Ferrer grabs WCF's 135-pound title as MMA's stars look on

WILMINGTON, Mass. -- Stars from all over of the fight game were in attendance on Saturday night in the Shriners Auditorium. The likes of Mickey Ward, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, Kenny Florian, Dan Lauzon and Marcus Davis were all present for WCF's first ever title fight. The 135-pound weight class has blown up within the past year, due mainly to the WEC's growing success, and two of New England's best 135-pound fighters took center stage on Saturday.

Dan Ferrer put on a quick grappling demo for the fans against Dan Bonnell to capture the 135-pound title in WCF's main event. Ferrer is a great wrestler and also carries around a wealth of submission knowledge. Just seconds after the bell rang the more ground savvy Ferrer came out and put Bonnell on his back. From there it wasn't long before he passed to side mount and waited patiently, he then rotated to north/south position and locked up a tight kimura. Bonnell fought tough through the first attempt though, going as far as getting his hand down and clenching his fingers around the back of his knee in defense. Ferrer just stayed patient and composed though, before he again yanked the arm upwards and away to get the submission win.

On paper the co-main event between New England's MMA veteran Nuri Shakir and The Ultimate Fighter 7 contestant Mike Dolce appeared to be a great match-up. Although, sometimes when you have two guys that are both very talented, the respect level plays a big role in the fight's demise.

Nothing much beyond a few jabs, uncommitted combinations, and some circling took place in the first round. Much of the same took place for the first few minutes of round two, until Dolce's power become apparent. Dolce lunged forward at his opponent after landing a nice right hook and then let off punch after punch before the referee stepped in to save Shakir, who appeared to be out on his feet.

One of the best matches of the night took place in the 155-pound division as wrestlers John Benoit and Glenn Brown went at it. Brown seemed to control the wrestling from the start, by stopping Benoit's diligent takedown attempts. Once on their feet Benoit landed some solid leg kicks but didn't spend too much time letting his hands go. Brown on the other hand was very aggressive as he rushed in firing off big punches to set-up his takedowns.

Benoit managed to finally get a takedown in the second round, but didn't do much work while on top. Moments later Brown got back to his feet where he got another takedown before quickly passing to mount and taking his opponent's back. From Benoit's back he stayed pretty busy, working for the choke and landing some pretty good shots before the fight ended. Brown was the aggressor throughout the fight and with the win handed Benoit his first career loss.

MAIN EVENT Dan Ferrer def. Dan Bonnell by Submission (Kimura) at 2:48, R1

MAIN CARD Mike Dolce def. Nuri Shakir by TKO (Due to Strikes) at 2:53, R2 Greg Rebello def. Shawn DePaul by Unanimous Decision, R2 Glenn Brown def. John Benoit by Unanimous Decision, R2 Damien Trites def. Jose Lopez by Submission (Triangle) at 1:13, R1 Scott Rehm def. Stephen Stengal by TKO (Due to Strikes) at 0:38, R1

PRELIMINARY BOUTSAnthony Leone def. Chris Grandmaison by Unanimous Decision, R2 Ryan Quinn def. Travis Coyle by Unanimous Decision, R3 (Over time) Jimmy Grant def. Nik Patnaude by Unanimous Decision, R2 Rick Hawn def. Billy Flynn by KO (Punch) at 1:12, R1 Nick Evangelous def. Dymitry Shevchenko by Submission (Heel hook) at 2:30, R1 Jay Fortier def. Robby Roberts by Submission (Armbar) at 0:40, R1Jeff Remmick def. Josh Mellen by Submission (Triangle) at 3:53, R1