The 10 Greatest Fights of WEC

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Miguel Torres vs. Takeya Mizugaki
WEC 40, “Torres vs. Mizugaki,” April 5, 2009 -- Chicago, Ill.

Just across the state line from his hometown of East Chicago, Ind., Torres bolstered his reputation as the top 135-pounder in the world, defending his WEC belt against his toughest challenger to date. Stepping in for an injured Brian Bowles on just over one month’s notice, Mizugaki made his WEC and North American debut one to remember, taking Torres into deeper waters than any previous opponent. Mizugaki nearly stopped the fight when he opened a gash over the champion’s right eye in the third round, but Torres pressed on, using effective strikes and clinch work to take a five-round unanimous decision. Torres left the cage with his belt, while Mizugaki, despite an unexpectedly gutsy performance, left in tears.

Benson Henderson vs. Donald Cerrone 1
WEC 43, “Cerrone vs. Henderson,” Oct. 10, 2009 -- San Antonio, Texas

What was originally scheduled to be a lightweight title rematch between Cerrone and Jamie Varner became an interim title bout between Cerrone and Henderson when Varner was unable to defend his belt due to a hand injury. Varner’s misfortune proved a boon for fight fans, as “Cowboy” and “Smooth” put on Sherdog.com’s 2009 “Fight of the Year,” one of the most thrilling five-rounders in MMA history. In a back-and-forth Texas showdown, Henderson improbably escaped from every deep submission Cerrone threw at him, including what appeared to be a fight-ending guillotine choke just 20 seconds into the bout. Fighting through a badly swollen left eye, Henderson pushed the pace, using relentless shots and strikes -- and somehow surviving a vicious fifth-round Cerrone omoplata -- to win by the narrowest of margins, a single point on all three judges’ scorecards.

Leonard Garcia vs. Chan Sung Jung
WEC 48, “Aldo vs. Faber,” April 24, 2010 -- Sacramento, Calif.

Even the dubious judging that followed could hardly tarnish the memory of this bout, a scrap in the truest sense of the word, which introduced the world to the “Korean Zombie.” For 15 minutes, Jung backed up his nickname, walking through haymakers from Garcia while punishing his man with knees from the clinch and wild punches of his own. Garcia proved his mettle, too, battling through the last two stanzas of the slugfest with a fractured right hand. While the Texas native would walk away with a split decision, it was the “Zombie” who infected the masses.

Mark Hominick vs. Yves Jabouin
WEC 49, “Varner vs. Shalorus,” June 20, 2010 -- Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

It was only fitting that two Canadians would put on the “Fight of the Night” in what was WEC’s sole trip to the Great White North. In the semi-main event of a card written off by most MMA media and fans even before it took place, the two featherweight sluggers pushed a frenetic pace, as Jabouin assaulted Hominick with jabs, kicks and spinning strikes from the get-go. Undeterred, “The Machine” pressed forward and gradually began to put punches on the head and body of Jabouin. The pair came out throwing again in the second. Jabouin laid a whirling elbow on Hominick’s jaw which looked like it would have dropped a horse; Hominick not only stayed standing, but replied right away with a cracking right hand. Just as Jabouin began to show signs of fatigue, Hominick dug a vicious left hand to his opponent’s body which caused the “Tiger” to turtle at the base of the cage. Jabouin managed to scramble back to his feet and recover, where he sent Hominick to the canvas with a right cross. As the Rexall Centre crowd erupted, Jabouin followed his man to the ground, where a bloodied Hominick swept into full mount, finishing Jabouin with punches in one of the finest rounds of 2010.

Anthony Pettis vs. Benson Henderson
WEC 53, “Henderson vs. Pettis,” Dec. 16, 2010

The stakes couldn’t have been any higher. In the historic final bout held under the WEC banner, reigning lightweight champ Henderson took on surging challenger Pettis with not only the WEC belt on the line, but also the chance to challenge for the UFC strap. The early rounds went back and forth, with Henderson applying the ground assault as Pettis used his superior standup. Pettis spent the bulk of the third round latched onto the champion’s back with a body triangle, but Henderson turned the tables in the fourth, nearly finishing with a rear-naked choke. Then, with 65 seconds left in the final round and the title still very much up for grabs, it happened. As Henderson circled away from the cage to his right, Pettis rushed forward, propelling himself off the fence with his right leg, and then using that same foot to smack Henderson across the face. The champ went down and, although the ensuing flurry of punches from Pettis was not enough to finish Henderson, the spectacular kick had won “Showtime” the championship and sent WEC off in appropriately thrilling fashion.

Honorable Mentions
Alex Stiebling vs. Joe Riggs -- WEC 9, “Cold Blooded,” Jan. 16, 2004
Chris Leben vs. Mike Swick -- WEC 9, “Cold Blooded,” Jan. 16, 2004
Karo Parisyan vs. Shonie Carter -- WEC 10, “Bragging Rights,” May 21, 2004
Alex Serdyukov vs. Mark Weir -- WEC 14, “Vengeance,” March 17, 2005
Chris Lytle vs. Pat Healy -- WEC 15, “Judgment Day,” May 19, 2005
Alex Karalexis vs. Thomas Denny -- WEC 23, “Hot August Fights,” Aug. 17, 2006
John Alessio vs. Alex Serdyukov 1 -- WEC 23, “Hot August Fights,” Aug. 17, 2006
Chase Beebe vs. Eddie Wineland -- WEC 26, March 24, 2007
Manny Tapia vs. Antonio Banuelos -- WEC 32, Feb. 13, 2008
Urijah Faber vs. Jens Pulver 1 -- WEC 34, “Faber vs. Pulver,” June 1, 2008
Johny Hendricks vs. Alex Serdyukov -- WEC 39, “Brown vs. Garcia,” March 1, 2009
Will Campuzano vs. Coty Wheeler -- WEC 46, “Varner vs. Shalorus,” Jan. 10, 2010