Akitoshi "Ironman" Tamura (12-7-2) and previously unbeaten number one contender Manny "The Mangler" Tapia (10-1-1) -- the main event and co-main event losers from WEC 37 back in December 2008 -- have been targeted by the promotion to square off with each other in a 135-pound affair at WEC 40 from the UIC Pavilion in Chicago, Ill., on April 5.
"Ironman" was handed the first submission loss of his career by one of the division's top contenders, Wagnney Fabiano, while Tapia fell to bantamweight champion Miguel Torres in the main event courtesy of a second round technical knockout.
"The Mangler" was riding a nine-fight winning streak before falling to the world class Torres. He prefers to stand and bang with his opponents (as evidenced by his four career technical knockouts), but he also has the versatility to finish his opponents by submission.
In short, Tapia -- a nine fight King of the Cage veteran -- is still a very talented and dangerous mixed martial artist. It's just not fair to judge a fighter by how he performs against a monster such as Torres. The Mangler still has a lot to offer the WEC's 135-pound division.
He'll look to rebound with a win over Tamura, a product of the Japanese promotion, Shooto, who has dropped two out of his last three fights. The 28-year-old Japanese fighter does, however, hold noteworthy career wins over Rumina Sato, Takeshi Inoue and others.
WEC 40 will be headlined by a 135-pound championship fight between division kingpin Miguel Torres and challenger Takeya Mizugaki, as well as a number one contender eliminator match between 135 pounders Jeff Curran and Joseph Benavidez.
For more on the WEC 40 fight card, including rumored and official bouts, click here.
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