7 Fights Greenlit for WEC 51

International Fight League veteran Chris Horodecki will meet Ed Ratcliff in a preliminary lightweight duel at WEC 51 “Aldo vs. Gamburyan” on Sept. 30 at the 1stBank Center in Broomfield, Colo. Seven fights are now official for the event, which will air live on the Versus network.

Horodecki has posted three wins in his past four appearances. The 22-year-old Canadian was a finalist in the 2007 IFL lightweight grand prix and holds notable victories against former IFL lightweight champion Ryan Schultz and the well-traveled Bart Palaszewski. A protégé of striking guru Shawn Tompkins, Horodecki submitted Daniel Downes with a third-round rear-naked choke at WEC 49 in June and evened his record at 1-1 inside the promotion.

Anchored at the Alliance Training Center in Chula Vista, Calif., Ratcliff trains alongside WEC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz. The 27-year-old Chicago native finds himself on the rebound following his submission loss to Donald Cerrone at WEC 45 in December. A tae kwon do black belt, Ratcliff has secured more than half (five) of his seven career victories by knockout or technical knockout. He has never dropped back-to-back fights.

Meanwhile, Antonio Banuelos will lock horns with Chad George in a preliminary bantamweight matchup.

A longtime training partner of UFC hall of famer Chuck Liddell, Banuelos has delivered three wins in his last four appearances. The 30-year-old Tulare, Calif., native, lost a unanimous decision to the world-ranked Scott Jorgensen -- a man he defeated in 2009 -- at WEC 48 in April. In his nine-year-career, the 5-foot-3 Banuelos has never lost two fights in a row.

George last appeared at WEC 47 in March, when he was victimized by Jorgensen’s patented guillotine choke. The defeat snapped his six-fight winning streak. The 28-year-old Los Angeles native trains alongside “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 6 winner Mac Danzig and has held titles inside the Total Fighting Alliance and Freestyle Cage Fighting promotions. George sports six submissions among his 11 career victories.

A featherweight title match between defending champion Jose Aldo and “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 5 finalist Manny Gamburyan will headline WEC 51, along with an anticipated rematch pairing Cerrone with former WEC lightweight titleholder Jamie Varner. In addition, one-time WEC bantamweight king Miguel Torres will toe the line against Charlie Valencia, as he tries to put the brakes on a two-fight losing streak.

WEC 51: Aldo vs. Gamburyan
Thursday, Sept. 30
1stBank Center
Broomfield, Colo.

WEC Featherweight Championship
Jose Aldo vs. Manny Gamburyan

Miguel Torres vs. Charlie Valencia
Jamie Varner vs. Donald Cerrone
Leonard Garcia vs. Mark Hominick
Chan Sung Jung vs. George Roop
Chris Horodecki vs. Ed Ratcliff
Antonio Banuelos vs. Chad George