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: Urijah Faber vs. Takeya Mizugaki Updates

Filed under: WECThis is the WEC 52 live blog for Urijah Faber vs. Takeya Mizugaki, a bantamweight bout on tonight’s WEC on Versus event from The Pearl in Las Vegas.

Urijah Faber (23-4) makes his final WEC appearance in this long-awaited bantamweight d…

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This is the WEC 52 live blog for Urijah Faber vs. Takeya Mizugaki, a bantamweight bout on tonight’s WEC on Versus event from The Pearl in Las Vegas.

Urijah Faber (23-4) makes his final WEC appearance in this long-awaited bantamweight debut for the “California Kid.” Takeya Mizugaki (13-4) is coming off a win over Rani Yahya by unanimous decision at WEC 48 in April.

The live blog is below.

WEC 52: Urijah Faber Chokes Out Takeya Mizugaki

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The biggest star in the history of World Extreme Cagefighting fought for the promotion for the final time at WEC 52, and it went just as planned, as Urijah Faber choked out Takeya Mizugaki with just seconds remaining in the first round…

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The biggest star in the history of World Extreme Cagefighting fought for the promotion for the final time at WEC 52, and it went just as planned, as Urijah Faber choked out Takeya Mizugaki with just seconds remaining in the first round.

“This guy’s known for going to the very end, so I knew I had to do something drastic to put him out,” Faber said afterward. “That’s what I did.”

Reminder: Urijah Faber Makes His 135-Pound Debut Tonight

(Photos courtesy of the WEC 52 Weigh In Pics gallery on CombatLifestyle)
Urijah Faber made his public 135-pound debut yesterday at the weigh-ins for tonight’s WEC 52 event — and didn’t look a whole lot different than he did at featherweight. …

Urijah Faber WEC 52
Urijah Faber Takeya Mizugaki WEC 52
(Photos courtesy of the WEC 52 Weigh In Pics gallery on CombatLifestyle)

Urijah Faber made his public 135-pound debut yesterday at the weigh-ins for tonight’s WEC 52 event — and didn’t look a whole lot different than he did at featherweight. That’s an encouraging sign for his career rebirth at bantamweight, and it’s more than we can say for Wagnney Fabiano, who’s also on tonight’s card in his second bantamweight appearance, and is pretty freaking gross from certain angles these days. (As for Faber, he had already put on 18 pounds by last night.) WEC 52 will be broadcast live on Versus starting at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT. Pre-fight coverage begins at 8:30 p.m. ET, and post-fight coverage is slated for 11:30 p.m. ET.

The complete WEC 52 lineup is after the jump…

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WEC 52 Main Event Breakdown: Urijah Faber vs. Takeya Mizugaki

Filed under: WECOne last time, Urijah Faber will put on the WEC’s bright blue gloves and close out a show. While it would be a more poetic ending for Faber and the WEC to have him turn the lights out on the promotion at next month’s final event, it’s s…

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One last time, Urijah Faber will put on the WEC’s bright blue gloves and close out a show. While it would be a more poetic ending for Faber and the WEC to have him turn the lights out on the promotion at next month’s final event, it’s still fitting to see him get one more turn in the spotlight before the company officially merges with the UFC on Jan. 1.

When Faber steps into the octagon to face Takeya Mizugaki at WEC 52, it will be his 12th time in a WEC cage, and his eighth main event (his other four fights were all co-main events). By and large, he was the main building block for the WEC during its Zuffa era.

His fight against Mizugaki is on paper one he is well equipped to win, and one he is expected to win.

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.