Mendes Draws Koch in March 6 WEC Debut

Highly touted featherweight prospect Chad Mendes will make his World Extreme Cagefighting debut in a preliminary bout with Erik Koch at WEC 47 “Bowles vs. Cruz” on March 6 at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. Nine matches are now official for the late winter event.

Based at former WEC featherweight king Urijah Faber’s Team Alpha Male, Mendes remains unbeaten through five fights as a professional. The 24-year-old Hanford, Calif., native last appeared in October, when he defeated Sportfight veteran Mike Joy by unanimous decision at a Tachi Palace Fights show. A decorated collegiate wrestler, Mendes was a two-time All-American at California Polytechnic State University and finished as the national runner-up in 2008.

Koch, 21, a former Mainstream MMA champion, defeated Pancrase veteran Jameel Massouh by unanimous decision in his promotional debut at WEC 45 last month. More than half (five) of the Cedar Rapids, Iowa-based featherweight’s victories have come by submission.

A bantamweight title fight pairing champion Brian Bowles with the once-beaten Dominick Cruz will headline the WEC 47 lineup, along with a key 135-pound bout pitting former titleholder Miguel Torres against Joseph Benavidez. The show will also mark the return of one-time UFC lightweight king Jens Pulver, as he matches skills with Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace Javier Vazquez.