WEC Matchmaker: Cruz’s Health a Major Factor in Next 135 Pairings

With Dominick Cruz’s victory over Brian Bowles Saturday in Columbus, Ohio, the WEC bantamweight title has now changed hands twice over the last seven months. Is recent rotation of titleholders bad for the WEC? Not according to matchmaker Sean Shelby.

“You go back to the UFC as a reference, the year of the upset was 2007 if I remember right,” Shelby told the Sherdog Radio Network's “Savage Dog Show” on Monday. “They said, ‘Oh, this is terrible, there's too much parity. No one's going to be able to hang on to their belts.’ Two years later they're saying, ‘Is there going to be any upheaval whatsoever? These champions might have to retire to give up their belts.’ I don't necessarily agree with that, but that's what some of the public is saying. But this is MMA. One minute it looks like this, the next minute I'm not going to be able to get rid of my champions. My job is to get these guys the absolute toughest challenge I can possibly bring to them and really finding out who the world number one is. So that's the way I have to look at it. I have to challenge them.”

Cruz’s next challenge could be one of two men that fought on the WEC 47 card alongside him. Scott Jorgensen disposed of Chad George in all of 31 seconds by guillotine choke in his preliminary bout. Joseph Benavidez took out former champion Miguel Torres midway through the second round with a guillotine choke that left matchmaker Shelby impressed.

“He can get a title shot now,” Shelby said. “I think there's a great argument for him to get one. When Dominick Cruz comes back will factor in immensely. I do think that when Benavidez decides to go in there and really commit like he's done his last two fights, get in the pocket and throw those four-punch combos, I don't know if there's anybody in WEC or the 135-pound division that can deal with that.”

Shelby said Benavidez has come a long way from his unanimous decision loss to Cruz at WEC 42 last August.

“I think Benavidez recognized that since his loss to Cruz and the last two times out he's really making a case,” said Shelby. “The problem with that is, and I'm not a big rematch guy especially on the championship level, if a guy is going to rematch a guy you as the public and me as the matchmaker have to believe there might be a different outcome. Their games might have evolved. They might have completely different attitudes and that's what I have to believe before I'm going to give someone a rematch.”

The biggest question surrounding the WEC bantamweight picture revolves around injuries San Diego native Cruz may have sustained in Saturday’s melee. Cruz’s head trainer, Eric Del Fierro, told Sherdog.com on Monday that Cruz didn’t break his hand as was earlier suspected, but that the fighter likely fractured his foot. Del Fierro said Cruz would visit his doctor on Tuesday for another examination to determine the damage. Cruz’s return to action could prove a major factor in Shelby’s immediate choices.

“I know he didn't break his hand, but I do have to see how much time he needs off and that makes a huge difference in the choice and where he goes and who's fighting him next,” said Shelby. “If he's out for a while and he can't fight, well then obviously guys like Benavidez and Jorgensen will obviously want to fight again. It's rare that these guys especially in the WEC will sit out and wait for a champion. That makes a huge difference in what I do.”

Shelby didn’t seem short on choices, though.

“If I went down the list, Torres is still in the mix, but you do have Benavidez, Valencia, Banuelos and Page and Gomez and Wineland and even Wagnney Fabiano is out there along with Scott Jorgensen and Pickett. In my mind if somebody went out with an injury, I wouldn't have a hard time finding a back-up, you know what I mean?” he said.

With the bantamweight division as deep as it is there are no wrong choices to make necessarily, but Cruz’s potential absence could give Shelby some latitude in solidifying the division’s pecking order.

“Long story short, either way, whether Cruz is coming right back I don't think I'll have a problem and I don't think the public will complain who he's fighting next,” said Shelby. “If he needs a long time off, there's so many guys in that division that when the dust clears, you'll have absolutely no doubt -- people will know who's number one.”