Welcome to the Heavy.com staff roundtable discussion for Saturday's WEC 47 card from Columbus, Ohio. The show is headlined by a bantamweight title fight between Brian Bowles and Dominick Cruz, and also features the return of Miguel Torres following his shocking loss to Bowles last August. We've pulled together a few of our staffers and asked them some compelling questions heading into the show.

Your panel for the show:

- Jeremy Botter: Lead Staff Writer
- Nate Lawson: Staff Writer
- Brett C. Jones: Feature Contributor
- Mitch Ciccarelli: Staff Writer

Let's get started after the jump, shall we?

What fight from the preliminary bouts would you like to see on the televised portion of the card (and why) and which fight do you think could be bumped off television?

Jones: I'm sure that both Scott Jorgensen v. Chad George and Danny Castillo v. Anthony Pettis are going to be entertaining fights, and I think both would make great additions to the main card. However, the most intriguing match on the undercard, to me, is Chad Mendes v. Erik Koch in a battle of undefeated Featherweights. I'd be perfectly happy with putting any of those three fights on the main card in lieu of the Bart Palaszewski v. Karen Darabedyan fight.

Botter: Leonard Garcia vs. George Roop, simply because I believe it's going to be a great fight. Garcia has a habit of putting on exciting fights, and he's coming off a loss, which should only prove to make him more exciting in the cage. If I had to pick a bout to boot off the main card, it would be Palaszewski vs. Darabedyan, mostly because I'm not looking forward to spelling either guys last name more than once.

Ciccarelli: Leonard Garcia vs. George Roop is a fight that makes sense for the main card, because it's going to be a fight of the night contender. L.C. Davis and Deividas Taurosevicius are talented, but they don't have much name recognition. Garcia and Roop are more recognizable by far, so it makes sense to switch these two fights around.

Lawson: The only prelim fight that could have been on the main card is the bantamweight matchup between Scott Jorgensen and Chad George. However, the WEC already has a fight on this card to determine the next bantamweight challenger and the promotion needs to focus on its lightweight division. The main card is exactly what it should be.

2. WEC 47 features a wealth of talent and promising young fighters. Which fighter with 15 or fewer fights do you think will have the most decorated career when it is all said and done?

Botter: It may seem like a cop-out answer, but I'd have to go with Brian Bowles. The kid has only been training mixed martial arts for five years or so, and he only started training in the first place because he visited Rory Singer's gym with a friend. He's got incredible power and a very aware submission game. He's only going to get better, which is scary given his current stature as champion of his weight class.

Lawson: When it comes to the many promising fighters on this card, Karen Darabedyan really stands out. He is 9-1 and currently riding a six fight winning streak. Darabedyan looked great in his split-decision victory over Rob McCullough (which I felt should have been unanimous) and should be a rising force in the lightweight division in 2010.

Ciccarelli: Regardless of whether he successfully defends his title against Cruz or not, Brian Bowles will go down in history as the greatest bantamweight fighter of all time. Anyone who is able to finish Miguel Torres the way that Bowles did last August is almost guaranteed to develop into a legendary fighter. Bowles is a well-rounded competitor that seems to improve drastically with every fight. If he continues evolving at this rate, four or five years from now, there will not be a bantamweight alive that can beat him.

Jones: I can't pick against Brian Bowles. He beat the bantamweight equivalent of Fedor Emelianenko in just the eighth fight of his career. Even if Torres beats him to regain the title, I'm not sure that any other bantamweight can. Bowles has accomplished too much for me to prefer anyone else's career outlook over his.

3. Jens Pulver returns for what in all likelihood will be the last fight of his long and storied career. Should Jens have hung them up a long time ago? Does a loss here (which would be his 5th in a row and 7 of his last 8) tarnish his legacy, at least a little bit?

Lawson: Pulver has an undying will to compete in this sport, and I can't fault him for not wanting to hang up the gloves. He has created a legacy after beginning his career in this sport in 1999. That being said, a five fight losing streak would be very hard to ignore, and I would have to imagine that his legacy would be at least a bit tarnished with such a poor end to his career.

Jones: I feel the same way about Jens Pulver as I do about professional athletes in any sport: if they want to keep playing and earning a livelihood, God bless them. Reducing an athlete's legacy based on late-career performance (or lack thereof) is something that non-athletes do because they are either too nostalgic or prone to schadenfreude. Pulver could lose 100 fights in a row and he'd still be recognized as the first UFC Lightweight champion. He should continue to fight for as long as he wants and can get licensed, and to hell with anyone who says otherwise.

Botter: I'll never be the person to tell a fighter when they should hang up the gloves. That's a personal decision based on more factors than just wins, losses and health. Jens says he has to keep fighting to pay the bills, so I say we let him keep fighting. But he does have to understand that with every loss, he's probably hurting his legacy.

Ciccarelli: Jens should have retired after his war with Urijah Faber in 2008. Retiring after holding his own with one of the best in the world would have been as close to a storybook ending as Pulver coul hope for at this point. Sadly, he chose to keep fighting and can't seem to win a fight these days. He's a pioneer of the sport and will always be loved by hardcore fans, but he's tarnishing his reputation with every loss.

4. If you could only choose one of the co-main events to watch, which would you choose – Bowles vs. Cruz or Torres vs. Benavidez? (and why)

Jones: The list of fighters that I'd choose to watch instead of Miguel Torres is extremely short. Neither Brian Bowles nor Dominick Cruz is on the list, despite Bowles' victory over Torres.

Ciccarelli: I'm excited to see how Bowles handles his first title defense, but I don't think it's going to be an exciting fight. Benavidez is a protege of Urijah Faber and has a very similar fighting style, so this fight is basically like seeing Torres vs. Faber. I'll take it.

Lawson: Out of the two co-main events, Torres vs. Benavidez is the most intriguing. After his knockout loss to Bowles at WEC 42, the most dominant bantamweight in the history of the sport is looking for redemption. And I certainly don't want to miss a focused Miguel Torres looking for redemption.

Botter: Torres vs. Benavidez. I've never seen either guy have a bad fight, and now they're matched up with each other? It's the bout I'm most looking forward to on the entire card and it's the bout with the most intrigue going forward.

5. Who leaves with their hand raised on Saturday?

Bart Palaszewski vs. Karen Darabedyan

Botter: Darabedyan via decision. Darabedyan's boxing technique is too good, and he's extremely close to a lightweight title shot. He'll ride out a decision on points here.

Jones: Palaszewski is 2-2 in WEC, but his losses have resonated much more with me than his wins. Darabedyan didn't exactly wow me in his WEC debut, but he did beat former WEC Lightweight champion Rob McCullough, which is more impressive than either of Palaszewski's WEC victories. Karen Darabedyan via unanimous decision.

Ciccarelli: Palszweski is a seasoned veteran but he will not be able to handle Darabedyan anywhere in this fight. Look for the Armenian to land the stiffer shots on the feet and completely dominate "Bartimus" on the ground en route to a TKO stoppage due to ground and pound. Darabedyan by TKO in the second.

Lawson: Karen Darabedyan def. Bart Palszweski via unanimous decision. Palszewski is a veteran of the sport with 44 professional bouts. However, after the performance Darabedyan had against former WEC champion Rob McCullough, I see the young gun pulling out a unanimous decision.

Deividas Taurosevicius vs. L.C. Davis

Lawson: Deividas Taurosevicius defeats L.C. Davis via unanimous decision. L.C. Davis has had a successful run in the WEC with two decision victories. Taurosevicius also has gained two decision victories during his WEC career. However, the latter has displayed old-school strength and a phenomenal wrestling-base. Davis is in over his head on this one.

Botter: Taurosevicius via decision. It will be a close (and likely split) decision, but one that Taurosevicius ultimate takes.

Ciccarelli: Taurosevicius is an extremely dangerous submission fighter but Davis's wrestling base will allow him to keep the fight standing where he should hold a slight advantage. Davis has shown improvements with his standup lately and it will lead him to victory here. Davis wins this with a unanimous decision.

Jones: It's a battle of guys who've won split decisions over Javier Vazquez! Since his MMA debut, Taurosevicius has lost to just two fighters: Ryan Schultz and Frank Edgar, both of whom are Lightweights. I don't think Davis is dynamic enough in any facet of his game to add his name to that list. Deividas Taurosevicius via unanimous decision.

Jens Pulver vs. Javier Vazquez

Jones: I think this will be Pulver's best performance since he lost to Urijah Faber via unanimous decision. I'm happy to convince myself that Pulver can defeat Vazquez, but I think Vazquez split decision losses to both LC Davis and Deividas Taurosevicius represent greater and more recent accomplishments than Pulver's first performance against Faber. Javier Vazquez via split decision.

Botter: Vazquez by TKO, round one. I hate to put this prediction on Pulver, because he's a nice guy and genuine class act. But history has not been kind for Jens in previous fights, and I expect the same type of result here.

Ciccarelli: If Vasquez avoids getting into a kickboxing match with Pulver then he should dominate on the ground. Pulver still has knockout power but his chin is not what it used to be. The same can be said about his takedown defense. Look for Vasquez to get the early takedown and hand Pulver his fifth straight first round loss. Vasquez by first round submission.

Lawson: Jens Pulver def. Javier Vazquez via unanimous decision. Vazquez may be coming off two split-decision losses, but he is still a very game opponent for the seasoned veteran. Pulver is accurately looking at this fight as one of the biggest of his career. If he can avoid the submission and keep this fight standing, "Lil' Evil" should grab a little redemption with a unanimous decision victory.

Miguel Torres vs. Joseph Benavidez

Botter: Torres is too rangy and simply too skilled for Benavidez, who will be lucky if he makes it to the second round with all limbs intact. Benavidez wants a wrestling match, and Torres told me Thursday night that he's happy to oblige. That's not good for Benavidez. Torres via submission, round two.

Lawson: Benavidez is one of the top fighters in the bantamweight division. He's tough as nails and brings solid stand up to compliment his wrestling base. But Miguel Torres is not just one of the top fighters in the 135-pound division -- he is the best bantamweight in the history of the sport. A dominant return for Torres after his disappointing loss to Bowles fits the bill.

Jones: In 39 career fights, Torres has beaten everyone he's ever fought except for Brian Bowles. By all accounts, Torres is the most focused he's ever been for this fight. Miguel Torres via TKO, round two.

Ciccarelli: Thought Torres was talented before? Wait until you see him against Benavidez. Expect Torres to follow in the path of Georges St. Pierre and come out better than ever in his first fight back since losing his title. Torres will eventually be put on his back which is where he will finish Benavidez. Torres by submission in the third.

Brian Bowles vs. Dominick Cruz

Botter: I think Cruz is quick enough and uses enough sharp angles to keep Bowles from knocking him out, but he's not good enough to stop the champ from bullying him around for five rounds. Bowles wins the fight in dominant (and likely boring) fashion, setting up a summertime rematch with Miguel Torres.

Jones: Cruz is a great fighter whose only loss was against Urijah Faber, but I don't see how anyone could pick against the undefeated champion. Brian Bowles via submission (guillotine choke), round three.

Ciccarelli: Cruz is the bigger fighter with a strong wrestling background, but Bowles is no slouch on the ground. Expect Bowles to keep the fight standing and use his superior boxing and power to dispatch Cruz in the second round by TKO.

Lawson: Cruz may be the better technical fighter in the evening's main event, but Bowles has punishing knockout power that was enough to put away Miguel Torres. Cruz will be a tough challenge for the undefeated champion, but Bowles should be able to keep this fight standing and finish Cruz with his powerful striking.