Yoshiro Maeda Replaces Injured Manny Tapia at WEC 34

Yoshiro Maeda will be stepping in to replace Manny Tapia at World Extreme Cagefighting 34: Faber vs Pulver against WEC Bantamweight champion Miguel Torres.

Undefeated Manny Tapia, who was originally slated to challenge Torres for the belt, was forced to pull out due to a right knee injury that will require knee surgery in the coming week. The bout will take place on June 1 at Arco Arena in Sacramento, CA.

The highly anticipated main event for WEC 34 will feature former UFC lightweight champ, Jens Pulver, taking on the extremely hot Urijah Faber in a WEC featherweight championship bout. Richard Crunkilton versus Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone is also rumored to be on the June 1 fight card.

Yoshiro Maeda has an outstanding record of 23-4-2 and is the reigning featherweight King of Pancrase. After spending his entire pro career in the Pancrase organization, Maeda recently made his American debut taking on Charlie Valencia at World Extreme Cagefighting 32 in Albuquerque. He defeated the freestyle fighter in stunning fashion with a first round knockout via a brutal body kick at just under two and a half minutes. Maeda should prove to be a good test for Torres.

Miguel Torres is on an amazing 14 fight win streak and remains undefeated in the WEC. He put on a virtual jiu-jitsu clinic in his last fight with Chase Beebe at WEC 32 where he captured the WEC bantamweight title. He defeated the champ via guillotine choke in the first round. Out of 32 fights, Torres has only one defeat and has finished 20 of his opponents via submission. He is definitely a force to be reckoned with at 135lbs.

Source: www.redsweat.com