“It’s my first time being in a big show like this, I just hope everything goes my way,” the 22-year old Darabedyan, a Glendale resident and 2005 Glendale High graduate said of fighting at WEC 44, which emanates from The Palms Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. “You don’t get an opportunity like this too often, I’m pretty fortunate to get this.”
The Darabedyan-McCullough three-round lightweight (155 pounds) scrap is one of four standout matchups scheduled for the live portion of the televised card, which is headlined by a featherweight (145 pounds) title fight between champion Mike Thomas Brown and challenger Jose Aldo and also features a featherweight fight between Leonard Garcia and Darabedyan’s training partner, Manny Gamburyan.
As with all WEC events, Wednesday’s card airs live on Versus, beginning at 6 p.m.
Darabedyan (8-1) brings a well-rounded skill set that has seen him win three fights by technical knockout, another by submission and four by submission into a bout with the seasoned McCullough (17-5), whose known for his stand-up skills, possessing a vaunted kickboxing background.
McCullough is 2-2 over his last four fights, with his victories coming via split decision. His last fight, a split decision win against Marcus Hicks on March 1, saw McCullough break his hand. The first of those four fights was a TKO loss to Jaime Varner, in which McCullough lost his title. With a wealth of experience, however, McCullough is clearly the favorite.
Still, Darabedyan’s camp — he trains with the likes of current and former Ultimate Fighting Championship competitors Karo Parisyan, Gamburyan, Roman Mitichyan and Alberto Crane at the Main Event Sports Club in Glendale under Roman Kalanteryan and at North Hollywood’s Team Hayastan under Gokor Chivitchyan and Gene LeBell — is confident, right along with Darabedyan.
