Top WEC Fighters Coming to the UFC

Here is a look at the best fighters in the WEC who will soon make the venture to the UFC. The most interesting thing will be to see how WEC 155 pounders do in the UFC.

Also, what undersized UFC 155 pounders decide to make a drop to 145? Keep in mind it is unclear which contracts will be renewed and what fighters will not make the transition to the UFC.

135 - Bantamweight

1. Dominick Cruz (17-1)- WEC Champ with well-rounded skills, has wins over Joe Benavidez, Brian Bowles and Charlie Valencia. Cruz defeated Scott Jorgenson in a unanimous decision to close out his WEC career.

2. Brian Bowles (8-1)- Former WEC Champ has wins over Damacio Page and Miguel Torres. Has struggled with injuries as of late.

3. Scott Jorgenson (11-4)- 3X Pac Ten wrestling champ. Wins against Brad Pickett and Antonio Banuelos. Next in line for a title shot.

4. Joe Benavidez (13-2)- The high energy spark plug fighter has wins over Jeff Curran, Miguel Torres and Rani Yahya. Benavidez won via guillotine choke over Wagney Fabiano at WEC 52, and wants to fight in UFC's coming 125 flyweight division.

5. Urijah Faber (25-4)- Faber, the former WEC champ, has stopped Dominick Cruz, Bibiano Fernandes and Raphael Assuncao. Urijah defeated Takeya Mizugaki at WEC 52, and is rumored to possibly coach TUF 13 or be fast-tracked to a title shot.  He is rumored to fight Eddie Wineland in the UFC.

5. Miguel Torres (38-3)- Former champ stopped his 2 fight losing streak with a submission win over Charlie Valencia at WEC 51. Other wins over Chase Beebe, Yoshiro Maeda and Takeya Mizugaki. Torres fights Antonio Banuelos at UFC 126.

145 - Featherweight

1. Jose Aldo (18-1)- Aldo has looked unstoppable in his run to the WEC title, currently riding an 11 fight win streak. The Muay Thai striker has defeated Urijah Faber, Manny Gamburyan, Mike Thomas Brown, Alexandre Franca Nogueira. He fights Grispi at UFC 125.

2. Manny Gamburyan (11-5)- Manny turned a runner-up performance on a talent rich TUF 5 into a brief stint in the UFC, followed by a 3-1 effort so far in the WEC with his lone loss coming to Jose Aldo. Manny's WEC wins have come over John Franchi, Leonard Garcia and Mike Brown.

3. Chad Mendes (9-0)- Mendes has looked solid in his 3 straight 2010 victories in the WEC. Mendes has bested Cub Swanson, Anthony Morrison and Erik Koch. Mendes defeated Javier Vazquez at WEC 52, securing his spot in the UFC. He fights Mike Brown at UFC 125 for a likely title shot.

4. Diego Nunes (16-1)- Nunes is coming off a split decision over Mike Brown in his UFC debut. His other big wins have come over Rafeal Assuncao, Cole Province and Rafeal Dias.

5. Dustin Poirer (9-1)- A drop to 145 did Poirer wonders in a dominant decision win over Josh Grispi at UFC 125. Poirer closed out his WEC career with a TKO over Zach Micklewright.

5. Mike Thomas Brown (24-6)- Thomas, who won the WEC title over Urijah Faber, recently bounced back with a win over Cole Province. Brown is a big 145, having previously fought at 155 in the UFC. He fights Mendes for a likely title shot at UFC 125.

155 - Lightweight

1. Anthony Pettis (13-1)- With an array of stand-up skills and a slick ground game, expect Pettis to make waves in the UFC. He has looked impressive in his last three bouts, KO'ing Danny Castillo with a head kick, then scoring triangle chokes over Alex Karalexis and Shane Roller.

2. Benson Henderson (12-2)- The former college wrestler has developed a nice submission skill-set, submitting Donald Cerrone and Jamie Varner in his last two outings. Smooth also has wins over Shane Roller and Anthony Njokuani.

3. Donald Cerrone (13-3)- One of the more interesting characters of the WEC, the Cowboy has solid Muay Thai and legit submission skills. Big wins have come over Razor Rob McCullough, Ed Ratcliff and Jamie Varner.

4. Kamal Shalorus (7-0-2)- Split decision win over Bart Palaszewski at WEC 53. Iran wrestling stand-out has 4 TKO's, with wins over Will Kerr and Dave Jansen.

5. Bart Palaszewski (35-13)- Former IFL stand-out has excelled in the WEC with 3 straight WEC victories, his last two include a KO over previously unbeaten Zack Micklewright and armbar over Karen Darabedyan.

Slick prospect- Maciej Jewtuszko (8-0)- With 4 TKO's and 4 submissions on his resume, his last outing was an impressive 1st round TKO over Anthony Njokuani.

WEC 40 Chicago Results

Despite a snowstorm that kept some away, I was in attendance for WEC 40. There was a solid line-up of fights and they were entertaining throughout. I had seats that were up a few rows in the lower bowl, giving me a good sight line for the event. I saw Manny Tapia, Clay Guida and Raphael Assuncao up on the concourse, but it was a little tough to get a picture.

Miguel Torres def Takeya Mizugaki via unanimous dec- Torres and Mizugaki threw punches, kicks and knees non-stop for the entire 25 minute fight. Anytime Torres looked to connect with a punch, Mizugaki landed a kick. They battled hard throughout the fight, as chants of "Torres" could be heard throughout the arena. Torres attempted to bring Mizugaki to the ground, but he was just not having any part of Torres on the ground.
*Torres and Mizugaki win Fight of the Night.

(Torres in his corner before the fight)

Joseph Benavidez def Jeff Curran via unanimous dec- Curran came out as the hometown favorite, but the crowd didn't carry him in the fight. Benavidez landed the stronger kicks and punches of the fight to get the victory. His kicks landed sharp as you could hear the smacks in the audience. The action was fast and furious, but Benavidez had Curran's number.

(Benavidez throwing a kick)

Ben Henderson def Shane Roller via TKO (strikes) R1, 1:41- This proved to be one of the only come from behind performances on the card. Roller came out strong landing a combination that dropped Henderson. Roller then locked in a guillotine, but he didn't quite have it. Henderson then got to his feet and landed a left and a right to the temple which flattened Roller. He tried to grab onto Henderson's legs, but as the punches kept coming the bout was called.

(Roller goes for the guillotine)

Raphael Assuncao def Jameel Massouh via unaninous dec- Despite giving up a few inches, Assuncao was able to dominate the fight for all rounds getting a 30-27 score on all the judges scorecards. Assuncao was able to get the better of the fight with punches and kicks, and also got takedowns and submission attempts. Massouh almost came back near the end of the fight, but it was too little, too late.

(Assuncao giving up some height)

Anthony Njokuani def Bart Palaszewski via TKO (strikes) R2, 0:27- Bart Palaszewski suffered another setback losing his second straight fight in the WEC. The first round saw Bart eat a couple punches before getting a takedown. Njokuani got up almost instantly, and started throwing more cominations. In the second, Njokuani worked his jab before landing a big right hand dropping Palaszewski.
*Njokuani wins KO of the Night.

(Njokuani finishing off Palaszewski)

Dominick Cruz def Ivan Lopez via unanimous dec- Cruz dominated the fight with punches, kicks and takedowns. Cruz had good ground and pound throughout the fight getting dominant positions. In the third round, as Lopez was shooting for a leg during a scramble, Cruz accidently kneed Lopez in the head. With Lopez on the ground reeling back and forth, the fight was called. As the ref judged it an inadvertant knee, they went to the judges cards who scored it for Cruz.

(Lopez attempting to punch Cruz)

Wagnney Fabiano def Fredson Paixao via unanimous dec- Fabiano controlled the action throughout the fight en route to a 30-27 decision. Fabiano was able to get takedowns, ground and pound, throw good leg kicks and attempt some submissions. Fabiano also opened up a cut on Paixao's head early on.

(Fabiano ground and pound)

Rani Yahya def Eddie Wineland via sub (rear-naked choke) R1, 1:07- It was not Eddie Wineland's night as Rani Yahya basically steamrolled right past him. Yahya ate an elbow on a takedown attempt, got Wineland's back, sunk in the hooks and choke and it was lights out.
*Yahya wins Submission of the Night bonus

Akitoshi Tamura def Manny Tapia via unanimous dec- This fight was a hard fought war that was much closer than the 29-28 seen on all the judges scorecards. For all three rounds, both fighters traded punches, kicks and knees. Anything that Tapia did, Tamura had an answer. The bout stayed standing the entire time with neither fighter doing a ton of damage.

(Manny Tapia taking pics with fans)

Rafael Dias def Mike Budnik via unanimous dec- In the first fight of the night, Dias was the aggressor getting takedowns at will. Budnick attempted a couple submissions, but wasn't really doing much. Dias almost had a north-south choke in the second, but it wasn't secured tight enough.

(Budnick attempting a leg lock)