Down Side to WEC’s Downfall: Joseph Benavidez Gets Buried

Filed under: UFC, WECWhen the UFC announced that it was absorbing its little brother promotion, World Extreme Cagefighting, most mixed martial arts fans saw that as a good thing: The WEC had great fighters, and moving them into the UFC would mean incre…

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When the UFC announced that it was absorbing its little brother promotion, World Extreme Cagefighting, most mixed martial arts fans saw that as a good thing: The WEC had great fighters, and moving them into the UFC would mean increased exposure for those fighters.

It isn’t working out that way for Joseph Benavidez.

Benavidez, who’s recognized by most MMA observers as the second- or third-best bantamweight in the world, won’t have his UFC debut shown on television. The fight between Benavidez and Ian Loveland at UFC 128 next week won’t be on the pay-per-view broadcast, won’t be on the Spike TV broadcast, and won’t even be on the live Facebook stream prior to the broadcast. And that stinks.

MMA Top 10 Pound-for-Pound: Silva Back on Top, Jones Gets a Spot

Filed under: UFC, Rankings, Overall
Now that was the Anderson Silva we’ve been wanting to see.

After four straight lackluster defenses of his middleweight title, Silva knocked out Vitor Belfort with a front kick to the chin that has to go down as one …

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Now that was the Anderson Silva we’ve been wanting to see.

After four straight lackluster defenses of his middleweight title, Silva knocked out Vitor Belfort with a front kick to the chin that has to go down as one of the most incredible knockouts we’ve seen in the sport. But part of what makes Silva amazing is that it might not have even been the most incredible knockout of his career: I’m still partial to the stunning elbow he used to knock out Tony Fryklund in 2006.

When you know Silva is capable of such highlight-reel heroics, it’s easy to grow disappointed in him when he delivers sub-par performances, as he did against Patrick Cote, Thales Leites, Demian Maia and Chael Sonnen. But when Silva is on his game, he’s the best in the world, and he’s now back on top of my pound-for-pound rankings.

MMA Top 10 Pound-for-Pound: GSP Stays on Top

Filed under: UFC, Rankings, OverallGeorges St. Pierre remains the best fighter in all of mixed martial arts, regardless of weight class.

There are arguments, to be sure, for other fighters, namely middleweight champ Anderson Silva or featherweight cha…

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Georges St. Pierre remains the best fighter in all of mixed martial arts, regardless of weight class.

There are arguments, to be sure, for other fighters, namely middleweight champ Anderson Silva or featherweight champ Jose Aldo, getting the No. 1 spot. Most of those arguments center around the fact that Silva and Aldo are finishers, while St. Pierre tends to win decisions.

I’m sympathetic to those arguments, but what St. Pierre does in his decision victories is amazing: In his four decisions as the UFC welterweight champion, the 12 judges have turned in scorecards of 50-45, 50-45, 50-45, 50-43, 50-44, 50-45, 50-44, 50-45, 50-45, 50-44, 50-44 and 50-43. It doesn’t get more dominant than that.

So St. Pierre remains on top. Find out the rest of the Top 10 below.

WEC 52 Results: Urijah Faber Kicks Off ‘New Era’ at Bantamweight; Benavidez, Koch Also Dominate

(Faber vs. Mizugaki; fight starts at the 6:59 mark, and the nasty finishing sequence begins at 10:49. Props: borntoride5656. Get a look before it’s pulled…)
In the first phase of its two-part farewell tour, the WEC transcended its lame-duck…

(Faber vs. Mizugaki; fight starts at the 6:59 mark, and the nasty finishing sequence begins at 10:49. Props: borntoride5656. Get a look before it’s pulled…)

In the first phase of its two-part farewell tour, the WEC transcended its lame-duck status with yet another thrilling card last night in Las Vegas. Urijah Faber left no doubt in fans’ minds that he’ll be a force at bantamweight, needing less than one round to take out Takeya Mizugaki in the main event. After a few exchanges contested on the feet and in the clinch, Faber snatched a guillotine, then brilliantly transitioned to Mizugaki’s back to secure a rear-naked choke. Mizugaki gamely tried to defend, but eventually passed out rather than tapping; he was asleep for a solid 10 seconds before referee Josh Rosenthal recognized what was up. The victory earned Faber a $10,000 Submission of the Night bonus, which he vowed to split with his teammate Joseph Benavidez

Following his dominant showing, it appears likely that Faber will get the next bantamweight title shot against the winner of Dominick Cruz vs. Scott Jorgensen at WEC 53. When asked about that matchup following the event, Faber said “[Scott and I] have a good relationship. He’s a guy I helped get into the sport a little bit. We’ve trained a bunch together. He’s mentally tough. I’d rather fight Dominick, but I’m rooting for Scott [to win that fight].”

As for his new home at 135, Faber was psyched: "When I first started fighting there was no 135-pound weight class. So it’s not like I had the choice. I was just the best guy at 145. So now it’s my time to shine down here. I’m at my most competitive weight. It’s my time. It’s a new era baby!"

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WEC 52 Live Blog: Joseph Benavidez vs. Wagnney Fabiano Updates

Filed under: WECThis is the WEC 52 live blog for Joseph Benavidez vs. Wagnney Fabiano, a bantamweight bout on tonight’s WEC on Versus event from The Pearl in Las Vegas.

Joseph Benavidez (12-2) stepped in for Brian Bowles to fight Wagnney Fabiano (14-2…

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This is the WEC 52 live blog for Joseph Benavidez vs. Wagnney Fabiano, a bantamweight bout on tonight’s WEC on Versus event from The Pearl in Las Vegas.

Joseph Benavidez (12-2) stepped in for Brian Bowles to fight Wagnney Fabiano (14-2). Benavidez fell short August in his attempt to capture the WEC title from Dominick Cruz. Fabiano is 2-0 ever since moving down to bantamweight.

The live blog is below.

WEC 52: Preview and Predictions

Filed under: UFC, WECWe’re down to two World Extreme Cagefighting events remaining until the promotion is permanently folded into the UFC, and on Thursday night we’ll get our last chance to see the WEC’s biggest star, Urijah Faber, fighting with blue g…

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We’re down to two World Extreme Cagefighting events remaining until the promotion is permanently folded into the UFC, and on Thursday night we’ll get our last chance to see the WEC’s biggest star, Urijah Faber, fighting with blue gloves in the blue cage. If he beats Takeya Mizugaki on Thursday night, Faber’s first UFC fight could be the first fight for the UFC bantamweight title, so the stakes are high. We’ve got the full preview and predictions here.