WEC32 on TSN

WEC32 Conduit vs Prater will be broadcast Wednesday night/Thursday morning on TSN starting at midnight
check out their schedule
http://tsn.ca/broadcast/daytime.asp?channel=TSN

Here's the fight card;
-Carlos Condit (#9 Welterweight in the World)* vs. Carlo Prater
-"Razor" Rob McCullough vs. Jamie Varner
-Chase Beebe vs. Miguel Torres
-Yoshiro Maeda (#9 Featherweight in the World)* vs. Charlie Valencia
-Hiroyuki Takaya vs. Leonard Garcia
-Micah Miller vs. Chance Farrar
-Mark Hominick vs. Josh Grispi
-Manny Tapia vs. Antonio Banuelos
-Cody Wheeler vs. Del Hawkins


Enjoy the free fights

 

well in the states it's free on the versus network, guess TSN bought the broadcast rights here.
either way I'm programming the VCR for that night

 

Sounds like an interesting and promising fighter.. too bad he's on the undercard.
There's no way he'd be ready for Faber though.. gawd that would short circuit his career for sure that kind of domination so early...

Source Yahoosports.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Hotshot Grispi looks to make name in WEC

Not long after its purchase by Zuffa, the company that owns the UFC, the World Extreme Cagefighting organization landed a national television contract with the cable network Versus.

Veteran Alex Karalexis was among the fighters the WEC and Versus chose to make a cross-country tour to promote the new fight series.

A Boston native, Karalexis needed a training partner to work with as he was doing the demonstrations around the East Coast. He chose Josh Grispi, a youthful looking featherweight from Boston whom he had seen in a gym.

But as Karalexis, a lightweight who has fought as heavy as middleweight, began to spar with Grispi, he was astonished.

He was amazed by Grispi's strength. He was shocked by his poise. He was stunned by his power.

"If he was in some other activity, they might call him a child prodigy," Karalexis said of Grispi, who is now 19 and preparing for his first WEC fight on Wednesday when he faces highly regarded veteran Mark Hominick in a three-round featherweight bout at the Santa Ana Star Center in Albuquerque, N.M.

"I rave about this kid to people because I've seen close up how good he is. People kind of look at me like I'm a little crazy when they hear me talk about him, but all I say is, 'Wait until you see him.' Once you see him, you'll believe."

Given that he's a distant relative of the legendary boxer Rocky Marciano – his grandfather's sister, who would be his great aunt, was a cousin of the late Hall of Famer – it's no surprise that Grispi is skilled in a combat sport.

But Grispi is a member of the new generation of mixed martial artists. He didn't begin with a base in one discipline and then add others to that. Rather, he began training as a mixed martial artist from the first day he walked into a gym as a 13-year-old.

He graduated a year early from high school, but only because he so despised at school that he wanted to get it over with so he could concentrate on his fighting career. Before he began training in MMA, he was kicked out of so many schools for bad behavior he can't remember how many it was.

"It's nothing to be proud of," Grispi said. "But as long as I can remember, I've loved to fight. I've fought basically my whole life in one way or another."

Finding MMA, he says, has calmed him dramatically and changed his life. He now has an outlet for his aggression and isn't looking for someone to agitate him just to be able to beat him up.

Grispi says he's 10-1, though Sherdog.com’s Fight Finder, Yahoo! Sports’ unofficial source for fighter records, lists his record at 6-1. But his record reveals the diversity of his game. He's won his fights in every way conceivable. He's scored just one decision. The rest of his wins came via submission (heel hook, arm bar, guillotine choke and triangle choke) and technical knockout (strikes and kicks).

In his last outing, he scored a TKO over Spencer Paige, who had the reputation as the best featherweight in New England, in just 11 seconds with a head kick. WEC matchmaker Scott Adams knew of Paige and encouraged Grispi's manager, Scott Lockhart, to take the bout as a measure of where Grispi was in his career.

Lockhart was hesitant, knowing him was close to a deal for Grispi in the WEC, and didn't want to risk losing the contract.

"I told Scott that if he beat Spencer Paige, there would be no question he's ready for the WEC," Adams said. "We're not an entry-level organization and we want our guys to be as polished as they can be when they come to the WEC. He proved pretty conclusively that he's ready."

And Karalexis has no doubt that Grispi is ready for anything. The WEC's featherweight division is loaded with talent, topped by champion Urijah Faber, who is ranked No. 9 by Yahoo! Sports in a poll of the 10 best fighters in the world.

Faber has decimated everyone he's faced in the WEC, including a veteran like Jeff Curran.

But Karalexis said he's so confident in Grispi's ability that he wouldn't be worried about him should he be matched with Faber in his next fight.

"They need to build him up and get people to know who he is," Karalexis said. "From a business standpoint, now might not be the time to fight (Faber). But from a purely fighting standpoint, he's ready. Faber is really good, but if there is anyone out there who is going to beat him, it's this kid.

"He's an unbelievably skilled fighter already and he's only scratching the surface of how good he's going to be." Karalexis said the only concern about Grispi now is how he'll handle fighting in the big show and all the demands that a fighter faces when he competes for a national promotion like the WEC.

Grispi, though, is hardly concerned.

"Fighting is fighting," Grispi said. "It's what I love to do. It's what I'm good at. I want to test myself against the best fighters I can find. That other stuff, I don't worry about. All I'm focused on is getting in there and fighting the way I can fight."</div>

 

In HD?

Which reminds me of something that angers me. The lack of UFC in HD, with Montreal rapidly approaching ufc should light a fire up viewers choice's ass to get HD cards in Canada

 

probably not in HD, I don't see the Versus network being a HD network.

as for MMA in HD, don't see it being a big deal but then again once it is in HD it may be a big deal, I know football and basketball look unreal in HD vs regular feed.

 

Here's a preview of the fights to get you drooling... okay maybe it's just me drooling and getting psyched for the fights

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>In anticipation of the event, ProElite.com (SamCaplan.ProElite.com) has a full preview of the show.

Carlos Condit (21-4) vs. Carlo Prater (21-5-1) for the WEC welterweight title - These two fighters have met one time prior during "Fight World 2" in 2004. Prater won that matchup via triangle choke submission at 2:51 of round 1. The past win over Condit no doubt played a large part in Prater being granted an immediate title shot despite having not competed in the WEC previously. Opinions on Prater are mixed, with some feeling he is an underrated welterweight prospect while others perceiving him as an overrated commodity who has failed to show a lot of growth as a fighter.

Those who subscribe to the latter belief must not have seen Prater's most recent fights for the Art of War promotion. During the first Art of War show in March, Prater recorded a unanimous decision victory over Anthony Lapsley, who is also considered a strong welterweight prospect. Then, at Art of War 3 in September, Prater won a split decision victory over Keith Wisniewski, a fighter who he had lost to on two previous occasions.

While Prater is a legit prospect who belongs in the WEC, it still remains to be seen if he's a championship caliber fighter. His fights vs. Lapsley and Wisniewski both went to a decision. And while he has impressive wins over the likes of Spencer Fisher and Melvin Guillard, he also lost in disappointing fashion to Derrick Noble and Drew Fickett. He's proven to be a solid fighter who for whatever reason hasn't been able to put everything together on a consistent basis and go to the next level.

While the WEC is indeed a next level, he's been a fighter worthy of competing in the promotion for quite some time. The question here is, does he have what it takes to defeat Condit? Granted he already holds a career win over him, but Condit has improved expotentially over the past several years. Initially known as more of a submission specialist, Condit's standup is light years better than it was in 2004. The problem is that we haven't really had a chance to see it for an extended period of time. Chances are we are unlikely to do so again even though Prater has said he plans to stand with Condit. During a recent CBSSports.com interview, Condit seemed very skeptical about the possibility of Prater sticking to that game plan.

While Prater might have the advantage on the ground, it's an advantage that is marginal at best. After all, Condit is a fighter who has finished Frank Trigg, John Alessio, and Brock Larson through submission. This bout is matchmaking at its finest and will prove to be much more competitive than Condit's previous title defense against Larson in August. As tight as this fight will be at times, it's still a fight that will belong to Condit when it is all said and done.

Final Prediction: Condit via fourth round TKO.

"Razor" Rob McCullough (15-3) vs. Jamie Varner (13-2) for the WEC lightweight title - McCullough is a worthy champion who is quite possibly the best pure lightweight striker in the world. However, Varner possesses a lot of matchup problems. While McCullough has worked hard to expand his ground game, it is still not his strong suit. He is vulnerable on his back and Varner possesses good wrestling featuring solid takedowns. In fact, Varner is probably the best wrestler McCullough has faced since taking on Josh Thomson at WFA 3 in 2002. It was a fight that McCullough ended up losing via unanimous decision. And in the event Varner can't get the fight on the ground right away, his standup is definitely good enough that he can hang with McCullough until he sees an opening.

Final Prediction: Varner via unanimous decision.

Chase Beebe (11-1) vs. Miguel Torres (32-1) for the WEC bantamweight title - The 22-year old Beebe is non-stop energy who is an absolute pitbull on the ground with nine of his 11 career wins have come via submission. The problem is that he is slated to face an opponent in Torres that has never been submitted in 33 career bouts. A product of the late Carlson Gracie, it's highly unlikely that Torres will be out-grappled.

If the fighters approach this match with the belief that the ground could be a stalemate, they may try to keep the fight standing in order to try and expose a flaw on the feet. The problem in that regard is that Torres is 5'9," which is freakishly tall for a fighter competing at 135 lbs. Torres will prove to be too much in every aspect of the fight.

Final Prediction: Torres via second round submission.

Hiroyuki Takaya (9-4-1) vs. Leonard Garcia (10-3) - Miscast as a lightweight, Takaya suffered notable losses to Gilbert Melendez, Andre "Dida" Amade, Gesias Calvancante, and Genki Sudo while competing at 160 lbs. But as a featherweight, Takaya has gained a lot of traction and is considered a top ten fighter at 145 pounds by most major web sites. Takaya really made waves when he TKO'd Antonio Carvalho, another top ten ranked featherweight, at 1:58 of round 3 during a Shooto show in Tokyo this past November.

Despite Takaya's greatly anticipated WEC debut, this is not a match that was designed to be a layup for him. Garcia is making the move from the UFC's lightweight division to the WEC's featherweight division after some tough losses at 155 lbs. But Garcia is a fighter who gave Roger Huerta everything he could handle in a losing effort during his UFC debut at UFC 69 last April. He also comes from a good camp, training out of Greg Jackson's in Albuquerque. This will be a stern test for Takaya, and one that he might not be able to pass.

Final Prediction: Garcia via unanimous decision.

Yoshiro Maeda (22-4-2) vs. Charlie Valencia (9-3) - A long-time veteran of DEEP and Pancrase, Maeda is an extremely well-rounded and technical fighter. He also has fought twice for PRIDE in the past, losing to Charles "Krazy Horse" Bennett at Bushido 7 and one-time WEC fighter Joe Pearson at Bushido 13. Maeda has a history of finishing his opponents, but Valencia is as tough as nails. Valencia is a King of the Cage Veteran who sports a lifetime 2-1 record in the WEC. His most recent fight for the promotion came in December, in which he submitted Ian McCall with a guillotine at just 3:19 into round 1. He'll prove to be a game opponent for Maeda but I don't see him pulling out the win.

Final Prediction: Maeda via third round TKO.

Damacio Page (9-3) vs. Scott Jorgenson (4-1) - Jorgenson was a standout college wrestler that has made the transition to MMA with relative ease. The self-professed sneaker addict looked dominant against Chris David during July's ShoXC event and is an excellent athlete that is without question a blue chip bantamweight prospect. Page, who was featured on the Versus MMA reality TV show "TapouT," also has a college wrestling background but isn't anywhere near Jorgenson's caliber in that department. However, he should have an advantage on the feet.

I have high expectations for Jorgenson but this is a bad matchup for him. Page is a late replacement that is in shape because he was already in training for a fight in Canada on February 28. He also presents a much different style than Jesse Moreng, who was originally slated to face Jorgenson. Not having ample time to prepare for Page is going to make the difference.

Final Prediction: Page via second round TKO.

Manny Tapia (9-0-1) vs. Antonio Banuelos (14-4) - Tapia is a big-time prospect who had a lot of steam behind him at one point. However, he has not fought since last May due to injury and has lost some momentum by being out of the public eye. With a win in this fight, it wouldn't be a surprise to see Tapia fight the winner of the Beebe vs. Torrest bantamweight title match.

Before Tapia can even think about that shot he must get past Banuelos, who not only trains with Chuck Liddell at "The Pit" but is also Liddell's personal assistant. And while very accomplished and capable as a fighter, it might be a stretch to place Banuelos in the same prospect category that Tapia currently belongs in.

A win by Banuelos would probably be an upset on par with Saturday's upset of up and coming welterweight Paul Williams by journeyman Carlos Quintana on HBO's "Boxing After Dark."

Final Prediction: Tapia via first round TKO.

Cody "Ox" Wheeler (6-1) vs. Del Hawkins (22-12) - Wheeler has a reputation on the New Mexico MMA scene for being a strong prospect. He will try and bounce back from a loss to Ian McCall during his WEC debut back in September. Standing in his way is Del Hawkins, a journeyman fighter who is coming off an impressive submission victory (strikes) over Brandon Foxworth during the IFO's final show that took place in Vegas on the eve of UFC 79.

Hawkins has bounced around between the lightweight, featherweight, and bantamweight weight classes but is a real threat at 135 lbs. While this will be his WEC debut, he's taken on top fighters such as Urijah Faber, Bao Quach, Jason Rheinhardt, and Charlie Valencia so nerves won't be an issue. On paper, this should be a good fight but it's a fight that Hawkins should walk away the winner of. Final Prediction: Hawkins via unanimous decision.

Micah Miller (8-1) vs. Chance Farrar (3-1) - Miller is the brother of UFC fighter Cole Miller. Both Millers train on a regular basis and have spent time at various different camps including American Top Team (where he's based out of) and Cesar Gracie's Jiu Jitsu Academy. Micah will have the advantage over Farrar when it comes to submissions, but Farrar is clearly the better wrestler.

If Farrar can put Miller on his back and try to utilize ground and pound tactics, he should perform fine if he can avoid getting caught in a submission. If the fight stays on the feet, I'd have to give Miller the slight advantage, although neither fighter is likely to be known for their striking prowess anytime soon. This is a tough fight to call because there are multiple scenarios in which the fight could end.

Final Prediction: Farrar by unanimous decision.

Mark Hominick (15-7) vs. Josh Grispi (10-1) - The WEC was looking for a Boston-area fighter and came to know Grispi following a referral from Alex Karalexis. When WEC officials went to take a look at him, they were blown away and almost immediately after evaluating Grispi decided to sign him.

December was initially plotted for Grispi's debut but it was pushed back to February for whatever reasons. Training out of Southshore Sportfighting, where Frederic Belleton and Bobby McMaster also train, Grispi has a strong buzz behind him. However, Hominick is going to be a major step up in competition. While the former UFC lightweight is certainly beatable, Grispi is still a 19-year old kid who is making his WEC debut on national television. I don't care how tough a fighter is, he still has to be experiencing some nerves under these circumstances. If Grispi gets over the nerves, Hominick will be in trouble. However, one mistake and Hominick could capitalize in a hurry.

Final Prediction: Hominick by second round submission.</div>
WAR Hominick!!

 

with 3 25 min title fights... don't count on it
I'm also dying to see Takaya vs Garcia too