World Extreme Cagefighting Gearing Up To
Rumble Under The Sun —
The Weights Are In
By Loretta Hunt

Following a long, thorough, and grueling medical examination period by the Mohegan Sun Gaming Commission, the weigh-ins were finally underway. As the last couple to take the stage, main event headliners Horn and Brink were both poised and confident, and made it a point to shake one another’s hands in a show of sportsmanship and mutual respect. Contracted to come in under 220 pounds, Brink easily made his designated weight, coming in at 218 pounds. Horn came in at 216 pounds, making this an official heavyweight bout under the IFC sanctioned rules being followed for the show.

Speaking to Brink after his weigh-in, he had this to say regarding his game plan for tonight. "I’m not gonna go in there and blow my gas fast, because I know he’s counting on that. He thinks I’m going to lose my stamina, so he can weather the storm and then catch me in a submission. I’m going to keep myself under control, but if I have a chance to stop him, I’ll stop him. I want to pace myself and fight smart."

Horn divulged a strategy of his own. "Don’t let him hit me. I know he hits hard and that’s his biggest weapon. If I can avoid that, then I can win the fight. We’ll feel out the standup and if he hits too hard, we’ll take it to the ground."

As for the rest of the card; in the co-main event, Pacific Martial Art’s Cole Escovedo came in at a lean 144 pounds, while his opponent Renat Myrzabekov, of Team Khazakstan, was 145 pounds. They will be vying for the WEC Featherweight title.

For a featured bout, Team Extreme and Miletich Fighting System’s representative Tony Fryklund came in at a light 181.5 pounds, much to the shock of his teammates surrounding him, who couldn’t quite figure where the extra pounds had gone. But Fryklund’s opponent Zach Light, of Team Punishment, came in even less at 177 pounds. Light, who has fought at welterweight in the past, is now making the jump to the middleweight division.

For the three other heavyweight bouts to grace the card, the following fighters came in at the following weights. Last minute replacement and local Connecticut fighter Randy Rowe (of the Dog Pound), came in at 198.5 ponds while RAW Training Center’s Jason Jones (the tallest competitor of the evening at a towering 6’5") logged in at 203.5 pounds. Both Christian Wellisch, of the American Kickboxing Academy, and opponent Jay White, of Team Renzo Gracie, stepped off the scales at 235 pounds. In the largest weight differential of the event, AKA’s Eric Mainiai’s weight read at 226 pounds, while Team Renzo Gracie’s John Rallo tipped the scale at 253 pounds.

In the second middleweight bout offered for the evening, AKA’s Mike Swick came in at 184.5 pounds, while opponent Jame Gabert, of Team Renzo Gracie, recorded 181 pounds.

Rounding out the card, three lightweight bouts will pit the east and west’s most promising up-and-comers against one another. AKA standout, Richard Crunkilton came in right at the mark at 155 pounds. His adversary, Luciano Oliveira of New England Brazilian Jiu-jitsu/Joao Amaral Team, came in at 154 pounds. Bao Quach, representing Chris Brennan’s Next Generation, was a perfect 155 pounds. Jeff Curran of Team Extreme and Pedro Sauer Jiu-jitsu, usually a featherweight, packed on a few more pounds to come in at 149 pounds. RAW’s Mac Danzig and his opponent Kurt Pelligrino of Team Renzo Gracie came in identically together at 153.5 pounds for the second time they will meet in their careers to fight.

With the weights all tallied, IFC founder Paul Smith led the group through the rules meeting. Utilizing modified IFC rules that will reflect those in use by the Nevada and New Jersey State Athletic Commissions, no knees will be allowed to the head on the ground (something the IFC says it has allowed in the past). In addition, all of tonight’s ten scheduled bouts, including the championship bout, will clock in at three five-minute rounds. Drug testing, including steroid testing, will be mandatorily done for the title bout, while other bouts may be tested randomly. In accordance with the IFC, a two-minute standing rule will be in effect at the discretion of the referees.