WEC 42: Joseph Benavidez vs Dominick Cruz on tap for August 9

Up-and-coming WEC bantamweights Joseph Benavidez and Dominick Cruz are on a late summer collision course for WEC 42 from the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Sunday, August 9, the WEC announced yesterday.

Benavidez (10-0) is one of the most dangerous young fighters in the organization. He was supposed to have his coming out party against Norifumi Yamamoto on the DREAM 5 card last summer, but instead had to settle for Junya Kudo when "Kid" pulled out with with a knee injury.

Faber was a guest in the announcer’s booth during the match and raved about his training partner the entire time. Benavidez came through with the goods, too, submitting Kudo in the opening minutes of the first round. He followed that up by handling Danny Martinez en route to a unanimous decision win at WEC 37: "Torres vs. Tapia" in his debut.

In his biggest test to date, Benavidez kept his perfect record intact after outpointing Jeff Curran at WEC 40: 'Torres vs. Mizugaki' this past April.

With Dominick Cruz on the horizon, his competition isn't getting any easier.

The former 145-pounder is a stellar 13-1, with his lone defeat coming to uber featherweight Urijah Faber in his WEC debut. Since dropping to Bantamweight, Cruz has cruz-ed to four straight wins, including three under the WEC banner.

The San Diego native has good wrestling and plenty of power in his hands, and along with Benavidez would likely be eligible for a shot at bantamweight gold with a victory on August 9.

The main event of WEC 42 will feature 135-pound champion Miguel Torres and undefeated challenger Brian Bowles clashing in a five-round affair for the right to be called the king of the bantamweights. Leonard Garcia and Jameel Massouh are also expected to hook 'em up.

Stay tuned to MMAmania.com for the latest news and updates regarding WEC 42.