, he can very well ride out a decision. Garcia has shown that he's incredibly hard to stop especially with strikes. His bout with Roger Huerta is a testament to that. For him to have success in this contest, he basically needs to sprawl and brawl but more importantly do well in the scrambles, which is a very tough ask. I don't see him catching Gamburyan with a submission from the bottom, and if Manny avoids getting tagged in the stand up, I think he'll get the decision win.

Winner: Manny Gamburyan, Unanimous Decision.

Todd Bergman: This fight will go one of two ways. Either Manny will bore the crap out of everyone and hold Garcia on the mat or Garcia will knock Manny the hell out. While I think that Manny will get his takedowns, at some point Garcia is going to hit him and to sleep Manny will go.

Winner: Leonard Garcia, KO, 2nd Round

Jeremy Lambert: I don't expect Manny to stand and bang with Garcia because if he does, he's going to get knocked out. Manny's judo gives any fighter problems because it's so tough to train for so one would think Manny would look to get inside early, throw Garcia around, put him on his back, and hold him there. Garcia probably won't be able to stop Manny from throwing him around but he should be able to scramble of his back and get back to his feet. On the feet Garcia just needs to land one big bomb and he'll turn out Manny's lights.

Winner: Leonard Garcia, TKO, Round One

---

Lightweight bout: Karen Darabedyan vs. Rob McCullough


Jeffrey Harris: Rob McCullough's name has been coming up on the web recently with his non-appearance on Celebrity Sex Rehab as well as his pornstar wife, Lexxi Tyler, who recently made the cover of I think either Penthouse or Hustler. They are having a kid too. McCullough's in a rather interesting position being he's a former WEC lightweight champion and even though he's 4-2, his only two losses in the company are to current champ Jamie Varner when he lost the title and Donald Cerrone, one of WEC's top lightweight contenders and most popular fighters. A win here while it wouldn't really guarantee McCullough a title shot, could put him back in the running or perhaps a rematch with Cerrone in order to get one. McCullough's last fight and win over Marcus Hicks was a dull decision, and McCullough hasn't won impressively in a while. Karen Darabedyan (yes, it's a dude), is a newcomer with an 8-1 record and a varied background being a judo blackbelt and a practitioner in boxing, wrestling, and more. He also trains with Karo Parysian. One wonders if Karen at the age of 22 could be one of these new breeds of MMA wunderkids like maybe Josh Grispi or Mackens Semerzier who comes in and beats the established veteran fighter in quick, impressive no one expected. WEC has made a decent reputation off of events like that. Still, since I've never seen Karen fight, I'm not sure exactly what to expect from him. So I'm thinking Razor Rob will utilize his Muay Thai to keep Karen at buy and finish him at some point in the fight.

Winner: Razor "Mr. Lexxi Tyler" Rob, TKO, RD 2.

Jonathan Solomon Razor Rob is finally healthy after sustaining a broken hand and a bum ankle from his win at UFC 39 over Marcus Hicks. He will be fighting the debuting Armenian, Karen Darabedyan (he trains with Karo Parisyan and Gamburyan) who takes his 8-1 MMA record with him.Darabedyan has a black belt in Judo, but has a boxing background and does not mind standing and trading. He will be 23-years old next month and I think it's safe to say Razor Rob will be his toughest opponent thus far. Whether Darabedyan's skills transfer over here, we'll find out Wednesday but I like his chances against McCullough who likes to stand and trade as well.

Winner: Karen Darabedyan, Decision.

Samer Kadi: Rob McCullough makes his return for his first bout since March earlier this year. Despite being a WEC veteran and a former champion in the division, McCullough's stock has taken a hit since losing his title to Jamie Varner and the following defeat to Donald Cerrone. Those defeats are nothing to be ashamed of and McCullough will usually beat the fighters he's expected to beat. Darabedyan does not possess Razor's experience nor has he fought the same level of competition, with the exception of Koji Oishi whom he came up short against in the only defeat of his career. With that said, he is a very skilled grappler and an accomplished judo practitioner, and at the age of 22, he's got all the time in the world to improve. However, he has shown a tendency to keep the fight on the feet and not utilizing his grappling as much as you'd expect him to, and I don't believe he will find too much joy taking this approach against McCullough. I think Razor has too much game for Darabedyan at this stage of his career.

Winner: Rob "Razor" McCullough, TKO, Round 3.


Todd Bergman: While I have serious doubts picking a man named Karen, Rob McCullough isn't the same guy that use to terrorize the 155lbs division. The worst decision for Darabedyan to do is to stand up with "Razor" Rob. Unfortunately, he will more than likely try to band with Rob and that will spell doom for the man with a chick's name. I wonder when Rob is going to show up on this season of Sex Rehab with Dr. Drew on VH1? If he doesn't then Ken Pavia owes me an apology.

Winner: Rob McCullough, TKO, 1st Round

Jeremy Lambert: Like Manny, Karen has a background in judo and even trains at the same camp as Manny. They only difference is that Karen used to be a professional boxer so he can actually throw hands and will probably want to put on a show in his WEC debut. If these two decide to stand and trade for 15 minutes, we're in for an entertaining war. The stand up favors McCullough just because he uses more than his hands and is a more experience MMA striker. If Karen decides to grapple then he shouldn't have much trouble throwing around McCullough can chances are if he can get him to the ground, he can hold him there for as long as he needs to.

Winner: Karen Darabedyan, Decision

---

Lightweight bout: Danny Castillo vs. Shane Roller


Jeffrey Harris: This has been labeled as another potential title shot eliminator by WEC general manager Reed Harris. Both guys are 3-1 in the WEC. Castillo only having lost to Cerrone and Roller only having lost to the interim champion, Benson Henderson. Both guys are experienced wrestlers. Both guys have won most of their fights by way of knockout or decision. Again, not sure what we can expect, but hopefully it will be another exciting fight. It could depend on who has the better wrestling and who will get the upperhand with their wrestling and takedowns. I'm going to go with the slightly more experienced Castillo who has looked very good in his last few fights and will get the TKO in the third round.

Winner: Danny Castillo, TKO, RD 3.

Jonathan Solomon Lightweights are in action when Danny Castillo takes on Shane Roller. Castillo is on a three fight winning streak while Roller defeated Marcus Hicks after losing to Ben Henderson this year. Roller is a wrestler by nature while Castillo also has the college wrestling base. I'm not sure that Castilo has fought any comparable guys (wrestling wise) in his MMA career, although he does train with Team Alpha Male. Now watch this turn into a striking war, but I will go with the better wrestler with some submission skills.

Winner: Shane Roller, Submission, Round 3.

Samer Kadi: After two back to back first round submissions to start off his WEC career, Roller's momentum was halted when he ran into current WEC interim lightweight champion Benson Henderson. He did rebound well with a hard fought unanimous decision victory over Marcus Hicks back in August and will be looking to keep his winning ways here. Castillo on the other hand is a well rounded fighter who's coming off an impressive stoppage of Ricardo Lamas. His only career loss came at the hands of Donald Cerrone. Both fighters prefer to keep things standing, but I feel Castillo is the more polished striker with more power in his hands, and possesses a better chin. It's a tough fight to pick but given those factors I'm going to have to go with Castillo on this one.

Winner: Danny Castillo, TKO, Round 2.


Todd Bergman: This is a pretty good fight that no one is talking about. Both guys are great wrestlers with Castillo having a slight advantage in the striking department. Castillo should be able to dictate where this fight goes because he is the more powerful guy, but he must be careful of the submission abilities of Roller. This fight essentially becomes a stalemate as Castillo takes down Roller and proceeds to hold him down until Cecil Peoples actually pays attention to the fight.

Winner: Danny Castillo, Decision

Jeremy Lambert: Both of these guys are wrestlers by trade, which means they'll probably stand and bang for 15 minutes until someone falls. I'm not sure if Roller will be able to takedown Castillo because Castillo should be the stronger fighter and I'm not sure Castillo will wants to takedown Roller because of Roller's submission game. If it stays standing like I expect, I give the advantage to Castillo because he's the more well-rounded striker and hits harder.

Winner: Danny Castillo, TKO, Round Two

---

WEC Featherweight Championship bout: Mike Brown vs. Jose Aldo


Jeffrey Harris: Besides Shogun/Machida, this is probably one of my most highly anticipated MMA title bouts of the entire freaking year. With all the big shows that have been going on, this HUGE match has sort of been slept on and lost in the shuffle lately. It's too bad that DirectTV/Comcast haven't got their crap together because that means a lot of people are missing out on this potentially blockbuster title bout. Aldo has been on an absolute tear in the WEC featherweight division. In his WEC debut, he spoiled the first first for one of the Nogueira family and hasn't looked back. He's won his last 8 fights and hasn't lost in 4 years. Aldo's definitely earned his shot, winning all his fights in brutal exciting TKO fashion, his last three quickly in the first round. While many of Aldo's opponents weren't big names, he's impressed the fans and MMA community with his charismatic personality and exciting fighting style. Aldo personally has aspirations of being the Anderson Silva at featherweight. Well in order to accomplish that, he has a much tougher test than anyone he's faced before in facing current WEC Featherweight Champ, Mike Brown. This fight has huge implications besides determining the WEC featherweight champion it could also determine who is the top featherweight and possibly one of the top pound for pound fighters in the world. Brown has proven time and time again to not be a joke, one hit wonder, or fluke. He beat Urijah Faber twice and Leonard Garcia. A win over Aldo would further cement his MMA greatness. Aldo's striking and kickboxing is excellent, but I'm not sure he's ever faced someone the caliber as Mike Brown. I simply won't bet against Mike Brown, and I think his wrestling and his amazing chin will come through for him considering neither Curran, Faber, or Garcia could hurt him too badly. Since this is the WEC, I'm expecting hopefully another amazing classic FOTYC title main event which we've been getting a lot of this year. Brown gets the decision win.

Winner: The sensational Mike Brown, DEC.

Jonathan Solomon This is honestly one of the best match-ups of the year. Mike Brown is the undisputed WEC featherweight champion and has beaten down his opponents since knocking out Urijah Faber to become champion. He is 22-4 and has not lost in nearly four years (he was caught with a leg lock in Japan...and all of his losses re by submission). Brown is a brown belt in BJJ, has a dominant wrestling base and big time, one punch knockout power in his hands. That doesn't even include his sheer strength which gave Faber fits. Jose Aldo is eleven years younger and already has a 15-1 record (his only loss was a submission loss to Luciano Azevedo about for years ago). Ironically, both men have not lost in about four years. Aldo is a black belt in BJJ and has some of the fastest strikes in MMA, whether it be his hands, knees or legs. Since coming to WEC last summer, he has knocked out each of his five opponents in explosive fashion. Mike Brown may be able to knock out Aldo with one punch, but his best bet may be to take him down and take his will with fierce ground and pound. It may be risky but Aldo can be so dangerous with his striking. If this is a straight up striking battle, the advantage is with Aldo who can win in several ways. For Brown to win, he will need to use his strength and wrestling. WEC is awesome, this fight will be another epic battle from the promotion and YOU MUST WATCH!

Winner: STILL WEC FEATHERWEIGHT CHAMPION, MIKE BROWN, Decision.

Samer Kadi: Oh yes! I don't think I've ever been as excited for a WEC main event as I am for this one, which says a lot considering the number of compelling match ups the promotion has put on for the past couple of years. A year removed from his upset of Urijah Faber, Mike Brown has finally become an established name in the sport and seems to be getting the respect he has long deserved. His domination of Leonard Garcia as well as his win over Faber in the rematch silenced all the critics, but Brown could be facing his biggest challenge yet in knockout machine Jose Aldo. Aldo's style reminds me quite a lot of Thiago Alves or Shogun Rua. He's an aggressive, explosive fighter with lethal knees. I see this fight coming down Brown's strength versus Aldo's speed. Will Aldo be able to deal with Brown's power, wrestling and top control? If he does, then the bout is his, as I don't see Brown hanging with Aldo in the stand up (despite having some pretty decent striking). But Brown is an extremely intelligent fighter who's a true general in the cage. I think he will fight a smart fight, wear Aldo out, and take him into deep waters in the championship rounds were Aldo should slow down and lose some of his explosiveness. I don't think Aldo will react well if things don't go his way. If he is to win, it will end early (and violently). With that said, I'm going with Brown.

Winner: Mike Thomas Brown, Unanimous Decision.


Todd Bergman: This is a pretty scary fight for Brown. While Mike has been insanely dominate in the WEC, he hasn't faced someone with the insane abilities that Aldo possess. The smart game plan for Brown would be to turn this fight into a slow-grinding affair. No matter how many times, I run this fight through my head, I don't see Aldo winning. I'm sticking with Mike Brown to land a huge bomb while in Aldo's guard to once again prove his dominance. It's a lame question, but seriously, who's next for Brown?

Winner: Still WEC Featherweight Champion Mike Brown, TKO, 3rd Round

Jeremy Lambert: Both men have been on a tear as of late. Jose Aldo is knocking everyone out in explosive fashion while Mike Brown has defeated Urijah Faber twice and Leonard Garcia in his last three fights. Aldo is a well rounded fighter but he's never faced a wrestler the level of Mike Brown while Brown has faced explosive strikers before. If Brown can avoid the early flurry of Aldo then he should be able to use his wrestling, ground Aldo, and control him. Brown has never been knocked out either so I think it's safe to say that he has a good chin on him. His weakness has been submissions and Aldo is a black belt in jiu-jitsu so if the fight stays on the ground for a long period of time, there is a risk for Brown of being submitted. The longer this fight goes, the more it favors Brown but Aldo is always one strike away from ending things.

Winner: Mike Brown, Decision


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