· Mackens Semerzier Steps In Against Fabiano at WEC 43
World Extreme Cagefighting representatives confirmed Tuesday that Mackens "Mack da Menace" Semerzier will step in to face Wagnney "The Silencer" Fabiano at WEC 43: Cerrone vs. Henderson. Semerzier will be replacing Erik Koch who was forced to withdraw from the event following an elbow injury.
With approximately two weeks notice before the fight, the undefeated Semerzier (5-0) is certainly in for a tough fight in his WEC debut. He was scheduled to fight in the main event on October 3 for CageFest Extreme, but when the call came to step up to the premiere featherweight division against a world class opponent, he jumped at the chance.
Fabiano (13-1), who is currently on an eight fight win streak, is considered by many to be a top contender in the WEC's featherweight division. He is 2-0 since joining WEC, with wins over Akitoshi Tamura and Fredson Paixao. This is after an impressive 6-0 record in the IFL.
Both Fabiano and Semerzier have demonstrated the ability to finish fights, particularly on the ground where the two hold a combined 11 submission victories over 19 fights.
Koch (8-0), who also would have been making his WEC debut, was forced to withdraw from the event following the re-injury of his elbow. "I hurt my elbow at the beginning of the year and that put me out for a few months. Last week I re-injured it, tearing ligaments during an intense training session. I hope to rehab and be back to fighting sometime in December."
WEC 43, which will take place October 10 in San Antonio, Texas, will feature the highly anticipated Interim Lightweight Championship fight between top contenders Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone (12-1, 1NC) and Ben Henderson (10-1). The event was originally scheduled for September 2 in Youngstown, Ohio, but after Henderson suffered an injury that would have pulled him from the card the decision was made to move the entire event to a later date.
