During Wednesday's WEC "Condit vs. Prater" televised fight card, it was confirmed during the broadcast that two title bouts would headline the next event on March 26 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
WEC 33 will feature the much anticipated rematch between undefeated middleweight kingpin, Paulo Filho (16-0), and Team Quest's Chael Sonnen (19-9-1). The other championship match up has "The Rhino" Doug Marshall (7-2) putting his WEC light heavyweight title on the line against undefeated Brian Stann (5-0).
The immediate rematch between Pride FC vet Filho and collegiate wrestling powerhouse Sonnen should be a dandy. Sonnen pressed the action in the first bout against a lethargic–looking Filho before being caught in an armbar at the end of the second round.
Sonnen claims he never submitted but the ref stopped the bout based on a loud scream when Filho twisted his arm like a pretzel. Sonnen was visibly upset after the bout. And with the controversy over that stoppage, the WEC quickly scheduled the rematch.
Filho will look to redeem himself from his bad performance while Sonnen will have even more confidence coming into the second bout. This bout is certainly worthy of the headlining slot.
Don't blink during the WEC 205-pound title match between champ Doug Marshall and challenger Brian Stann.
This one could end in a hurry as both fighters are known for their punching power and look to get their opponents out of the cage as soon as possible. In fact, Stann has yet to have a fight reach the second round as he's finished all of his opponents in the first stanzas via knockout.
However, Marshall showed a more well-rounded game in his last title defense. The Rhino submitted Ariel Gandulla with an armbar in his first round victory. We'll see if Marshall continues his evolution into a multi-faceted fighter or if he'll fall victim to the punching power of Stann.
WEC 33 will be broadcast live on Versus Network at 9 p.m. ET. Look for more details concerning the preliminary bouts in the weeks to come.
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