-Alright, it's time for another great night of lightweight and featherweight action from the WEC, complete with a Lightweight Title bout in the night's main event. Let's get this thing under way!
-Todd Harris opens up the broadcast and brings up Jamie Varner's return, and they go to an interview with Varner saying ring rust will not be a problem despite his year long layoff. Frank Mir joins the broadcast and talks about how he did not respond well to a long layoff when he came back from his motorcycle accident and that it will be a factor. Then the two break down both fighters in the main event and then the rest of the card.
FIGHT ONE: MACKENS SEMERZIER VS. DEIVIDAS TAUROSEVICIUS (FEATHERWEIGHT)
[Commercial Break]
ROUND ONE: With these two names this one will be a joy to play by play (eye roll). Semerzier throws the first leg kick as he circles on the outside. Taurosivicius charges in and clinches Semerzier on the cage. He throws a knee to the thigh as Semerzier begins to turn him around and put his back on the cage. He turns it back around and drops him as Semerzier goes for the guillotine. Semerzier gets back to guard and throws an up kick as Taurosivicius steps back. He tries to drop a punch and then eats a couple of up kicks. He drops down and then passes to side control. He throws a couple of short elbows. Semerzier pulls up with him and gets back up to his feet. Semerzier comes forward and lands a right and then backs out. Taurosivicius lands an inside leg kick. He comes forward again and lands an overhand right. He backs out and tries to shoot in again for a single. Mackens lands a good right and goes for a guillotine again, but this time Taurosivicius picks him up and slams him to the other side in a suplex. Semerzier lands a couple of heel kicks to the back from the guard. Taurosivicius pushes him to the cage but the ref stands them up after a bit of inaction with thirty seconds left. Taurosivicius again shoots in and gets the clinch on the cage. Semerzier again attempts a guillotine but can't lock it on.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Taurosivicius. Semerzier is doing a good job of defending on the ground, but Taurosivicus had a couple of vicious slams there in that round and stayed the aggressor throughout.
[Commercial Break]
ROUND TWO: Semerzier takes the center of the cage early. He lands an early leg kick. Both fighters feint coming in for the attack. Semerzier again lands an inside leg kick. He comes in again with a good two punch combo. Taurosivicius lands a good leg kick. Semerzier gets a good high kick in but it's blocked. They clinch as Taurosivicius comes in and he gets Semerzier to the ground. He backs up and lands a good punch. He backs off and Semerzier gets up. Taurosivicius grabs a single leg and rolls through. He gets his back and slams him again. Semerzier rolls to the side and lands an up kick and almost gets a triangle in. Taurosivicius backed up and ate a couple more up kicks to the legs and body before dropping into Semerzier's guard again. Taurosivicius lands a couple body punches and tries to posture up for more. Taurosivicius continues to posture up and land shots. He continues to try to pass as Semerzier stays active on the ground. He drops another right onto Semerzier. Semerzier tries to go for a knee bar but Taurosivicius gets turned around and lands another shot. Taurosivicius lands a few more shots as the round ends.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Taurosivicius. Again he got it to the ground and controlled the action from the top. He hasn't done a ton of damage, but Semerzier is way behind and needs to catch him in the third or he'll lose a decision.
[Commercial Break]
ROUND THREE: Semerzier engages and lands a good right. Taurosivicius lands a good leg kick as Mackens comes in. Semerzier lands a good body kick. He misses an overhand right but lands another body kick. Taurosivicius lands another body kick that gets caught and he lands a bunch of right hands as Taurosivicus pushes him to the cage. He gets back to his feet and gets separation again. Taurosivicius lands a good shot. HE comes in again and shoots and Semerzier tried to get the D'arce choke on. He almost got the kimura but Taurosivicius rolled through really nicely and tried to get in a foot lock. Semerzier grabs for a foot lock of his own and gets to his feet. He lands a shot to the downed Taurosivicius. He lands a few good lefts to the body and head of Taurosivicius. Semerzier again with some more body shots. He lands a good shot to the head and starts landing some heavy shots from the top. Semerzier tries to get to side control but Taurosivicius gets it to half guard. Semerzier gets to side control. Semerzier again goes for the guillotine but Taurosivicius pops out with fifteen seconds left and ended the fight in Semerzier's guard.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Semerzier. He did some damage with the body punches and had a couple of near submissions, but this will be a bit too little, too late for Semerzier to hand him his first career loss.
[Commercial Break]
WINNER: Taurosivicius via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
STAR RATING: (**) This was an enjoyable start to the night. Both fighters were evenly matched up and there were some good near submissions in the fight as well. Overall it was a solid fight between both guys, and a good way to kick off the event.
-We get an official promo for the March 21st UFC event on Versus with Jon Jones vs. Brandon Vera in the main event.
-Now it's time for one of the two former WEC Featherweight Champions to get back into action after a Title fight loss.
FIGHT TWO: MIKE BROWN VS. ANTHONY MORRISON (FEATHERWEIGHT)
-Morrison pre-fight: "I'm a mirror image of [Brown]. I am him; just black."
[Commercial Break]
ROUND ONE: Morrison comes straight to the center of the cage. Brown avoids a couple of early leg kicks, then blocks a couple body kicks. Brown continues to stalk as Morrison is throwing kicks at him. Brown shoots in and gets Morrison clinched on the cage. He turns to the side and gets Morrison down. He immediately gets into a crucifix position and rains a number of punches down onto him. Morrison tries to get him off but Brown stays on him. He nearly gets to mount but then Morrison gives up his back and Brown immediately locks in the rear naked choke. It's just a matter of time here and he rolls over and locks it tighter, forcing Morrison to tap. That's how you recover after losing your belt.
[Commercial Break]
WINNER: Brown via submission (rear naked choke) at 1:51 of the first round.
POST FIGHT: Brown said he got a little bit of boos, a little bit of cheers but he's glad fans enjoyed the fight. He gets some more boos and Todd Harris drops the "you stay classy, Sacramento" line. Brown said he thinks the winner of Faber-Assuncao tonight might get the next shot at Jose Aldo and hopefully he'll get another crack in the future.
STAR RATING: (**+) Excellent performance by Mike Brown. That's how a Champion responds after a loss and he was just too good for Anthony Morrison on this night. That was a great job to take him down and then a great job to stay on him and continue to better his position en route to that choke.
[Commercial Break]
-Harris talks to Dominick Cruz and Brian Bowles at cageside. Cruz says he doesn't want to get hit by that big right hand from Bowles in their bout in March. Bowles says he's 100% and his training has been going great. Frank Mir then runs down that bout and previews the March card.
FIGHT THREE: DAVE JANSEN VS. KAMAL SHALAROUS (LIGHTWEIGHT
[Commercial Break]
ROUND ONE: Shalarous feints the overhand right and Jansen lands a short combo. Shalarous lands a good right. Jansen gets another short combo in and bounces back to the outside. Jansen comes in and lands a good right. Shalarous lands a good leg kick as he comes forward. Jansen barely misses the overhand right as he comes in. Shalarous lands two very good counter punches. He lands another right as Jansen comes in. Jansen eats a punch as he comes in and then he shoots in for a single leg. He does not complete it and he's back to his feet. BOth fighters swing punches at one another again. They are sloppy punches that aren't landing but they are powerful from both guys. They exchange another ugly combo. Jansen shoots in for a single but Shalarous stuffs it. Jansen misses the uppercut. JHe then lands a good counter as Shalarous comes in. Shalarous gets a short takedown, but Jansen immediately walks back up the cage to his feet. Shalarous lands a good combination. Jansen is cut on the side of his left eyebrow. The crowd starts chanting "USA" late in the round. Shalarous lands another counter combo. Shalarous catches Jansen with a left hook. Jansen comes forward again and gets dropped by the counter left. Shalarous doesn't try to finish him off at all. Jansen lands a big body kick as the round comes to an end.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Shalarous. Neither fighter was landing much solid until two big left hooks in the last minute by Shalarous. Sloppy first round, but this one will likely end violently the way they're swinging.
[Commercial Break]
ROUND TWO: They come out swinging wild, looping shots again. Jansen continues to try to engage but he's eating counters. Shalarous starts stalking him against the cage. Jansen misses the overhand right again. Shalarous lands a good counter. He lands a good right as Jansen comes in. Shalarous again connects on the overhand right, but it didn't have as much on it. Jansen lazily throws a leg kick and eats another counter punch. Shalarous then shoots at a perfect spot and picks Jansen up and drops him to the ground. Shalarous gets standing and tries to land a shot but Jensen rolls out and gets back to his feet. Jansen lands a good knee as he moves forward as Shalarous ducked his head. He again shoots for a takedown but gets stuffed. He lands a straight punch to Shalarous that looks to rock him. He tries to capitalize but can't get to him and Shalarous recovers. Shalarous lands another straight right. Both fighters have lost power in their punches as they tire out. Jansen took another punch to the chin but stayed on his feet. Jansen landed a good kick to the body. Shalarous landed a good counter combo. He swings wildly again and lands a punch. Jansen again shoots for a single but once again gets stuffed late. They exchange another sloppy combo as the round ends.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Shalarous. Neither fighter is landing a ton, but Jansen seemed to take more abuse there in that round from what did hit him. They're both getting tired here.
[Commercial Break]
ROUND THREE: Jansen again comes out trying to be the aggressor. Shalarous lands a couple of good punches. Jansen shoots in and gets stuffed again. Shalarous starts landing the jab as Jansen comes in, and he sends him backwards a couple of times with it. Jansen again comes in swinging and they exchange shots. Shalarous catches a kick and drops Jansen but allows him to get back to his feet. Shalarous again lands the straight left. They engage and exchange wildly again. Shalarous continues to land punches as Jansen comes forward. Shalarous lands a good leg kick at the cage. He gets another right in and then a left. This is a lot of rinse, repeat as Jansen tries to come in and eats punches that aren't putting him out. Shalarous finally drops and grabs a leg and scores a teakedown. Jansen scrambles out and gets back to his feet. Jansen again shoots but gets stuffed. Shalarous lands the left a couple more times. Jansen again lands a knee. Shalarous again lands a punch. Jansen keeps trying to throw punches. Shalarous again gets a single leg takedown with ease and then walks him up to the cage. Shalarous stays on him against the cage. Jansen again scrambles and gets to his feet but Shalarous stays on him to end the round.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Shalarous. Clean sweep and much of the same there.
[Commercial Break]
WINNER: Shalarous via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 39-38)
POST FIGHT: Shalarous said he knew Jansen was a good wrestler but he's a world class wrestler. The crowd booed him as he said he came out to prove no one could take him down.
STAR RATING: (**-) It was an extremely sloppy an ultimately just ok fight. Both fighters were gassed by the end and it was just an ugly, ugly fight to watch.
[Commercial Break]
FIGHT FOUR: MARK HOMINICK VS. BRYAN CARAWAY (FEATHERWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Caraway lands an early left as Hominick stalks him. He lands another hook as Hominick tries to walk him down. Hominick lands a good right, but then Caraway shoots in and gets the takedown. Hominick pulled closed guard. Hominick tried to go for a foot lock as Carawy backed up and tried to drop down. He landed an up kick but then Caraway came back down. He stood up and dropped down with a couple of big right hands. He drops back down into the guard. Hominick tries to get to his feet but Caraway stays on him. Hominick lands an up kick as Caraway stands. He gets another one in before Caraway drops down again. Hominick is doing a good job of defending here. Hominick again tried to roll out and get to his feet but couldn't get back up as Caraway stayed on him. Hominick threw his legs up to try to sweep and then locked in a triangle/armbar coming back down and forced the tap. Caraway was extremely upset with the loss.
[Commercial Break]
WINNER: Hominick via submission (armbar) at 3:48 of the first round.
POST FIGHT: Hominick said he knew he was going to try to tire him out in the first round and felt he broke his will when he wasn't getting hurt. He told the other fighters in the WEC to doubt him, you see what happens.
STAR RATING: (**+) Very nice submission almost out of nowhere by Hominick. He was working pretty well from his back despite not being able to get up, and then pulled off that excellent submission.
[Commercial Break]
FIGHT FIVE: URIJAH FABER VS. RAPHAEL ASSUNCAO (FEATHERWEIGHT)
PRE FIGHT: Assuncao calls this his biggest fight, and thinks it has the tools to be one of the biggest fights. Faber says he needs to get through Assuncao to get back to where he wants to be. He says this is the most important fight of his career.
ROUND ONE: The crowd is nuts for Faber, as always, in Sacramento. Assuncao takes the center off the bat. Faber comes in and lands a body kick. Assuncao closes the distance and clinches Faber with double underhooks against the cage. Faber spins him around briefly but gets his back put back against the cage. Faber finally gets loose and gets to the center of the cage himself. He throws a straight kick high. He rushes in for a punch and Assuncao lands a leg kick before again clinching Faber at the cage. Assuncao finally separates after not being able to do anything there. Faber lands a straight right coming in and then clinches Assuncao himself on the cage. Assuncao gets the over/under and turns him around and then separates again. Faber lands a good left. Assuncao tries to counter as Faber comes in. Faber comes in and they exchange knees to the body. Assuncao again clinches and tries to take Faber down but Urijah stays on his feet back to the cage. Faber gets him turned around again and lands a shot to separate. Assuncao lands a short punch of his own. Faber lands a good left uppercut with a minute left. Faber with a straight kick to the body. He jumps forward with a knee that doesn't come near landing. Assuncao lands a good leg kick. Faber lands an overhand right. The round ends with them sizing each other up.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Faber. Assuncao closed the distance and clinched for a bit, but Faber landed some good shots and negated the takedown attempts from Assuncao.
[Commercial Break]
ROUND TWO: Assuncao presses forward early and lands an inside leg kick. Faber again pushed the straight kick. Faber dropped for a single leg and took Assuncao down. Assuncao tried to grab a leg but Faber dropped into his guard. Faber landed a good elbow. Faber locked on a guillotine and spun around with it but Assuncao fought it off as he rolled through and got his neck free. He eventually worked back up to his feet and they exchanged shots to separate. Faber came in and Assuncao landed a couple of short punches. Faber lands a good overhand right. He lands a left hook as Assuncao lands a good leg kick. Faber barely misses an uppercut. Assuncao lands a good right. Faber dropped Assuncao with a right and almost got caught in a triangle as he came down, but he got into Assuncao's guard against the cage. He lands an elbow as Assuncao tries to control his head. The crowd starts a loud "Faber" chant. He gets another elbow in and then a short forearm. Assuncao tries to grab an omoplata but Faber gets back in with a big right hand. Assuncao tries to get to his knees and then Faber stays on his side as he looks up at the clock. Assuncao moves to his feet finally as the round ends.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Faber. A big takedown and a big right hand brought the fight to the ground twice for Faber, and he landed some good shots on the ground. Assuncao's hanging around, though, and holding his own.
[Commercial Break]
ROUND THREE: Assuncao eats a body kick to land a good straight right early. Faber shoots in and gets an easy single leg takedown. He gets right to half guard but Assuncao kicks him off and gets back to his feet. Faber lands a good left hook. Assuncao shoots in for a single leg and Faber holds him off on the cage. Faber throws a knee to the head to get him to loosen the leg. Assuncao tries to drop down for a double leg but Faber pushes him right back off. Assuncao finally lands an elbow to separate. Faber lands a good right as he pushes in and then backs off. Faber lands a good straight kick but gets his back leg kicked out from under him. He gets back up right away. Faber lands a big straight left that drops Assuncao for a second time tonight. Faber throws some punches to the body and head from the guard. He drops a big forearm with two minutes left in the fight. Assuncao tries to control Faber's posture from the bottom. He rolls and Faber takes his back and pulls him back to the ground. He locks in the rear naked choke and forces the tap! Great win by Faber in a great fight.
[Commercial Break]
WINNER: Faber via submission (rear naked choke) at 3:49 of the third round
POST FIGHT: Faber thanked Assuncao for taking the fight and thanked the crowd for coming out. He said he's ready to get that belt and gave Champ Jose Aldo his props. They brought Aldo into the cage. He said he respects Faber but no one will take his belt. Faber said he'll need to bring his A game and in his mind that's his belt. Well there's your set up for another major Title fight for the WEC. With how awesome Aldo's been this one could break records for the WEC once again.
STAR RATING: (***+) Excellent, excellent fight between these two, with a ton of excitement bolstered by a highly enthused hometown crowd for Faber. The finish brought it up a few notches, with Faber locking in an excellent submission after being given just the slightest of openings from Assuncao.
[Commercial Break]
MAIN EVENT FIGHT SIX: JAMIE VARNER VS. BENSON HENDERSON (WEC LIGHTWEIGHT UNIFICATION BOUT)
PRE FIGHT: Varner said we don't need to call it a comeback. He said he's always been here and it's time for people to realize why he's the Champion. Henderson says if he was in the the fight with Cerrone last January he would have continued to the end. He said there's no comparison between the heart of both of them. Varner said the difference between the two is he's better. Varner said he's taken something from everyone he's fought that they've never gotten back.
ROUND ONE: Varner comes forward and takes the center off the bat. Henderson lands a leg kick but Varner stays the aggressor and keeps coming forward. He shoots in, picks Henderson up and slams him hard. Henderson rolls for a leg and Varner lands two hard elbows to his hamstring. He lets go of the knee bar and gets to his knees. Varner stays on him and tries to throw a couple knees to the body against the cage. He locks in a tight guillotine and cranks it as they stand. He holds onto it and lands a big knee to the head to bring Henderson back down to his knees. Henderson smertly keeps a knee down to avoid another knee to the head. Varner throws some more punches to the body and jnees to the body as he holds onto the headlock. Herb Dean finally stands them up as Varner had slowed his attack. Varner pushes forward again and Henderson lands a big kick that looked to hurt Varner. Varner turned his back like he got hit in the eye but Dean didn't stop and Henderson rushed at him. Varner recovered and clinched Henderson and got him to the ground briefly. Varner lands a knee to the body as Henderson held him against the cage. Henderson landed an elbow to separate as the round ended.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Varner. He had a tight guillotine for a bit and a big slam early, and Henderson wasn't able to do too much in that round.
[Commercial Break]
ROUND TWO: Varner pushed forward with a flying knee from downtown but he just gets in for a clinch. Henderson separates with a knee of his own. Varner throws an inside leg kick as he continues to push the pace forward. Varner throws an ugly high kick. Varner kicks out the back leg of Henderson. He then blocks a high kick from Henderson. Varner pushes forward and gets a good right in that pushes Henderson back. He lands another good inside leg kick. Varner continues to move around the outside and the crowd boos a bit. He comes forward and lands another good right. Henderson gets in a good body kick. Varner again pushes forward but Henderson backpedals nicely. Henderosn lands a good body kick again. He finally pushes forward. Varner catches a side kick and throws Henderson to the ground hard, but he lets him stand back up. Henderson pushes forward with a leg kick. Henderson shoots for a single but Varner avoids it. He comes forward with two body shots and clinches Henderson on the cage. Henderson knees him in the body. Varner throws some hammer fists against the cage. Henderson again with a knee to the body. Varner then throws Henderson briefly to the ground but Henderson gets right back up. Henderson pushed Varner off with a short shot as the round ended.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Varner. Henderson landed a couple of harder shots than Varner in that round, but Varner pushed the pace and action in the round and landed some good stuff of his own. Very close round.
[Commercial Break]
ROUND THREE: Varner moved in early and clinched Henderson against the cage in the first minute. He backed off with an elbow to separate. Henderson landed another body kick. Varner got in a left hook as Henderson again tried to land the kick. He threw a high kick but Varner blocked it. The crowd starts to grow restless here. Varner threw a punch high kick combo but it didn't land. He again tried a high kick from the other side but it was blocked. Henderson threw another high kick that was blocked. Varner shot in and Henderson jumped up into a guillotine. He locked it in tight and forced Varner to tap while standing! Holy shit it's all over, and we have a new Undisputed WEC Lightweight Champion.
WINNER: Henderson via submission (guillotine choke) at 2:41 of the third round.
POST FIGHT: Henderson said Jamie Varner is a tough, scary looking dude. He said he was glad to come out on top. He said he's ready for whoever the WEC says is next. He said he has mad love for Donald Cerrone. The crowd boos Varner as he comes for an interview. He said he came to fight, he said he wanted to box, Henderson wanted to kick. He said he came to fight, Ben came to grapple, two different things. He basically shrugged off the booing crowd but gave Henderson his props for catching him.
STAR RATING: (***) The finish came almost out of nowhere as Varner was winning that fight, but Henderson jumped right into that tight guillotine and pulled off another huge victory. He's taken out the two best lightweights the WEC had to offer him, and it looks like a rematch of last year's WEC Fight of the Year is in the cards here in the near future.
-That's another event in the books for the WEC, but Zuffa's not done yet this week. It's back to UFC action tomorrow night on Spike, so check back tomorrow for our live report on that event as well. This was another enjoyable and successful WEC event, and they've got themselves set up for two very big Title fights in the spring with Urijah Faber vs. Jose Aldo and Ben Henderson vs. Donald Cerrone II. This should be a fun spring/summer of MMA!
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