Rankings compiled by Richard Wade.

American Top Team's "simple man" is still sitting pretty as #1 Mike Thomas Brown remains the top-ranked fighter in MMA's featherweight division. Whether he'll be able to hold onto the belt when he faces #5 Jose Aldo at WEC 44 is another matter. Some suggest a defeat for Aldo could send him packing to bantamweight where is likely to also be ultra competitive, but for now, the Novia Uniao product is trying his hand at championship gold at 145lbs.

No word yet on when WEC poster boy #2 Urijah Faber will return to action. After breaking one hand and dislocating the thumb in the other against Mike Brown, the California Kid will likely require significant healing time, which could impact his standing in the rankings if his inactivity becomes prolonged.

WEC newcomer Mackens Semerzier will have his hands full when he takes on Nova Unaio dynamo #3 Wagnney Fabiano at WEC 43. Interestingly, if Aldo defeats Brown, then Fabiano will drop to bantamweight, but for now the teammates are happy to compete as featherweights.

"The Iron Broomstick" in #4 Hatsu Hioki notched a win over #15 Masanori Kanehara at Sengoku - Ninth Battle, but was unable to continue on to the tournament finals where Kanehara was luckily able to defeat #17 Michihiro Omigawa to win the Featherweight Grand Prix. Hioki and Omigawa will square off at Sengoku's next show, with the winner likely challenging Kanehara for the title on New Year's Eve.

Team Greg Jackson's #6 Leonard Garcia stands pat after a successful if boring win over #20 Jameel Massouh at WEC 42.

Haitian immigrant turned Canadian kickboxer Yves Jabouin will lock horns with the always reliable #7 Rafael Assuncao at WEC 43.

#8 Takeshi Inoue remains in the top 10 after dispatching the Moon Wolf in Rumina Sato in Shooto back in May.

#9 Josh Grispi benefits from #16 Dokonjonosuke Mishima finally dropping out of the top ten.

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Rankings compiled by Richard Wade.

There hasn't been a title defense, but the HardCore Gym's Brian Bowles is still MMA's top bantamweight dog.

His sudden, thudding stoppage win over former WEC bantamweight king # 2 Miguel Torres at WEC 42 has firmly entrenched him atop the world's 135lbs division. Bowles is still nursing a hand injury, but has been making the media rounds. Torres has linked up with noted trainer Mark Dellagrotte, so expect an announcement and a rejuvenated Mullet King very soon.

Shooto's "Featherweight" king #3 Masakatsu Ueda is still undefeated and holds steady at three - again - after a unanimous decision rout of #14 Eduardo Dantas at "Revolutionary Exchanges". There is still word on when or who Ueda will fight next.

#4 Takeya Mizugaki is still coasting of oof his controversial split decision win over #12 Jeff Curran at WEC 42. Curran remarkably remains in the top fifteen despite losing his last four fights. He recently competed at ADCC 2009 losing to Ryan Hall in the first round. No word yet on when Mizugaki will return to action.

Team Alliance's #5 Dominick Cruz is still basking in the glow of hisWEC 42 win over Team Alpha Male's #7 Joseph Benavidez. The rumor is that Cruz is likely to get another fight (no word on when that will happen) and should he be victorious there, he'll earn a title shot at 135lbs.

#6 Akitoshi Tamura was slated to fight #9 Damacio Page at WEC 43 next month, but due to an unspecified injury was not able to make the bout. Instead, upstart and undefeated Will Campuzano will replace the injured Tamura. 

Submission ace #8 Rani Yahya looked impressive at WEC 42 with a tremendous if somewhat expected win over previously unbeaten Josh Hosman with a nasty North-South choke. Although he recently competed at ADCC 2009, there is no word on when the BJJ ace will return to the blue cage.

#10 Manny "The Mangler" Tapia returns to action at WEC 43 when he locks horns with now unranked Eddie Wineland.

Lastly, DC local #24 Mike Easton (who is set to take on #20 Chase Beebe at UWC 7) ascends one spot, but remains in the rankings. A win over the former WEC champion could propel Easton into the top 15.

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An unsettling statistic: 8 of the past 15 WEC events have been held out of The Joint in Las Vegas, Nevada. For the most recent in the facility, WEC 42 which featured the headline of Miguel Torres vs. Brian Bowles, 1,640 paid entry. 442, or 21% of all 2,080 in audience, were given complimentary tickets. 870 tickets were neither sold nor given away. Ignoring the promotional side of things, whether or not profit can be made in a situation such as this, one must allow that 2,080 is not a sufficient viewing party for some of the best athletes and competitors in the field.

In terms of ratings WEC 42 took in an estimated 670,000 viewers which matches WEC 37 as the high water mark for events not featuring Urijah Faber. Faber vs. Pulver I holds the WEC record with over 1.5 million viewers. Torres also participated on that card against Yoshiro Maeda and looks to be the number two draw for the promotion after "The California Kid".

Going forward, WEC 43 is newly scheduled for October 10th under the headline of Donald Cerrone vs. Ben Henderson without DirecTV. The last events not featuring Faber or Torres were Brown vs. Garcia and Condit vs. Miura, drawing 530k and 423k respectively.

Table in extended entry. MMA in Numbers: UFC.

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Yahya defeated Josh Hosman by North-South choke at 2:08 of round 1. Hosman's eyes tell a frightening story, no?

Photo via Sherdog.com.

WEC 42 coverage

MMA Mania has the payout numbers for WEC 42:

Brian Bowles - $18,000 ($9,000, $9,000 to win)
Miguel Torres - $25,000

Dominick Cruz - $14,000 ($7,000 to show, $7,000 to win)
Joseph Benavidez - $12,500

Danny Castillo - $14,000 ($7,000 to show, $7,000 to win)
Ricardo Lamas - $4,000

Takeya Mizugaki - $12,000 ($6,000 to show, $6,000 to win)
Jeff Curran - $8,000

Leonard Garcia - $24,000 ($12,000 to show, $12,000 to win)
Jameel Massouh - $3,000

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Wow, big news from MMA Weekly:

Reports surfaced on Sunday that Griffin had suffered a jaw injury and that was the reason for his hasty exit, but MMAWeekly.com was able to confirm with representatives from Zinkin Entertainment, Griffin's management group, that he is physically fine following the Saturday night fight.

Griffin suffered no broken jaw and he is physically okay, said the Zinkin representative, but emotionally he is definitely not dealing well with the loss.

Photo by MMA Weekly.

As with every major show we'll be here to bring you live results and commentary for WEC 42: Miguel Torres vs Brian Bowles.  The live blog will start with the beginning of the Versus broadcast at 9pm ET/6pm PT so be sure to make Bloody Elbow your home for this event.

As always we ask that you respect the golden rule of  NO SPOILERS!  So, join me for the show and share your thoughts as the event unfolds.

The live broadcast from Las Vegas has begun. Here we go.

First up, a fight that was expected to be on the preliminary card but is on live TV for time reasons.

Leonard Garcia vs. Jameel Massouh -- Round 1 Steve Mazzagatti calls out the fighters. Garcia scores first with a jab. Masshouh leg kicks. They exchange with Garcia getting the better of it. Massouh connecting with leg kicks, Garcia pawing with punches, cutting off the cage. Garcia DROPS Massouh with a right hand and follows him down, pounding his opponent from inside the guard. Garcia gets half-guard, then maintains head control as Massouh stands, landing knees to the face. Garcia fends off a take down attempt, is forced into the cage, then Massouh gets him down. Massouh in half-guard, working to pass. Massouh working for moutn and landing elbows. Garcia gets back to guard. Garcia spins for an arm bar, nothing doing. Massouh on top scoring as the round ends. Bloody Elbow scores it 10-9 Garcia for the knock down. Round 2 They circle, Massouh has his hands UP, Garcia stalking. Massouh scores with a leg kick, goes for a takedown, Garcia gets a guillotine and has guard. Massouh fought it off. Mir says Garcia wasn't really putting the squeeze on. Massouh gets half guard, has Garcia's head and legs cradled, back to half-guard with Massouh landing elbows. Cradling Garcia again from half guard, now Massouh working a d'arce choke, Garcia stands then staggers down before Massouh releases the choke. Garcia is staggered as they return to stand up. They clinch with Garcia backed into the cage. They exchange in the clinch to end the round. Bloody Elbow scores it 10-9 for Massouh. Round 3 Garcia moving forward, throws a high kick. Garcia winging punches and missing. Massouh with a leg kick. Garcia answers in kind. Massouh with body kicks into a clinch. Garcia fights his way out, back to the center of the ring. Garcia with a spinning back kick. Winging bombs but missing. Garcia circling away, Massouh shoots, gets the clinch. Garcia gets away. More missed shots. Some landing now. Massouh returns fire. Going to be a hard one to call. Frank Mir thinks Massouh has let the fight get away from him. Garcia seems to disagree. Me too. Bloody Elbow scores it 10-9 Massouh for a final outcome of 29-28. Let's see what the judges say after the commercial. Split decision for Leonard Garcia.

Takeya Mizugaki vs. Jeff Curran Round 1 Curran has shaved his head into some sort of crop circle configuration, is wearing flag pants. They're feinting early, Curran grabs a leg off a kick, Mizugaki stays standing. Up against the fence, Curran working for the high crotch, Mizugaki maintaining an underhook. They separate briefly, then back to the single leg attempt by Curran. They're down on their knees but still no take down for Curran. He's dropping and rising, kicking for a trip, no dice. Mizugaki gets over-unders and reverses. Mizugaki gets the take down, but is now in Curran's closed guard. Takeya rears back, working ground and pound, landing elbows and punches. Curran spins for an arm bar, misses but grabs the ankle and gets a sweep to get Mizugaki's back. Mizugaki is able to spin back into Curran's guard. Curran with double unders and butterfly guard but nothing comes of it. Very very close round but Bloody Elbow scores it 10-9 for Mizugaki.  Round 2 Mizugaki moving forward, Curran with some stomp kicks. Curran circling to his right, away from Mizugaki's power. Curran lands a side kick, fires a high kick. Mizugaki tags him with some punches then forces Curran into the cage. Curran has overhooks with his hands locked, breaks then Mizugaki gets a hip toss take down. Mizugaki in Curran's closed guard, trying to find range for some ground and pound. Curran tries for a triangle. Curran spinning, working for sweeps and another triangle. Curran going for a guillotine, closes guard. I know the judges will disagree, but Bloody Elbow scores it for Curran, 10-9. Round 3 They come out firing. Curran shoots behind an overhand right. Mizugaki gets another takedown, that could ice the fight for him, depending what the judges are looking for. Curran attacking with triangle and guillotine attempts, also working for sweeps. Curran punching and kicking from the bottom. Chopping leg sweep attempt. Curran taking all the initiative. Mizugaki lands some elbows. Mizugaki turtling, then rearing back and diving in behind punches. Curran working for an inverted arm bar. No go. Curran with a body triangle  moves to a triangle choke in a beautiful sequence, now attacking the arm. Curran on top, landing shots and working for the choke. Mizugaki back to the top to end the fight. Definitely 10-9 for Jeff Curran, so Bloody Elbow scores the fight 29-28 for Jeff Curran. We'll see if the judges disagree again. Split Decision goes to Takeya Mizugaki. Definitive proof that American judges will never give the win to the man fighting from his back.

WEC and Versus officials have got to be praying for a couple of quick fights after a succession of lengthy decisions.

They're teasing the WEC 43 Lightweight interim title fight between Donald Cerrone vs. Benson Henderson. Youngstown, Ohio is a good choice for a WEC card, folks in that part of the country are definitely looking for affordable distractions.

Ricardo Lamas vs. Danny Castillo Round 1 The two wrestlers come out throwing punches before Castillo shoots and gets stuffed. Back to cage center, Castillo is backing Lamas up and throwing punches. Nothing connecting. High kick misses then a leg kick connects for Lamas, another. High kick connects for Lamas.  More leg kicks for Lamas. They clinch, Lamas forces Castillo back against the fence. Back to the center of the cage. Lamas scores with a leg kick to end the round. BE scores it 10-9 for Lamas. Hope the pace picks up in Round 2 They exchange to open. Castillo drives in and eats some leather. Castillo shoots, nothing doing. Castillo winging punches but missing. Lamas checks a leg kick, fires back. Lamas scores with a right hand. Castillo shoots, Lamas sprawls. Lamas scores with a combination. Castillo scores with a combo. Lamas answers with a straight and a head kick. Castillo with a right to the body, but eats a head shot in return. Castillo with a hard body shot. Lamas with a body kick. Castillo scores with a huge overhand! Follows him down and finishes the fight. Harley Davidson Shifting Gears Moment! Danny Castillo by TKO at 4:15 of Round 2.

Joseph Benavidez vs. Dominick Cruz  Round 1 They come out swinging. Benavidez gets taken down off a caught kick. Cruz didn't follow him down. Now Benavidez forces Cruz against the cage. Benavidez goes for a guillotine choke, gets taken down. Benavidez in guard, goes for a guillotine, doesn't get the sub but does get off his back. Cruz tags him with a straight right. Benavidez switches stances. They tie up and Cruz gets Benavidez down for a second but Benavidez is too tough. Wow, Cruz gets a bodylock and takes Benavidez down into full mount. Benavidez gives up his back and gets back to his feet. Some great scrambles I cannot do justice to. Very hard to score, BloodyElbow gives it to Dominick Cruz, 10-9. Round 2 Benavidez comes out aggressive.Cruz answers with a stinging combo. Benavidez goes for a guillotine. Cruz escapes. This is a classic bout and I'm sitting here slack jawed and not able to capture all the punches and scrambles. Cruz gets a take down but can't keep Benavidez down. Benavidez with a hook/spinning backpunch combo into a single leg but eats a hook from Cruz. Cruz chasing Benavidez with a combo. Tags Benavidez. Cruz chasing a bit, Benavidez firing back with hooks, another spinning back strike from Joseph. Dominick gets a lovely double leg off a punching combo into Benavidez' guard. BloodyElbow scores it 10-9 for Dominick Cruz. Great fight so far! Round 3 Lots of action to open the final round. Benavidez coming in aggressively, drops off a leg kick as he was going for a high kick. Cruz with a knee tap take down off an underhook. Benavidez fights back to his feet again! Benavidez slips. Cruz chasing, not connecting. They're getting a little sloppy late. Another take down for Cruz off a Benavidez spinning strike. But Joseph is back up instantly. Cruz gets another take down, manages to stay on top. Gets Benavidez' back. Ends the fight in dominant position. BloodyElbow scores it 10-9 and 30-27 for Dominick Cruz. We'll see if my judges curse jinxes Cruz. Dominick Cruz takes the unanimous decision.

Now we get to the headliner.

Miguel Torres vs. Brian Bowles  Here we go. Nice Johnny Cash entrance music from Brian Bowles. Mariachi in full effect for Torres. Epic cultural clash. Frank Mir declares Miguel Torres the P4P "Best American MMA Fighter", hard to argue, wonder what B.J. Penn has to say about that.  Round 1 They come out and feel each other out. No rush in a title fight. Bowles tags Torres with a right and stuns the champ. Torres moves forward, eats another. Now Bowles clinches and takes down Torres. Might be a mistake. Torres scores with three upkicks. Bowles keeps coming and is landing from the top. The crowd chants Torres. Bowles goes back to his feet. Torres scores with a combination and hurts Bowles! But Bowles fires back and drops the champ and then goes in for the kill and finishes Miguel Torres on the ground! Brian Bowles by TKO in the First Round.

Today on "MMA Nation" we'll be joined by the face of women's MMA and 145lbs Strikeforce title contender Gina "Convinction" Carano. We'll talk to Carano about Fedor Emelianenko signing with Strikeforce, what the details are on her camp for this fight, dealing with media attention and more.

We'll also be breaking down the major weekend in MMA including more on Fedor signing with Strikeforce, the possibility of a UFC vs. Strikeforce war, UFC 101 and WEC 42.

"MMA Nation" airs every Saturday 7:00pm EST to 9:00pm EST on 106.7 The Fan. To listen live over the Internet, go to The Fan's website and click "Listen Live".

I'm also now on Twitter: @mmanation.

"MMA Nation" is also available by podcast on iTunes.

Number to call: 800-636-1067

Email here.

Talk to you then.

WEC 42: AUGUST 9, 2009
Venue: The Rogue Joint at the Hard Rock in Las Vegas, Nevada

Main Card Bouts:

Miguel Torres vs. Brian Bowles

Luke Thomas: Bowles' record is so confusing. He's beating international-level professional fighters just as easily as he beat local tough guys in Atlanta. I'm just not sure how dangerous he can really be, but Torres will likely provide us with a keen look into just how far Bowles' ability goes. Torres by decision.

Kid Nate: Torres has a tremendous reach advantage and a serious technical edge on the feet. His submission game is far out of Bowles league as well. Bowles has power and a puncher's chance, but I don't see him catching Torres.  Torres by submission.

Mike Fagan: Until someone comes around that can match Torres' physical attributes, I can't find a reason to pick against him.  He's too tall, too long, and too skilled.  Miguel Torres by TKO, round 3.

Eugene Schelfaut: I'll pick Torres until he retires, or at least until after his next loss. He has too many ways to win to pick against him. Bowles will not be able to get inside. Miguel Torres by KO, round 3.

Leland Roling: Miguel Torres will win this fight. Bowles loads up his hands in the striking department, keeps his chin high at times. I think Torres could simply box with him standing and dominate him. I've heard a few interviews from Bowles talking about possibly wrestling with Torres, but I just don't see how he can defeat Torres on the ground in top control. I think Torres wins this easily. Miguel Torres via TKO, Round 2.


Joseph Benavidez vs. Dominick Cruz

Luke Thomas: Cruz's incorporates very orthodox boxing techniques, but unlike Faber against Brown, Cruz doesn't have punishing power or is a bit of a counter fighter. That means Benavidez's Faber-esque attack should work well against Cruz over the course of the fight. Benavidez by decision.

Kid Nate: Benavidez is somewhat stiff, but he made a believer out of me in his last fight. Benavidez by decision.

Mike Fagan: Benavidez surprised the hell out of me at WEC 40.  Not so much that he won, but that he did so in such a dominating fashion.  I think he continues his pit bull ways here.  Joseph Benavidez by decision.

Eugene Schelfaut: Benavidez will bully from top position, finishing Cruz with a choke late in the last frame. Benavidez by submission, round 3.

Leland Roling: Benavidez and Cruz have roughly the same wrestling background, but Benavidez also has Team Alpha Male and Urijah Faber at his side. He's more explosive and quicker than Cruz, so I'll take Benavidez by another dominating performance for contention. Joseph Benavidez via decision.


Ricardo Lamas vs. Danny Castillo

Luke Thomas: I'm not sure how high the ceiling on Lamas actually goes, but this is a match the WEC made for him to win. I can't see him finishing Castillo necessarily, but I just don't see how Castillo stops the Lamas wrestling/clinching/short range striking full court press. Lamas by decision.

Kid Nate: Lamas impressed against Bartimus and Castillo has a knack for getting sloppy and getting taken down, despite his wrestling skills. Lamas by decision.

Mike Fagan: Lamas showed some absolutely stifling wrestling against Bart Palaszewski.  I look for him to show that again in his fight with Castillo.  Ricardo Lamas by decision.

Eugene Schelfaut: Don't look for it to be quick. Lamas stays on top until the end. Ricardo Lamas by decision.

Leland Roling: Both men have solid wrestling experience, although at a lower level than Division I. Lamas showed us powerful takedowns, a great gas tank, brutal ground and pound, and intelligent boxing techniques. I think he's once again going to impress with the same skill-set, although Castillo has a chance to use his own wrestling to put Lamas on his back. I don't see that happening though. Ricardo Lamas via decision.


Takeya Mizugaki vs. Jeff Curran

Luke Thomas: Curran is a guard player at heart and I just don't see Mizugaki obliging him. Mizugaki by decision.

Kid Nate: I hate to see either of these guys lose this one, but I really feel like Curran is on a downward spiral and Mizugaki is improving his game with every fight. Mizugaki by decision.

Mike Fagan: How motivated is Curran as a fighter?  He looked absolutely lost against Benavidez. I might be considering their last performances too heavily, but I like Takeya Mizugaki by decision.

Eugene Schelfaut: If Jeff Curran loses, Clay Guida will be the only fighter in my area on the big stage. I'm not ready for that. Jeff Curran by decision.

Leland Roling: I'm a bit torn here. Mizugaki looked good against Ueda in Japan, so it makes me believe he can hang with Curran long enough to escape. He has powerful ground and pound, and I think he can outstrike Curran as well. I'll take Mizugaki via decision.

Click on through to the full entry for the undercard predictions.

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Rankings compiled by Richard Wade.

The March of the Mullet is still on course.

Miguel Torres' is still riding high after his victory over #4 Takeya Mizugaki, but now must look ahead as he defends his belt against number one contender and #2 ranked Hardcore Gym representative Brian Bowles.  Bowles appears to be ready despite his compartively brief experience in professiional MMA and holds notable wins over #8 Damacio Page, #12 Marcos Galvao and #18 Charlie Valencia.

Shooto and wrestling standout Masakatsu Ueda unanimously defend his Featherweight Shooto title against #14 Eduardo Dantas on July 19th Shooto - Revolution Exchanges 1: Undefeated.

#4 Takeya Mizugaki is getting something of a murderer's row treatment as he first took on Miguel Torres in his WEC debut and is now on the WEC 42 card where he takes on the slumping #22 Jeff Curran. What I said last month is still relevant, so I'll repeat it: "Curran has not won a fight since 2007 and even after dropping to bantamweight from featherweight needs a win to stay relevant within MMA and the bantamweight division." If Mizugaki can avoid the guard play of Curran, Big Frog is going to have to do some serious soul searching.

Urijah Faber Alpha Male teammate #5 Joseph Benavidez is set to do battle with Brandon Vera training partner #11 Dominic Cruz. Both Benavidez and Cruz are wrestlers, but Cruz employs more orthodox technique standing while Benavidez flies by the seat of his pants. This fight is an interesting style clash as well as meaningful battle for rankings supremacy.

Akitoshi Tamura rings in at #6, fresh off of a win over former title contender #10 Manny Tapia at WEC 40. Tamura has a difficult challenge ahead of him in #8 Damacio Page at WEC 43.

#7 Will Ribeiro is still formally ranked, but one has to wonder how long his placement will endure given that it's merely a technicality at this point. We wish Ribeiro a healthy and speedy-as-possible recovery, but recognize he has major physical challenges to overcome.

There's still no word yet on #12 Marcos Galvao. After being brutally knocked out by #8 Damacio Page at WEC 39, all's been quiet on the Western front for the Nova Unaio product.

One of the best grapplers in all of MMA also returns at WEC 42. #9 Rani Yahya continues his post-Beebe loss rebound as he is all set to take on Kenji Osawa on August 9th. While Yahya's jiu-jitsu prowess is overpowering for virtually every bantamweight competing, his lack of any stand-up or wrestling (and sometimes cardio) continues to plague the extremely talented grappler.

And, of course, local Washington, DC product #24 Mike Easton checks in at number 24 on the list. Easton is set to compete at UWC 7 on October 3rd. He is set to take on #20 Chase Beebe.

I said this last month and I'll repeat it again: it is striking to see how much this weight class is now dominated by the WEC. Moreover, WEC 42 is a pivotal event where four of the top 5 and 7 of the top 10 bantamweights in the world are all competing on the same card. Behold the might of the WEC.