WEC 50 Quick Results: Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, Judges?

(Benavidez must be standing on the stack of cash he gave Nelson Hamilton before the fight)
Well WEC 50: Cruz vs. Benavidez II is in the books and in usual WEC fashion, the card didn’t disappoint.
The fact that six out of 10 fights on the card went to …


(Benavidez must be standing on the stack of cash he gave Nelson Hamilton before the fight)

Well WEC 50: Cruz vs. Benavidez II is in the books and in usual WEC fashion, the card didn’t disappoint.

The fact that six out of 10 fights on the card went to the judges’ scorecards is a testament to the WEC matchmaker Sean Shelby’s adeptness, because even the bouts that went the distance were wars of attrition in which both fighters left everything in the cage.

A few up-and-comers climbed further up the title contention ladder while a few others dropped a few rungs down, but none of the fights were disappointing.
The only real question mark of the show was which fights the judges were watching as they seem to have decidedly different opinions on who won a few of the bouts.

In the main event of the evening, bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz controlled the majority of action, possibly losing two rounds of the five round title affair to challenger Joseph Benavidez. Benavidez landed a handful of power shots throughout the bout, but it was Cruz’s takedowns that were the real deciding factor in the fight.

Personally, I had the fight at 49-46 for Cruz, but it arguably could have gone 48-47 depending on how you look at round two. For Nelson "Doc" Hamilton to score the the bout 48-47 for Benavidez it makes me wonder if he was watching America’s Got Talent on his iPhone instead of watching the fight.

read more

WEC 50 Preview and Predictions

Filed under: WECThe bantamweight championship of the world is on the line Wednesday night at WEC 50, with champion Dominick Cruz taking on Joseph Benavidez in one of the biggest mixed martial arts fights of the year. We’ve got the full preview and pred…

Filed under:

The bantamweight championship of the world is on the line Wednesday night at WEC 50, with champion Dominick Cruz taking on Joseph Benavidez in one of the biggest mixed martial arts fights of the year. We’ve got the full preview and predictions below.

Anthony Njokuani Made Jiu-Jitsu Priority for WEC 50

Earlier in the week we commented on the fact that hardcore MMA fans will be spending hours in front of the ‘boob tube’ over the next 10 days or so; throw in a little video game action for good measure, and prepare for some serious retina wear. Starting tonight there’s WEC 50, Strikeforce goes Saturday, […]

Njokuani-Knocks-Out-Horodecki-1

Earlier in the week we commented on the fact that hardcore MMA fans will be spending hours in front of the ‘boob tube’ over the next 10 days or so; throw in a little video game action for good measure, and prepare for some serious retina wear. Starting tonight there’s WEC 50, Strikeforce goes Saturday, Sengoku rolls in the early hours of Sunday, and then of course next Saturday is UFC 118. The MMA gods are smiling on us friends.

As always, there are several great bouts scheduled for WEC 50 and thankfully one of the scheduled competitors is Anthony Njokuani. If you’re struggling to recall who he is think ‘dude kicking Chris Horodecki in the head as he runs away’; that might jog your memory (as may have the pic above).

Njokuani had been building quite a reputation for being a highlight reel striker, earning three TKO wins in a row, before getting tapped out by Shane Roller at WEC 48 in April. As a result of the loss, in a recent appearance on MMA Junkie Radio, Njokuani announced he’s made jiu-jitsu a priority heading into his fight with Maciej Jewtuszko.

“I really do want to get better at that because I know that’s where I’m lacking right now,”… “I’m trying to be a world-class guillotine guy,” he said of his favorite submission. “I don’t want to throw all my surprises out there, but I’ve been working on that a lot.”

According to the report Njokuani’s been honing his grappling abilities at Segrio Penha’s jiu-jitsu academy in Las Vegas; a well rounded Njokuani could be bad news for a lot of dudes. To bet on tonight’s card head here.

WEC 50: The New Guys

(Maciej Jewtuszko vs. Erikas Petraitis, 5/14/10)
Two hot lightweight prospects with identical records will be making their WEC debuts during the prelims of tonight’s "Cruz vs. Benavidez" show on Versus, and if the MMA Gods allow it,…

(Maciej Jewtuszko vs. Erikas Petraitis, 5/14/10)

Two hot lightweight prospects with identical records will be making their WEC debuts during the prelims of tonight’s "Cruz vs. Benavidez" show on Versus, and if the MMA Gods allow it, you might get your first glance at them. Of course, making the broadcast would require them to either win or lose in spectacular fashion. So which will it be? Get to know them below and let us know what you think…

MACIEJ "Irokez" JEWTUSZKO (LW)
Experience: 7-0 record (all wins by stoppage in the first two rounds), competing in Poland and Germany. Last fought at a Beast of the East event on June 12th, where he defeated Edvardas Norkeliunas by first-round heel-hook.
Will be facing: Anthony Njokuani (12-3, 3-2 WEC) in the last bout of the prelims.
Lowdown: First things first — his name is pronounced Mah-chey Yev-Tushko. The 29-year-old firefighter is a Polish national champion in Muay Thai, but started his fight training with jiu-jitsu. Like his knockout-artist opponent Anthony Njokuani, Jewtuszko prefers to keep fights standing. He admires Mariusz Pudzianowski and Pawel Nastula for representing Poland in MMA, and says "It would be an honor to someday hear me described as the Polish Anderson Silva." Jewtuszko trains with Berzerkers Team Poland. As his manager Shu Hirata explains, "Besides being a great striker and a top grappler, one of the best qualities about Jewtuszko is that he never get intimated with anyone. He is a firefighter so he has gone through many dangerous situations so he has got the heart of a warrior." 

read more

Wednesday Morning MMA Link Club: Is It the Shoes?

(Cain Velasquez’s new Lugz commercial. Yeah, he smashed that. Props: YouTube.com/MMAFightClub)
Some selected highlights from our friends around the MMA blogosphere. E-mail [email protected] for details on how your site can join the MMA Link …

(Cain Velasquez‘s new Lugz commercial. Yeah, he smashed that. Props: YouTube.com/MMAFightClub)

Some selected highlights from our friends around the MMA blogosphere. E-mail [email protected] for details on how your site can join the MMA Link Club…

– Punch Drunk Preview: WEC 50 (Heavy.com/MMA)

– Cro Cop Says He’s Not Ready for UFC 119 but Still Guarantees a First Round Knockout (MiddleEasy)

– Backstage: Ariel Helwani vs. Ed Soares (MMA Fighting)

– Total Fighter Payroll for Strikeforce Challengers Phoenix: $53,250 (MMA Convert)

– 10 Taekwondo Knockouts That Will Blow Your Mind (MMA Scraps)

– Shane Carwin still silent on steroid connection; media as well (Watch Kalib Run)

– Pettis: ‘Roller Doesn’t Want Any Part of My Stand-up’ at WEC 50 (Versus MMA Beat)

– Chael Sonnen Syndrome: Urijah Faber trash-talking his way to the WEC Bantamweight Title shot? (LowKick)

– Rafael Cavalcante: “I have been working hard for not just this fight, but for my dream, every day for six years.” (Five Ounces of Pain)

– Strikeforce Houston: Noons & Gurgel on Standing and Banging for a Title Shot (FIGHT! Magazine)

WEC 50 Cruz vs. Benavidez Weigh-In Video

Filed under: WECAll 20 fighters participating in Wednesday night’s WEC 50 fight card will step on the scales Tuesday for the WEC 50 weigh-ins, and if you can’t be there in person at The Palms in Las Vegas, you can watch live here at MMAFighting.com.

I…

Filed under:

All 20 fighters participating in Wednesday night’s WEC 50 fight card will step on the scales Tuesday for the WEC 50 weigh-ins, and if you can’t be there in person at The Palms in Las Vegas, you can watch live here at MMAFighting.com.

In the main event, WEC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz and challenger Joseph Benavidez will have to make 135 pounds.

The weigh-in begins Tuesday at 7 PM ET and the video is below.