Taurosevicius-Davis, Casimir-Lamas Added to WEC 47

Featherweight contender Deividas Taurosevicius will clash with L.C. Davis in a featured matchup at WEC 47 “Bowles vs. Cruz” on March 6 at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. Five matches, including a bantamweight title bout pairing undefeated champion Brian Bowles with the once-beaten Dominick Cruz, are now official for the event.

Taurosevicius launched himself into the 145-pound title picture with a unanimous decision victory over Mackens Semerzier at WEC 46 two weeks ago. A former professional rugby player, the 32-year-old has parlayed his durability and athleticism into a successful mixed martial arts career. Taurosevicius, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu brown belt, has never been finished and holds notable submission victories against Bart Palaszewski, Anthony Morrison and Dan Lauzon. World-ranked lightweight Frankie Edgar and former International Fight League champion Ryan Schultz remain the only two men to defeat him.

An IFL, Affliction and Sengoku veteran, Davis will carry a two-fight winning streak into the match. The 26-year-old Missouri native last appeared in November when he outpointed the previously unbeaten Diego Nunes at WEC 44. Other wins against recent Bellator Fighting Championships signee Bao Quach and Strikeforce veteran Conor Heun strengthen his resume. Davis has secured 11 of his 15 career victories by knockout, technical knockout or submission, eight of them inside one round.

Meanwhile, Shooto champion Bendy Casimir will make his promotional debut in a preliminary lightweight tilt with Ricardo Lamas.

Casimir, 29, has rattled off 15 wins in 16 fights and has become one of France’s top MMA exports. He has not competed since he posted a unanimous decision against Maratbek Kalabekov at a ProFC show 10 months ago. An accomplished ground fighter, Casimir has delivered more than half (12) of his 19 victories by submission and owns a 2008 win over “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 9 finalist Andre Winner. He has a dozen first-round finishes to his credit.

The Chicago-based Lamas bounced back nicely from his first career setback -- a TKO loss to Danny Castillo in August -- and delivered a unanimous decision victory against James Krause at WEC 44. A collegiate All-American wrestler, he cut his teeth inside the International Sports Combat Federation, Warriors Collide and Ironheart Crown promotions. He made his WEC debut in March with a solid decision win against Palaszewski.

In addition to the five-round showdown between Bowles and Cruz, WEC 47 will also feature a pivotal bantamweight showdown pairing former champion Miguel Torres with the once-beaten Joseph Benavidez. It will also mark the return of one-time UFC lightweight champion Jens Pulver, as he answers the bell against Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace Javier Vazquez.

---

More » WEC 47 Lineup

---