Las Vegas, Nev. (USA) - A full lineup of the mixed martial arts world’s most exciting and respected athletes will be in action at the Arco Arena in Sacramento, California on Sunday, June 1, as World Extreme Cagefighting®(WEC™) is pleased to announce a high-impact undercard for the upcoming WEC: FABER VS. PULVER event.
The card is headlined by the long-awaited superfight which will determine the undisputed king of the featherweight division, “The California Kid”, WEC Featherweight Champion Urijah Faber, will take on MMA legend Jens “Lil Evil” Pulver. Plus, Miguel Angel Torres defends his bantamweight title against top ranked Yoshiro Maeda.
Announced today for the VERSUS television main card are exciting matchups between former WEC lightweight champion Rob McCullough and Kenneth Alexander, and former NCAA wrestling champion Mark Munoz and Chuck Grigsby.
Donald Cerrone takes on Richard Crunkilton, Jeff Curran battles Mike Brown, Chase Beebe returns against Will Ribeiro, and Alexandre Nogueira makes his WEC debut against Jose Aldo.
Tickets for WEC: Faber vs. Pulver, priced at $185, $125, $75 and $35 (not including applicable services or taxes), are on sale now. Tickets may be purchased by calling Ticketmaster Charge-By-Phone at 916-649-TIXS, 530-528-TIXS or 209-551-TIXS or by visiting the ARCO Arena Box Office. Tickets also are available online through www.wec.tv or www.ticketmaster.com.
WEC: Faber vs. Pulver will be televised live nationally on VERSUS beginning at 9:00 pm ET/6:00 pm PT. All live WEC events will be presented in Hi-Definition (HD) and SAP where available. For more information and how to find VERSUS in your local viewing area, visit http://www.versus.com/findversus.
WEC Bantamweight Champion Miguel Angel Torres (33-1) captured the attention of the worldwide MMA community when he put on a groundfighting clinic against Chase Beebe, capturing the title with a guillotine choke just 3:59 into the championship bout. After years of fighting, Torres has finally earned his place as one of mixed martial arts’ best, pound for pound, but his title won’t be truly validated until he defends it against Japan’s Yoshiro Maeda.
Yoshiro Maeda (23-4-2) is at the top of his game and eager to take the next step in his career. Maeda made his WEC debut in February, knocking out Charlie Valencia with a body kick at 2:29 of the first round. Having shown both heart and skill in the cage, now all he needs is a belt around his waist, something he hopes to take from Torres on June 1.
Former WEC Lightweight Champion “Razor” Rob McCullough (15-4) will be looking to get back to the top of the division when he takes on Kenneth Alexander (5-2, 1 NC). Alexander holds a 2002 win over McCullough, giving “Razor” Rob even more incentive to take his talented opponent out in emphatic fashion.
Making his long awaited WEC debut at 185 lbs, Mark “The Filipino Wrecking Machine” Munoz (3-0) is a former NCAA Division I wrestling champion who is considered one of the top wrestlers to ever enter the sport of MMA. With an unbeaten record thus far, Munoz has transitioned well to the fighting world and he will be looking to continue on his path of excellence when he steps into the world famous WEC cage to take on veteran Chuck Grigsby (13-3), who is currently riding an eight fight winning streak.
Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone (7-0, 1 NC) will try to keep his unbeaten record intact at the expense of veteran Richard Crunkilton (18-2). Crunkilton, a former world title challenger, looked impressive in his last WEC outing, winning a unanimous decision over tough Sergio Gomez in March, and the winner of this bout becomes a serious player in the 155-pound title picture.
Former WEC bantamweight champion Chase Beebe (13-2) is eager to get back into the cage to prove he is ready for another shot at the 135-pound crown. Having tasted defeat for the first time in the WEC when he lost his title to Miguel Torres in February, Beebe is ready to prove that he is still the best in the division, but he must first get past grappling sensation Will Ribeiro (8-1).
Submission expert Jeff “Big Frog” Curran (31-9-1) will be stepping into the cage with WEC newcomer Mike Brown (16-4) in a featherweight bout. Curran lost his last fight to Urijah Faber in December and will be looking to get a victory on his way back to the top. Brown is known for an aggressive style which could present problems for Curran.
Consistently among the best featherweights in the world, Brazil’s Alexandre “Pequeno” Nogueira (13-4-2) will grace the WEC’s cage for the first time on June 1st when he takes on countryman Jose Aldo (9-1). For Nogueira, it’s the first step to a shot at the 145-pound crown currently held by Faber.
Also on tap will be preliminary bouts between Tim McKenzie and Eric Schambari, Luis Sapo and Alex Serdyukov, and Dominick Cruz and Charlie Valencia.
All bouts subject to change. For more information about WEC: Faber vs. Pulver and current WEC fight news, visit www.wec.tv.
