Let's go, it's time for the WEC on Versus once again! Todd Harris introduces the night and brings it back to the Cerrone vs. Varner fight from January to explain why we've got an Interim Title fight tonight. Frank Mir comes in and stumbles along in his explanation as to what the Interim belt is for. They then run down the rest of the night's card.
FIGHT ONE: DAMACIO PAGE VS. WILL CAMPUZANO (BANTAMWEIGHT)
PRE FIGHT: Page says his advantage is that he's crazy. He says it doesn't bother him that Campuzano is a local boy. Campuzano says he's going to knock Page out.
[Commercial Break]
ROUND ONE: Campuzano tried to come out with a flying knee and then Page walked him down and started landing bombs against the cage. Campuzano started trading back but then went to his back on the ground and Page followed him down. Page tried a bit of ground and pound and then got Campuzano's back and went for a choke. Campuzano got out of it but Page stayed on his back, locking in the choke again for the victory. Another nice victory for Damacio Page.
[Commercial Break]
WINNER: Page via submission (rear naked choke) at 1:02 of the first round.
POST FIGHT: Page said he loved his sister back home and said whoever they throw at him he's ready for.
STAR RATING: (**+) It didn't last long, but it got off to a hell of a start and then Page didn't waste time once he had his opponent on the ground. It was a nice win for him to continue his climb up the 135 lb. ranks.
[Commercial Break]
-They show an awesome hype video for Mike Brown vs. Jose Aldo next month at WEC 44 for the Featherweight Championship. Todd Harris is cageside with Mike Brown, and Brown talks up his "fast, young" opponent and says he'll need to pull out his "old man strength" to beat him down. He says he can't let Jose's knee hit his face. Frank Mir then runs down the television card for next month's event on November 18th.
FIGHT TWO: RAPHAEL ASSUNCAO VS. YVES JABOUIN (FEATHERWEIGHT)
PRE FIGHT: Jabouin says rolling with guys like GSP shows him he has the tools to hang with the best in the world. Assuncao says no one's going to be able to push him around for three rounds, and he sees his hand raised.
[Commercial Break]
-Urijah Faber joins Todd Harris and Frank Mir at ringside to call the action on this fight. He says he doesn't have anything set yet but he might be returning in January and he's ready for it.
ROUND ONE: Assuncao comes straight out to the center as Jabouin pops side to side on the outside. Assuncao lands a good combination early as Jabouin tried to pop in with a jab. Jabouin landed a good leg kick. Assuncao looks to be the faster guy here. Assuncao landed a good shot but ate on of his own that looked to stun him slightly. Assuncao tries a body kick and Jabouin catches it and lands a couple of good punches and drops Assuncao down. Assuncao pulls guard and Jabouin finally lets him up. Once standing again Assuncao landed a good two punch combination. Jabouin came in again and ate a few more punches. Assuncao shot in and Jabouin exploded out of the takedown and got on top of Assuncao in his guard. Assuncao controlled the body of Jabouin but then Jabouin popped out and stood back up. Assuncao landed another punch. Jabouin landed a good combination of kicks and punches. Assuncao grabbed a leg and went for a takedown, but he let it go and then landed a couple of knees before releasing. Jabouin got in close and they clinched on the cage. Assuncao landed a good knee to the body. Jabouin tried to shake Assuncao off but Assuncao held on. He tried to land a knee and then backed off and the round came to an end.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Jabouin. It was very close standing, with both landing some effective shots, but Jabouin had Assuncao on his back twice, once when Assuncao was the one shooting in. Very close fight thus far.
[Commercial Break]
ROUND TWO: They both came out looking to engage early in the round. Each landed a punch here and there in the first minute. Jabouin landed a good straight kick. Assuncao responded with a leg kick of his own. They both popped in and traded shots. Jabouin landed a good inside leg kick. Assuncao landed outside leg kicks to both legs. They trade punches again in the center and then Jabouin walked Assuncao down with a combination. Assuncao kicked the back leg out from under Jabouin as he was throwing a body kick but Jabouin popped back up. Jabouin landed a good body kick. Assuncao with the leg kick again. Jabouin landed a massive roundhouse side kick that sent him back. He came in for another combination and Assuncao rocked him with a good punch. Jabouin returns with another combo. Assuncao tried to shoot in and Jabouin held him off on the cage. Assuncao landed a good punch and then shot in against the cage. Jabouin held him off for a bit but then Assuncao got him down. Assuncao grabbed on for a choke and nearly had it locked in on the ground but Jabouin rolled through it and survived to the end.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Assuncao. He pushed the action and stole an even round in the final seconds with the near submission.
[Commercial Break]
ROUND THREE: Assuncao is back to stalking the action. Jabouin tried to come in and Assuncao dropped him with a foot sweep. Jabouin popped back up but Assuncao hit him with a couple of good punches before they clinched. Assuncao dropped for a single leg and got him down. He tried to take Jabouin's back as Jabouin was on one knee against the cage. Assuncao got Jabouin all the way to the ground and tried to get both hooks in. Jabouin tried to walk his feet around on the cage but Assuncao nearly got a choke in. Assuncao backs off the choke and Jabouin turned around and popped to his feet. Assuncao landed a good knee as Jabouin got up. Jabouin landed the spinning back kick again. Jabouin landed a good jab but Assuncao started stalking him down again. Jabouin landed a good overhand right. He then pulled off a spinning back fist that landed but Assuncao took it and kept moving. Jabouin tried to throw Assuncao late and Assuncao took his back standing as the round ended.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Assuncao. The takedown and position advantage for the majority of the round gave him this one.
[Commercial Break]
WINNER: Assuncao via split decision.(30-27, 27-30, 29-28)
STAR RATING: (***-)This was a good three round fight featuring some very good exchanges, a great chin from Assuncao and some good action on the ground with Jabouin surviving a really bad spot in the third. I don't know what fight the one judge was watching, giving Jabouin all three rounds. That's just terrible.
[Commercial Break]
PRELIM FIGHT A: WAGNNEY FABIANO VS. MACKENS SEMERZIER (FEATHERWEIGHT)
(Check out the MMATorch interview/fighter spotlight with Mackens Semerzier from earlier this week right here.)
ROUND ONE: Both fighters feel each other out early, before Fabiano shoots in for a takedown. He brings Mackens to his knees and then pulls him down. Fabiano gets to half guard. Semerzier tries to control Fabiano's hand and finally pushes him off. He throws a couple of up kicks and then locks on a triangle on Fabiano. He holds onto it and tightens it up and forces Fabiano to tap to the shock of everyone. That just happened. Welcome to the WEC Mack, you did exactly what you told me you'd do in beating Wagnney, and how! That's called taking advantage of your big break against one of the top ranked fighters in your division.
[Commercial Break]
WINNER: Semerzier via submission (triangle choke) at 2:14 of the first round.
STAR RATING: (***) The wholly unexpected finish brings this up even further for such a short fight. For Semerzier to not only beat who many considered to be the number 3 featherweight in the WEC but to submit him, a BJJ black belt, was as impressive a debut as you're going to see. Semerzier's going to be a guy to watch in the WEC going forward.
FIGHT THREE: RICH CRUNKILTON VS. DAVE JANSEN (LIGHTWEIGHT)
PRE FIGHT: Crunkilton says it's a comeback fight. Jansen says Crunkilton's going to have a tough fight with him, and he says he's going to knock Rich out.
[Commercial Break]
ROUND ONE: Crunkilton landed a good leg kick and then a couple of good jabs before shooting in. Jansen sprawled nicely and grabbed a front headlock forcing Crunkilton to stand up. He popped in again for a takedown and slammed Jansen's head to the ground. He held onto him and got him down again but Jansen pulled off a switch and then took Crunkilton down himself and tried to get the back. Crunkilton tried to pop up and get to his feet but Jansen got him down again and got into Crunkilton's half guard. He threw a couple of short elbows before stepping up a bit. Crunkilton tried to go to a knee bar but Jansen stayed on him. Crunkilton then went for a heel hook but Jansen rolled out and stayed in top control. Crunkilton tried to go for a choke from the bottom but then Jansen went for a north/south choke. He moved over to side control and then Crunkilton rolled back over to his guard. Jansen landed a good hammer fist and then a few more good shots before Crunkilton had to roll again. Crunkilton rolled out of a choke attempt and move back to his feet with thirty seconds left. He landed a couple of good straight kicks and then landed a few bombs that rocked Jansen. Crunkilton landed a couple more but Jansen survived the late onslaught.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Jansen. Hell of a start to this one. Great ground control from Jansen as Crunkilton stayed active. Crunkilton also nearly knocked Jansen out late. Very good fight thus far.
[Commercial Break]
ROUND TWO: Crunkilton landed a good punch early and then tried to stay on Jansen. He landed a body kick but Jansen caught it and got him down to the ground. Jansen tried to pass and Crunkilton got back to his feet. Jansen landed a low blow with a knee and the ref didn't see it at first. Crunkilton was nearly doubled over with pain and got taken down but Crunkilton yelled out that he got hit low and was given time to recover. Crunkilton landed a leg kick as they restarted and Jansen landed a couple of good kicks. Crunkilton landed another good punch. Jansen tried to shoot in and Crunkilton grabbed a Thai clinch and landed a knee that knocked Jansen's mouthguard out. Jansen tried to transition and take Crunkilton's back but Crunkilton countered. They got to their feet and then Jansen exploded with a takedown. He landed some big punches from the guard. but the ref stood them up because of the mouthpiece. They should have gone back to Crunkilton's guard there with the rest. Crunkilton landed a couple of hard shots again. Jansen landed a good punch and then shot in again and got another takedown. The ref warned him about action on the ground almost immediately after that, which makes zero sense to say. Got to love inept officiating. Crunkilton was attempting to grab an arm for a kimura as the round ended.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Jansen. Multiple takedowns and good work on the ground steal it for him.
[Commercial Break]
ROUND THREE: Crunkilton lands a good punch and body kick before Jansen tried to shoot in. Jansen's tired here and Crunkilton starts teeing off with punches. Crunkilton then had a kick caught and Jansen got the takedown. Crunkilton was able to get up much easier this time. Crunkilton landed another shot and Jansen tried a takedown again. He tried to lock in the D'arce choke but he wasn't able to pull it off. He finally let it go and they stood back up. Crunkilton landed a number of good punches and Jansen tried to shoot. Crunkilton somehow got taken down from that and Jansen got over to the half guard. The ref stood them up really quick. Ridiculous there. Crunkilton landed another good punch. Both guys are dead tired here. Jansen again got a takedown. He throws a couple of good elbows and then goes for the kimura. He can't lock it on and Crunkilton gets back to half guard. Jansen throws a couple of good elbows again. Jansen with some decent hammer fists from the top and he finishes the round on Crunkilton's back. Good fight.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Jansen. Jansen negated Crunkilton's submission attempt and had a few takedowns and some decent damage done on the ground. I can see Crunkilton getting that round on more damage but both fighters did their own and were dog tired by the end of it. I think Jansen did enough to win regardless.
[Commercial Break]
WINNER: Jansen via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
STAR RATING: (***) Both guys were dead tired in the third round and still each almost found a way to pull off a submission. Fun stuff from both.
[Commercial Break]
PRELIM FIGHT B: SCOTT JORGENSEN VS. NOAH THOMAS (BANTAMWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Thomas walks Jorgensen down early but ate a right hand for his troubles. They clinched and Thomas tried to pull guard. Jorgensen picked him up and he popped out before he could be slammed. Jorgensen ran him down and got a takedown. Thomas tried to hold control of Jorgensen. Jorgensen finally got loose but almost found himself in a triangle choke. They finally worked back up to their feet. They traded punches in a couple of spots. Jorgensen landed a couple of big shots that dropped Thomas. He tried to land a bunch of punches with some ground and pound and Thomas again nearly got the triangle locked in. Jorgensen postured up and landed some big shots. He then threw an elbow that looked to knock Thomas out. He followed with a couple more elbows and a punch before the ref stopped it. Nasty finish.
[Commercial Break]
WINNER: Jorgensen via TKO at 3:13 of the first round.
STAR RATING: (**+) High energy fight with a violent finish from Jorgensen. Good win to bounce back from his decision loss this summer.
[Commercial Break]
MAIN EVENT FIGHT FOUR: DONALD CERRONE VS. BEN HENDERSON (INTERIM LIGHTWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP)
PRE FIGHT: Ben said he's looking to get this and then he'll go after Jamie's belt. Cerrone said the biggest threat to him is the takedowns, and he said he's going to knock Henderson out.
ROUND ONE: Cerrone goes for a high kick and slips. Henderson charges in at him for a takedown and Cerrone grabs a guillotine. Henderson tries to roll out and Cerrone stays on him with the choke. Henderson rolled out and Cerrone locked on the triangle. Hell of a transition. Henderson got to the side and threw some hammer fists and punches as Cerrone continued to try to get the triangle in. Henderson finally popped out and tried to get a choke in of his own. Cerrone got up though and Henderson threw a high kick. Henderson came in with a nice inside leg kick with a missed right hand. Cerrone landed a good kick. Henderson grabbed a single leg and got Cerrone's back to the cage. He moved to a double leg and worked it, finally picking Cerrone up and dropping him. He rained down with a couple of shots after avoiding the legs of Cerrone. Cerrone tried to throw both legs up to push off and Henderson stayed on him. Henderson stood up and threw ounches to the body and head of Cerrone. Good punches to the body of Cerrone from Henderson. Cerrone somersaulted backward and Henderson was relentless to stay on him. He continued throwing shots from the top. Cerrone landed a good up kick and then Henderson threw a flurry of shots to end the round. Great start.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Henderson. He fought out of the bad position and nearly getting submitted to take control for much of the rest of the round. Very close though.
ROUND TWO: They slow the action down a bit here early and then Henderson gets a takedown. He slipped up however and Cerrone jumped on him and got his back, but Henderson was able to spin around and get into Cerrone's guard. Cerrone is very active on his back right now throwing up kicks as Henderson tries to stay on top of him. He slickly goes for a kimura and then steps his leg over to grab an armbar, but Henderson stepped over and got back into Cerrone's guard. He dropped a big elbow and then postured up again and threw some big shots. Another big punch to the body and a couple of big punches to the face. Cerrone tries to throw a couple more up kicks but Henderson drops some more bombs to the face and body. Cerrone goes for a knee bar but Henderson calmly walks threw it to land some more punches. Cerrone lands a good up kick but Henderson stays on him. Cerron kicks him off finally but Henderson pops right back to him and lands a ton more shots as the round ends.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Henderson. He's stealing these rounds after getting in a little bit of trouble from Cerrone. His punches from the guard are nice right now.
ROUND THREE: Henderson came to the center and had Cerrone backing up for a second before Cerrone came forward with a flurry. Henderson lands a good leg kick. Henderson finally shoots in and gets Cerrone down again. Cerrone tried to get out but Henderson just stays on him. Cerrone tries to go for a submission again but Henderson used it to get to side control and then he got Cerrone's back with one hook in. Cerrone quickly rolled through it however and Henderson was back to throwing punches to the body and head from a standing position. Cerrone kicked Henderson off finally and got back to his feet. Cerrone landed a good leg kick and shrugged off a slight takedown attempt. Henderson shot in for the single and went to the double on the cage. He tripped up the back leg and got the takedown again but Cerrone pushed him off and got back to his feet on the cage. Henderson again grabbed the double leg and pulled Cerrone right down. Cerrone again pushed him off and got back to his feet. Henderson again shot in for the single leg with not much time left and completed the takedown before the round ended.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Henderson. A lot like the second round although Cerrone kept Henderson off him a bit more.
ROUND FOUR Cerrone shot in early and Henderson held him off. Henderson then went for the takedown and Cerrone tried to lock in the choke. He's on the side of Henderson here but the choke isn't very effective here and Henderson again gets out of it. He comes right back with a good body kick. Henderson shoots for a single but Cerrone backs out of it. Henderson tries to shoot in again but Cerrone sprawls nicely. Cerrone landed a good inside leg kick and then tried to run down Henderson. Henderson again goes for a single and Cerrone held it off again. Henderson stayed on him on the cage with a double leg but Cerrone powers out yet again. Cerrone stalked Henderson down again and once more Henderson shot in for the takedown. Cerrone again held it off and threw a big right hand to put Henderson on his back. He threw some hard kicks to the legs of Henderson and then landed another shot as Henderson tried to pop back up. Henderson got back to his feet and had his legs kicked out from under him right at the buzzer.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Cerrone. Henderson had no success with the takedowns and Cerrone nearly had the submission again. I'm probably off on the first round and this last round will likely win it for either of them.
ROUND Five: Cerrone with a bit more energy here but Henderson shot in right away. He grabbed the double leg on the cage and Cerrone battled him off. Good defense from Cerrone. He landed another good left hand as Henderson went for a shot. Henderson finally got the takedown but Cerrone again pushed him off and knocked him to his back. Cerrone landed a kick the leg of Henderson. He finally let him back to his feet. Cerrone landed a good straight right. Henderson hit him with a punch and then slipped up and landed on his back. Henderson rolled over and grabbed a single leg though and tried to drag Cerrone against the cage. Cerrone gets an omoplata but Henderson stays on him. Cerrone goes for a triangle and arm bar but Henderson battles out of it. Cerrone cranks the arm in the omoplata and Henderson's arm looked like it popped out of his socket. He didn't tap though and Henderson popped up for a couple of punches. Henderson landed a punch and postured up and Cerrone dropped him with an up kick. He got back to the omoplata and tried to rip Henderson's arm out of it's socket again and Henderson would not tap.
Penick's Scorecard:10-9 Cerrone. I don't know how Henderson was able to get out of that round after both arms were nearly taken off. It's going to come down to how the first round was scored, and that was extremely even, with Henderson's ground and pound and Cerrone's near submissions. I think Henderson may have pulled it out by surviving that fifth and final round though.
WINNER: Henderson via unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 48-47)
POST FIGHT: The crowd booed the decision, but the fact is Henderson won the first three rounds. He survived the Championship rounds to hold that off. Henderson said that's exactly what he wanted, an all out war. They brought in Jamie Varner to loud boos. Varner gave Cerrone his props and said he doesn't like him but he's one of the toughest fighters he's ever seen. Him and Henderson said they want to do the fight in Pheonix, Arizona.
STAR RATING: (****) That was an extremely exciting fight, and Henderson pulled off a bit of an upset with a great performance through the first three rounds coupled with a ridiculous ability to withstand the submission attempts of Donald Cerrone in the third round.
Well that's another event in the books! Thanks for sticking with us here tonight, we'll have more on the fallout of this event through the week along with moving our attention to UFC 104 and an insane schedule for the month of November.
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