Issue 135
December 2015
The greatest hits of the WEC that you need to watch today!
Beloved by in-the-know fans as the place to see the most exciting fights, World Extreme Cagefighting and its roster of bright young stars helped to cement the lighter weight classes’ reputation for producing some of the most fast-paced, action-packed and violent fights in MMA history. Fighters Only found it almost impossible to pick just five fights from dozens of all-time classics, but eventually we chose these scintillating scraps as the WEC’s ultimate encounters.
Festival of violence
John Polakowski vs. Olaf Alfonso (WEC 9, Jan 2004)
This was an unbelievable slugfest from the WEC’s early days. Though it’s hardly one for the purists who value true technique, it’s a 15-minute festival of violence that rivals almost any fight for action, excitement and pure caged chaos.
Olaf Alfonso was already a fan favorite with the local California crowd after his wild first two fights in the organization, and was expected to quickly take care of the appropriately nicknamed John ‘Buckets of Blood’ Polakowski – who was making his pro debut on just a few hours’ notice.
But this battle played out over the full three rounds. They swung for the fences, scrambled frantically for submissions and sprayed claret all over the mat until Alfonso walked out of the cage with a controversial split decision, which set up a trilogy of fights over the next two years.
Master with a mullet
Miguel Torres vs. Yoshiro Maeda (WEC 34, Jun 2008)
While most eyeballs were drawn to the fantastic five-round featherweight battle between hometown hero Urijah Faber and Jens Pulver, the co-feature that night in Sacramento stole the show thanks to the brilliance of the 135lb division’s first breakout star.
Marvelously mulleted Miguel Torres made the first defense of his bantamweight title against Japanese challenger Yoshiro Maeda, but fought as if he had nothing to lose. The pair engaged in wild exchanges on the feet with only one thing in their minds – fight for the finish.
They didn’t let up when the fight hit the mat either, as they exchanged simultaneous strikes and submission attempts that provoked non-stop screaming from the crowd. Eventually, the damage inflicted by Torres took its toll and the fight had to be stopped by the doctors at the end of the third round.
All-out attack
Benson Henderson vs. Donald Cerrone (WEC 43, Oct 2009)
With astonishing acumen for attack and little regard for defense, Benson Henderson and Donald Cerrone practically guaranteed fireworks when they met in San Antonio, Texas. Sure enough, the fight began at 100mph and barely slowed. Cerrone threatened with submissions within seconds before Henderson took control with brutal ground ’n’ pound.
But with 15 minutes gone ‘Smooth’ had the lead on the scorecards after attacking with everything – including the kitchen sink. But ‘Cowboy’ took the aforementioned piece of household plumbing and smashed it over his opponent’s head in rounds four and five.
Ultimately, however, Henderson survived strikes, chokes and locks like a man with an iron jaw and rubber limbs to take a hotly-debated decision victory.
Brawl to end them all
Leonard Garcia vs. Chan Sung Jung (WEC 48, Apr 2010)
Once the action started in this electric fight from the preliminary card of the WEC’s only pay-per-view event, it didn’t stop. Chan Sung Jung showed everyone why he’s known as ‘The Korean Zombie’ as he took some of the wildest punches ever thrown in a fight, yet still hit Leonard Garcia with punches, kicks, knees, elbows and any other part of his body he could find to legally inflict damage.
Both ‘Bad Boy’ and his undead Asian opponent hit the mat, but kept coming back with strikes delivered from different zip codes, and the occasional moment of frantic grappling. It was back-and-forth, non-stop and utterly exhilarating. And that’s an understatement!
Somehow, Garcia was given the victory, but even a head-scratching judges’ decision didn’t spoil five rounds’ worth of unforgettable action that was squeezed into just three furious frames.
It’s Showtime!
Anthony Pettis vs. Benson Henderson (WEC 53, Dec 2010)
Talk about saving the best until last. The final fight in the WEC was back-and-forth until the final minute of the final round, and included the organization’s greatest ever moment. The champion, Benson Henderson, and his opponent Anthony Pettis, exchanged blows for 24 minutes, and despite hitting each other with strikes and submission attempts from every page of the MMA playbook, couldn’t be separated.
And then, history was made, and the challenger secured his place on mixed martial arts highlight reels until the end of time. In a moment of spontaneous, unique and unbelievable improvisation, ‘Showtime’ lived up to his name by running up the cage wall, flooring Henderson with the most sensational kick ever seen in MMA, and securing victory.
It was mixed martial arts’ version of a Viking funeral – the WEC ended in a blaze of glory.
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