The headline attraction sees two UFC heavyweight veterans Tim Sylvia and Paul Buentello slugging it out.

Sylvia went on a well publicized slump after leaving the UFC in 2008 following a loss to Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, notching up further losses to Fedor Emelianenko and former boxer Ray Mercer in a combined time of just 45 seconds.  Wins over Jason Riley and former Worlds Strongest Man Marius Pudzianowski have steadied the ship, but Sylvia needs to fight respected opponents in order to salvage his reputation.

Buentello is a step in the right direction.  ‘The Headhunter’ recently spent a brief second spell in the UFC, though it proved unsuccessful with a decision loss to Stefan Struve and a submission defeat against Cheick Kongo.  He has since got back on the horse with a win at Shark Fights 11 in May, and will hope that a win over Sylvia can put him back in with a chance of a recall to the UFC.

There are some relatively interesting bouts supporting the main event too.  For instance former UFC middleweight No.1 contender Thales Leites, who has claimed three victories since being cut from the promotion, will face former IFL champion Matt Horwich who’ll be looking to get back to winning ways after going 1-3 since leaving the UFC in April of 2009.

One of MMA’s most loved fighters Jens Pulver will also fighting at the event after being cut from the WEC recently.  Though some have called for his retirement after a rough 1-5 spell in the WEC Pulver still feels he has something to offer at the age of 35, and will put that to the test against up and comer Diego Garijo who’s 4-1 in his fledgling career.

Two other former UFC fighter’s Jason Lambert and Alan Goes also square off in the main card, with Goes, who is better known for his fights in PRIDE, coming back to the cage after a three year layoff.

See the full fight card for the event below.

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Main Card:

• Tim Sylvia Vs Paul Buentello
• Jason Lambert Vs Tony Lopez
• Thales Leites Vs Matt Horwich
• Jens Pulver Vs Diego Garijo
• Gustavo Machado Vs Rick Reeves

Prelims:

• Jorge Ortiz Vs Terry Martin
• Cleber Luciano Vs Todd Willingham
• Joao Silva Vs Erin Beach
• Evan Aitkens Vs Chad McCausland
• AJ Matthews Vs Sean Choice

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Further Reading:

• PWP: War On The Mainland – Quick Results (Live)
• Tim Sylvia Vs Paul Buentello Fight Video

Before, during and after the fight he was cheered by the fans, and in the post-fight press conference a number of the fighters on the card and WEC general manager Reed Harris all paid heart-felt tribute to one of the pioneers of the sport, before the press in attendance joined in a round of applause.

Pulver himself fought back tears as he tried to explain the rollercoaster of emotions he was feeling in the aftermath of what will likely be his last ever fight.

“I love this sport, and it’s tough man, it’s hard to go out like this, you know?”

Grab a box of tissues and watch the fighters paying tribute to Jens in the video below, courtesy of Fighters Only Magazine.

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Main Card:

Brian Bowles vs. Dominick Cruz

The headline bout of the evening sees Brian Bowles aiming to defend the bantamweight title for the first time and keep his unbeaten 8-0 record intact against Dominick Cruz, who has went 4-0 in the WEC since moving down to 135lbs.

Cruz is a worthy advisory for Bowles, but he’s become accustomed to heading to the score cards to claim his victories since his switch to bantamweight, while the champion is a proven finisher with serious power for this weight class, as Miguel Torres, amongst others can attest to, and is a submission threat into the bargain.

Five rounds is a long time to keep an opponent like that at bay, and I suspect Bowles will find a way to end this one inside the distance.

I’m going for Brian Bowles to win by TKO in the fourth round.

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Miguel Torres vs. Joseph Benavidez

After 17 fights without defeat Miguel Torres looked invincible at the top of the bantamweight division, but a KO loss to Brian Bowles has changed that, and now he faces another tough opponent in Joseph Benavidez as he attempts to return to winning ways.

Benavidez is a tenacious competitor and will aim to put Torres under pressure throughout this fight, hoping to make it an uncomfortable night for the former champion.

Luckily for Torres he has the tools for this particular job – superior reach and a solid jab which should help to keep his opponent at bay, while he offers a serious threat from his back if Benavidez uses his wrestling to go to the ground.

It won’t be easy, but I think that will be enough to earn Miguel Torres the decision victory here.

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Jens Pulver vs. Javier Vazquez

After losing his last four fights in the WEC it appeared Jens Pulver was set for retirement, but he’s decided to take one last shot at getting back to ways as he takes on Javier Vasquez who is looking to get his first victory in the WEC after back-to-back losses.

Vasquez’s record is a little deceiving since both of his previous encounters in the promotion were hard fought split decision losses against solid opponents. Pulver on the other hand has lasted barely more than three minutes total cage time in his last three defeats, and currently claims only one win in his last seven fights.

Pulver is one of the great characters in the game, but it’s become clear that time is taking it’s toll on him, and his weaknesses are now being exploited by his opponents. I think that will prove to be the case again here as Vasquez takes him down and locks in a submission to claim victory.

I’m going for Javier Vasquez to win by submission in the second round.

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Deividas Taurosevicius vs. L.C. Davis

Former IFL fighters Deividas Taurosevicius and L.C Davis have two decision wins a piece since signing for the WEC last year, and this has all the indications of being another close fight.

Davis has the edge in the wrestling in this encounter, but it’s not an overwhelming advantage, and I believe Taurosevicius has the broader overall skill-set going into this bout, ensuring that he should be able to handle himself no matter how the fight plays out.

I don’t expect to see fireworks from this encounter, but I do think Tarurosevicius will do enough to edge Davis out on the score-cards.

I’m opting for Deividas Taurosevicius to earn a decision victory.

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Bart Palaszewski vs. Karen Darabedyan

After a split decision win over veteran Rob McCullough in his WEC debut, Karen Darabedyan faces Bart Palaszewski who has went 2-2 during his time in the organization.

At just 23 years of age Darabedyan already possesses a solid skill-set with a background in boxing, karate and judo, and with a 9-1 record to date he’s proven he can bring it all together in the cage. Palaszewski meanwhile has struggled with consistency lately, and is 4-5 in his last 9 bouts.

Darabedyan could well be a genuine contender in the lightweight division, and I think he’ll show he’s a step above Palaszweksi in this bout.

I’m going for Karen Darabedyan to pick up a decision victory.

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Prelims (Predicted Winners Highlighted In Bold):

Scott Jorgensen vs. Chad George
Danny Castillo vs. Anthony Pettis
Leonard Garcia vs. George Roop
Chad Mendes vs. Erik Koch
Bendy Casimir vs. Ricardo Lamas
Courtney Buck vs. Fredson Paixao

Headlining the card is the Bantamweight title fight between the undefeated Brian Bowles (8-0) and Dominick Cruz (14-1).

Bowles gained the title after a shock KO win over Miguel Torres, and now looks to make his first successful title defense against Cruz who has put together a four fight unbeaten run in the WEC since dropping down to 135lbs.

Meanwhile in the co-main event Miguel Angel Torres will look to get back to winning ways for only the second time in his 39 fight career when he takes on Joseph Benavidez who has himself only lost once in his 12 fight career.

Jens Pulver also makes his return at WEC 47 but with four of his five fights for the promotion ending in defeat the former UFC star knows that a loss to Javier Vasquez, who is 0-2 in the WEC, would spell the end of his 11 year career.

See the full fight card for WEC 47 below:

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WEC 47: Bowles Vs Cruz Fight Card:

Main Card:

• Brian Bowles vs. Dominick Cruz
• Miguel Torres vs. Joseph Benavidez
• Deividas Taurosevicius vs. L.C. Davis
• Bart Palaszewski vs. Karen Darabedyan
• Jens Pulver vs. Javier Vazquez

Prelims:

• Scott Jorgensen vs. Chad George
• Danny Castillo vs. Anthony Pettis
• Leonard Garcia vs. George Roop
• Chad Mendes vs. Erik Koch
• Bendy Casimir vs. Ricardo Lamas
• Courtney Buck vs. Fredson Paixao

The event sees the undefeated Brian Bowles defending his bantamweight belt for the first time against 14-1 challenger Dominick Cruz.

Also on the card former Bantamweight champion Miguel Torres (37-2) sets off on the road back to the title in a challenging bout with Joseph Benevidez (11-1).

Legend of the sport Jens Pulver (21-12-1) also features, making what could be his final appearance in the cage to fight Javier Vasquez (13-4) who will also be looking for a win after losing his first two fights in the WEC.

Watch the promo video from the WEC below:

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After taking time out, and getting married, it now appears however that ‘Lil Evil’ still has the urge to compete, and is ready to fight again in 2010.

WEC manager Reed Harris stopped short of saying that he would fight for the promotion again when he spoke to Fighters Only Magazine recently, but did admit that Pulver is looking to return.

“We’re talking to Jens. I cant confirm anything right now but Jens has indicated to us that he would like to fight again, I can tell you that.”

Now Pulver (21-12-1) has posted a message on his Facebook page, stating, “Tomorrow I start training camp,” which appears to confirm that he will indeed step into the cage at least one more time, though no opponent or date has been set at this stage.