WEC 47 was so hard to watch!

First, there was Brian Bowles breaking his hand right when the first punch flew. Bowles didn’t really seem present in the first two rounds of this fight, and that explains it right there. Surprisingly, Bowles has actually gotten some criticism for not continuing in this bout… which I think would be really appropriate if they were coming from people who had successfully fought five rounds with broken hands. Dominick Cruz’s fight style wasn’t pretty, but it was certainly impressive as he demonstrated nimble footwork and landed punch after punch after punch. Still, the win was probably not quite as satisfying as it could have been had Bowles been less distracted and the fight had gone the distance. And for die-hard Bowles fans such as myself, it was just really hard to watch.

Another heartbreaker was watching Miguel Angel Torres never really show up for his fight. I love Joseph Benavidez, not least because he shares my height (and weight–on a good day), but it was just sad to see Torres so hesitant. Benavidez had great strategy and execution, but one can’t help but wonder if things would have looked different had Torres come out with his trademark aggression and confidence.

But the heartbreaker of the night was watching Jens Pulver get pounded in what may be his last fight. He’s such a good guy and so not the fighter he used to be, but watching him go through his fifth straight loss was just tragic. “I love you all way, way, way too much to put you all through this again,” Pulver said in a post-fight interview. Whether or not he will retire remains to be seen. It would almost have been nicer to see him do so in a blaze of glory after defeating, say, Cub Swanson over two years ago.

It was a good night of fights, but definitely not easy to watch… but I guess that’s how it goes when you get emotionally invested in the sport.