Five Reasons You Should Already Be Excited for WEC 51

Featuring one of the most stacked cards of the year, WEC 51: “Aldo vs. Gamburyan” is going to be a real treat for WEC fans. It may not have the star power of WEC’s first Pay-Per-View event, WEC 48: “Aldo vs. Faber”, but it comes very close. So here are my five top reasons why anybody and everybody should be excited for WEC 51.

5. The Debut of Zhang Tie Quan

It was recently announced that the WEC had signed their first-ever Chinese fighter, Tiequan “The Mongolian Wolf” Zhang of Beijing, China. Zhang is undefeated at 11-0, with eight submissions and three (T)KO’s. Zhang looks to be yet another fantastic addition to the WEC, and it’s been announced that he’ll debut at WEC 51 against the tough Alex Karalexis. If Zhang can keep his string of quick victories intact, we’ll have another great Lightweight contender on our hands.

4. The Continuing Quest to Find the Real Mike Brown

Mike Brown was once unquestionably the world’s best Featherweight. Even after Jose Aldo knocked Brown off of his perch, Brown rebounded with a great submission victory over Anthony Morrison…only to then get knocked out by Manny Gamburyan. Brown returns at WEC 51 against Cole Province, a 6-1-1 fighter with no wins in the WEC (the one win he did have was changed to a “No Contest” after he tested positive for banned substances). Brown needs some big wins in a big way, and he should have it easy in this fight. But anything can happen when the cage door closes, and it will be interesting to see which Mike Brown shows up at WEC 51.

3. The Return of Leonard Garcia and The Korean Zombie

The two men who fought against each other in what I deemed my “Fight of the Half-Year” step back inside the blue cage at WEC 51, although it won’t be against each other. Still, they’ll face tough opponents in Mark Hominick and George Roop, respectively. Both Garcia and Chan Sung Jung were so entertaining in their fight against each other that I can’t wait to see what’s next for them.

2. Do or Die Time for Miguel Torres

Not only was Miguel Torres the undisputed top Bantamweight in the world for quite a long time, he was even touted as one of the premiere pound-for-pound fighter. Now he’s lost two straight and is surrounded by questions. Can he still go? What has he been doing wrong? Has he been slacking, or has the Bantamweight division just been improving? When he faces Charlie Valencia at WEC 51, he’ll be right in the middle of a do-or-die situation. It will be very interesting to see if Torres can rise from the ashes and set himself up for a comeback, and believe me, I have every doubt that he’ll either do so or die trying. So it should be an entertaining fight no matter what.

But of course, the number 1 spot goes to…

1. Jose Aldo…because it’s Jose Aldo.

Jose Aldo is one of those once-in-a-lifetime athletes that you should either fall in line behind or take great pains to avoid, because I don’t see anyone stopping him anytime soon. Jose Aldo is a wrecking machine; he’s an engine of destruction. He’s unbeaten since 2005, and save for a Unanimous Decision win over Urijah Faber, he’s finished all of his opponents in the WEC, three of them within the first round, and one of them within the first ten seconds of the fight! From his deadly leg kicks and knee strikes to his serious punching power, Aldo is a phenomenal athlete and undoubtedly the best fighter currently fighting in the WEC. In a year that has seen more great fighters fall from grace than almost any other year in MMA history, Jose Aldo looks primed to go on a reign of domination that shows no signs of stopping.

And what about you, fans and friends? What are you most looking forward to for WEC 51?