WEC 37
Encyclopedia
WEC 37: Torres vs. Tapia was a mixed martial arts
event held by World Extreme Cagefighting
on December 3, 2008 at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada
. The event aired live on the Versus Network
.
WEC Bantamweight Champion Miguel Torres successfully defended his title again against Manny Tapia in the main event of the evening. In addition, former IFL
standout Wagnney Fabiano made his WEC debut on this card.
The Mark Munoz
-Ricardo Barros fight was the final light heavyweight bout to be put on by the WEC. The division was absorbed into the UFC following this event.
The event drew an estimated 671,000 viewers on Versus
.
Mixed martial arts
Mixed Martial Arts is a full contact combat sport that allows the use of both striking and grappling techniques, both standing and on the ground, including boxing, wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, muay Thai, kickboxing, karate, judo and other styles. The roots of modern mixed martial arts can be...
event held by World Extreme Cagefighting
World Extreme Cagefighting
World Extreme Cagefighting was an American mixed martial arts promotion. It was purchased by Zuffa, LLC, the parent company of Ultimate Fighting Championship , in 2006. In its final incarnation, it was made up of 3 weight classes: 135, 145 and 155 lbs. To accommodate the smaller...
on December 3, 2008 at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
. The event aired live on the Versus Network
Versus (TV channel)
Versus is a sports-oriented cable television channel in the United States. It was previously known as Outdoor Life Network and was launched on July 1, 1995, focusing on fishing, hunting, and other outdoor sports...
.
WEC Bantamweight Champion Miguel Torres successfully defended his title again against Manny Tapia in the main event of the evening. In addition, former IFL
International Fight League
The International Fight League was an American mixed martial arts promotion billed as the world's first MMA league. It was founded on January 7, 2006 and closed on July 31, 2008...
standout Wagnney Fabiano made his WEC debut on this card.
The Mark Munoz
Mark Munoz
Mark Muñoz is an American mixed martial artist of Filipino descent currently fighting in the middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.Muñoz is known for his wrestling ability and his relentless ground-and-pound...
-Ricardo Barros fight was the final light heavyweight bout to be put on by the WEC. The division was absorbed into the UFC following this event.
The event drew an estimated 671,000 viewers on Versus
Versus (TV channel)
Versus is a sports-oriented cable television channel in the United States. It was previously known as Outdoor Life Network and was launched on July 1, 1995, focusing on fishing, hunting, and other outdoor sports...
.
Preliminary card
- Lightweight bout:
Shane RollerShane RollerShane Derrick Roller is an American mixed martial artist, currently fighting as a lightweight for the Ultimate Fighting Championship...
vs. Mike BudnikMike BudnikMichael Allan Budnik is an American mixed martial artist and former professional in-line skater. He competed in the first ten X-Games.Budnik has been a resident of Sparta Township, New Jersey.-MMA career:...
- Roller defeated Budnik via submission (guillotine choke) at 1:01 of round 1.
- Featherweight bout: Cub SwansonCub SwansonKevin Luke Swanson is an American mixed martial artist . He is currently signed as a featherweight with the Ultimate Fighting Championship.-World Extreme Cagefighting:...
vs.
Hiroyuki TakayaHiroyuki Takaya|-| Win|align=center| 16–9–1| Kazuyuki Miyata| Decision | Dream: Japan GP Final| |align=center| 3|align=center| 5:00|Tokyo, Japan, Japan| Defended DREAM Featherweight Championship|-| Loss|align=center| 15–9–1| Robbie Peralta| Decision...
- Featherweight bout:
- Swanson defeated Takaya via unanimous decision (30–27, 30–27, 29–28).
- Lightweight bout:
Bart PalaszewskiBart PalaszewskiBart K. Palaszewski is a Polish-American mixed martial artist. He fought for the Quad City Silverbacks of the now defunct International Fight League. Following the UFC/WEC merger, Palaszewski is now under contract with the Ultimate Fighting Championship...
vs. Alex KaralexisAlex KaralexisAlex Karalexis is an American mixed martial artist of Greek descent. He has a professional record of 10 wins and 6 losses...
- Lightweight bout:
- Palaszewski defeated Karalexis via TKO (punches) at 1:11 of round 2.
- Featherweight bout: Cole Province vs.
Diego NunesDiego Nunes (MMA)Diego Nunes is a Brazilian mixed martial artist, currently competing as a featherweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Nunes is a kickboxer, who also combines elements of jiu-jitsu in his fighting style. A plurality of his victories have been achieved by submission. As of February 2011,...
- Featherweight bout:
- Nunes defeates Province via unanimous decision (30–27, 30–27, 29–28).
- Light Heavyweight bout: Mark MuñozMark MunozMark Muñoz is an American mixed martial artist of Filipino descent currently fighting in the middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.Muñoz is known for his wrestling ability and his relentless ground-and-pound...
vs. Ricardo Barros
- Light Heavyweight bout:
- Muñoz defeated Barros via TKO (strikes) at 2:26 of round 1.
- Welterweight bout: Johny HendricksJohny HendricksJohny Hendricks is an American mixed martial artist and an accomplished former amateur wrestler. He currently fights in the Ultimate Fighting Championship's Welterweight division...
vs. Justin Haskins
- Welterweight bout:
- Hendricks defeated Haskins via TKO (strikes) at 0:43 of round 2.
Main card
- Bantamweight bout: Joseph BenavidezJoseph BenavidezJoseph Rolando Benavidez is an American mixed martial artist. After fighting in smaller shows while working as a screen printer in Las Cruces, New Mexico, he joined up with Urijah Faber's Team Alpha Male in 2007. He has since fought in Dream and most recently the World Extreme Cagefighting promotion...
vs. Danny MartinezDanny MartinezDanny Martinez is an American mixed martial artist. He has competed in the TKO, XFC and Rage in the Cage promotions. In the latter, he is the current bantamweight champion...
- Benavidez defeated Martinez via unanimous decision (30–27, 30–27, 30–27).
- Bantamweight bout: Brian Bowles vs. Will RibeiroWill RibeiroWill Ribeiro, born February 17, 1983 in Campo Grande, is a Brazilian former mixed martial artist and Luta Livre Esportiva practitioner, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.-Biography:...
- Bantamweight bout:
- Bowles defeated Ribeiro via submission (guillotine choke) at 1:11 of round 3.
- Featherweight bout: Wagnney FabianoWagnney Fabiano|-|Loss|align=center|14-3| Joseph Benavidez|Submission |WEC 52||align=center|2|align=center|2:45|Las Vegas, Nevada, USA||-|Win|align=center|14-2| Frank Gomez|Decision |WEC 49||align=center|3|align=center|5:00...
vs. Akitoshi TamuraAkitoshi TamuraAkitoshi Tamura is a Japanese mixed martial artist. He competed almost exclusively in the Shooto organization, before making his debut at the WEC 37. In 2007, he was the lightweight champion of Shooto. He was once ranked as the #5 Bantamweight in the world by the MMAWeekly Worldwide Ranking System...
- Featherweight bout:
- Fabiano defeated Tamura via submission (arm-triangle choke) at 4:48 of round 3.
- Bantamweight Championship bout: Miguel TorresMiguel Torres (fighter)Miguel Angel Torres is an American mixed martial artist who fights for the Ultimate Fighting Championship organization. He is a former WEC Bantamweight champion. Prior to fighting with the WEC, Torres also held the bantamweight title for the US Shooto organization, as well as for the Ironheart Crown...
(c) vs. Manny TapiaManny TapiaManny Tapia is an American professional mixed martial arts fighter from Chino, California who trains out of Millennia MMA in Rancho Cucamonga, California...
- Bantamweight Championship bout:
- Torres defeated Tapia via TKO (Punches) at 3:04 of round 2 to retain WEC Bantamweight Championship.
Bonus Awards
Fighters were awarded $7,500 bonuses.- Fight of the Night: Cub Swanson vs. Hiroyuki Takaya
- Knockout of the Night: Bart Palaszewski
- Submission of the Night: Brian Bowles
Reported Payouts
The following is the reported payout to the fighters as reported to the Nevada State Athletic Commission. It does not include sponsor money or "locker room" bonuses often given by the WEC.- Miguel Torres: $44,000 (includes $22,000 win bonus) def. Manny Tapia: $6,000
- Brian Bowles: $16,000 ($8,000 win bonus) def. Will Ribeiro: $4,000
- Wagnney Fabiano: $22,000 ($11,000 win bonus) def. Akitoshi Tamura: $6,000
- Joseph Benavidez: $17,000 ($8,500 win bonus) def. Danny Martinez: $2,000
- Johny Hendricks: $16,000 ($8,000 win bonus) def. Justin Haskins: $3,000
- Mark Muñoz: $20,000 ($10,000 win bonus) def. Ricardo Barros: $3,000
- Diego Nunes: $6,000 ($3,000 win bonus) def. Cole Province: $3,000
- Bart Palaszewski: $8,000 ($4,000 win bonus) def. Alex Karalexis: $8,000
- Cub Swanson: $10,000 ($5,000 win bonus) def. Hiroyuki Takaya: $5,500
- Shane Roller: $16,000 ($8,000 win bonus) def. Mike Budnik: $4,000