CARLSBAD, CA — No Fear Energy will be watching the action this Sunday night as their sponsored mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter, Joseph Benavidez puts his undefeated record on the line at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Benavidez will square off in the cage against San Diego transplant Dominick Cruz, whose record (13-1) has only one blemish — a submission loss at the hands of Urijah Faber in March 2007. As the fight card’s co-main event, the Benavidez-Cruz bout will directly precede the World Extreme Cagefighting® (WEC®) bantamweight title fight between reigning champ Miguel Angel-Torres (36-1) and undefeated challenger, Brian Bowles (7-0).

The 24-year-old Benavidez (10-0) came to the WEC promotion in December 2008 with a lot of hype due to his raw talent and impressive previous performances, and he immediately lived up to the expectations with a big win over Danny Martinez. On April 5th of this year, Benavidez added Jeff “The Big Frog” Curran to his list of victims — by unanimous decision — in front of Curran’s home crowd in Chicago.

Benavidez trains at Urijah Faber’s Ultimate Fitness gym in Sacramento, California. Sunday night’s clash against Cruz should prove a pivotal step on his quest for a title fight. A win could garner a match-up with one of the other two top bantamweight (135 lbs.) contenders on Sunday night’s card — Brian Bowles or Japan’s Takeya Mizugaki, who proved to be a formidable opponent against Torres when the two warriors went the distance in Chicago in April. (more…)

From The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada – Sunday, August 9;
Fight to Air Live at 9 p.m. ET/ 6 p.m. PT

Las Vegas, NV (USA) – In addition to live broadcasts of WEC: Torres vs. Bowles on VERSUS in the United States and TSN2 in Canada, as well as a tape-delay broadcast on Cadena Tres in Mexico, World Extreme Cagefighting® is pleased to announce a live global internet broadcast of the Aug. 9 main card beginning at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT on the WEC.tv and UFC.com websites. The broadcast will be available to all continents, with the exception of North America.

For the nominal fee of US $9.99, fans across the world can log on and catch a live, English-language broadcast of one of the most stacked cards of the year. Emanating from the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, NV, the four-fight main card will be available via web broadcast in areas that boast large MMA fan bases.

“The demand for a broadcast of this fight card in areas like Japan was significant,” WEC Vice President Peter Dropick said. “The global buzz about WEC certainly grew louder after Japanese star Takeya Mizugaki’s performance against Miguel Torres in April. We expect countries with huge MMA fan bases, including Japan and England, to log on to our website and watch an exciting night of fights.”

The live card will feature a bantamweight title clash between champion Miguel Angel Torres (36-1) and Brian Bowles (7-0), as well as Joseph Benavidez vs. Dominick Cruz in a 135-pound contest, Danny Castillo vs. Ricardo Lamas in lightweight action, and Jeff Curran vs. Takeya Mizugaki in a bantamweight tilt.

On top of the broadcasts on VERSUS, TSN2, and WEC.tv, viewers in Mexico will have an opportunity to watch WEC: Torres vs. Bowles on Cadena Tres via tape-delay on Saturday, Aug. 15.

For more information on the global broadcast of WEC: Torres vs. Bowles, visit www.wec.tv. Follow WEC on Twitter at http://twitter.com/weconversus.

Las Vegas, NV (USA) – With the upcoming WEC: TORRES VS. MIZUGAKI headed to the Windy City, World Extreme Cagefighting® is holding a Pre-Fight Press Conference beginning at 12:00pm CT on Friday, April 3 at The ESPN Zone in downtown Chicago.  WEC: TORRES VS. MIZUGAKI takes place Sunday, April 5, 2009 live from the UIC Pavilion in Chicago, IL.

About Torres vs. Mizugaki

 Chicago’s Miguel Angel Torres (35-1) defends the WEC bantamweight title against striker Takeya Mizugaki (11-2-2)

With four straight WEC wins, Torres has rapidly become one of the most feared fighters in the sport. The 28-year-old’s blend of speed, striking, and submissions will be on display when he takes on renowned Japanese star Mizugaki.

Unbeaten since 2007, Mizugaki is heralded for his Muay Thai striking and willingness to trade. The 5’7”, 135-pound challenger makes his U.S. debut in Chicago on April 5 and has vowed to knock out the hometown champion.

In the co-main event, Island Lake, Illinois’ Jeff Curran looks to make his case for a shot at the belt when he battles undefeated phenom Joseph Benavidez.

A longtime favorite of the Midwest fight scene, former WEC featherweight contender and title challenger Jeff “Big Frog” Curran (31-10-1) has long had his sights set on Miguel Torres, and he has even dropped down to the bantamweight division to chase his local rival. There is business to take care of for both men first though, and for Curran, that means his clash with Joseph Benavidez on April 5^th. So expect the 30-year old Curran to come out with guns blazing in order to move forward in the crowded bantamweight division. (more…)