Tag: WEC 53

Anthony Pettis Uses Amazing Kick to Beat Ben Henderson

Filed under: UFC, WEC, NewsAnthony Pettis brought the WEC promotion to an end in style on Thursday night, using one of the most incredible kicks in the history of the sport to seal the victory against Ben Henderson at WEC 53.

The kick all but defies d…

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Anthony Pettis brought the WEC promotion to an end in style on Thursday night, using one of the most incredible kicks in the history of the sport to seal the victory against Ben Henderson at WEC 53.

The kick all but defies description: Pettis jumped into the air, pushed off the fence with his foot and landed an incredible head kick at the end of the fifth round, putting an emphatic ending on his unanimous decision victory. The kick looked like something out of a martial arts movie, but Pettis said it’s something he and his coach have been working on.

“Duke Roufus, we practice that all the time,” Pettis said. “I’ve got 10 more of those kicks coming when I’m in the UFC. How do you like that to end the WEC?”

WEC 53 Post-Fight Press Conference Video

Filed under: WECAfter the fighters step out of the cage Thursday night at WEC 53, the action isn’t over. Select fighters will meet the media for the WEC 53 post-fight press conference, and we’ll carry the video live right here at MMAFighting.com.

The …

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After the fighters step out of the cage Thursday night at WEC 53, the action isn’t over. Select fighters will meet the media for the WEC 53 post-fight press conference, and we’ll carry the video live right here at MMAFighting.com.

The post-fight press conference is the place to find out who won the Fight of the Night, Knockout of the Night and Submission of the Night bonuses, and the place to hear from the winning fighters.

The press conference will begin about half an hour after the main event ends (around 12:30 AM ET) and the video is below.

Video: Anthony Pettis’ Showtime Kick Floors Ben Henderson at WEC 53

Filed under: UFC, WECAnthony Pettis is nicknamed “Showtime,” and for good reason. Exhibit A: Pettis’ fifth-round off-the-cage kick that put the finishing touches on Ben Henderson during their WEC 53 match.

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Anthony Pettis is nicknamed “Showtime,” and for good reason. Exhibit A: Pettis’ fifth-round off-the-cage kick that put the finishing touches on Ben Henderson during their WEC 53 match.

Falling Action: Best and Worst of WEC 53

Filed under: UFC, WECSo let me get this straight: J.R. Smith dunks a basketball and it’s named the day’s top play in all of sports by ESPN’s Sportscenter. Meanwhile, at WEC 53 Anthony Pettis pulls off a head kick that would make Jackie Chan blush, and …

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So let me get this straight: J.R. Smith dunks a basketball and it’s named the day’s top play in all of sports by ESPN’s Sportscenter. Meanwhile, at WEC 53 Anthony Pettis pulls off a head kick that would make Jackie Chan blush, and that’s No. 2?

Now, I don’t want to act like a jerk about something that’s relatively minor (which is, of course, what you say right before you act like a jerk about something that’s relatively minor), but seriously? What Pettis did was practically superhuman. Just to even think you could pull off a kick like that is so ambitious that it borders on delusional. To actually do it against the WEC lightweight champion in the fifth round of a title fight, that’s a once in a lifetime moment.

Then again, I suppose it doesn’t compare to a slam dunk. That only happens every single night during basketball season, and that doesn’t even count the “And 1” tour.

WEC 53 Aftermath Notes: Video of ‘The Showtime Kick’, Prelim Madness, Bonuses + More

(In slo-mo for your convenience. Props: kemist. Full-speed gif is at the end of this post.)
Let’s get this out of the way: The cage-spring head-kick that Anthony "Showtime" Pettis landed on Ben Henderson in their lightweight title fight at …


(In slo-mo for your convenience. Props: kemist. Full-speed gif is at the end of this post.)

Let’s get this out of the way: The cage-spring head-kick that Anthony "Showtime" Pettis landed on Ben Henderson in their lightweight title fight at last night’s WEC 53 event was 1) The greatest kick in MMA history, 2) Maybe the most impressive knockdown in MMA history, and 3) Further proof that Pettis is one of the most exciting 155’ers in the universe. (He’s also punched his ticket to challenge for the UFC lightweight title against either Frankie Edgar or Gray Maynard, who both look dull as hell by comparison.)

We already knew Pettis was capable of stuff like this, but to have the balls to throw that kick in the fifth round of a title fight? If he planted his foot wrong, the video above might be titled "Ultimate Fail." Instead, he clinched the match on the judges scorecards with absolute authority. Said Pettis after the fight: “Duke Roufus plays with us, and we try these new kicks. He told us if one of us lands it in the cage that he would take us to dinner. So he owes me some dinner.”

The main event earned both men $10,000 Fight of the Night bonuses. As action-packed as the "Henderson vs. Pettis" broadcast was, the unaired prelims were equally hardcore, producing five first-round stoppages in seven bouts…

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WEC 53 Provides a Fitting End to an Underappreciated Brand

Filed under: WECGLENDALE, Ariz. – There must have been some misunderstanding. When the fighters on the WEC 53 fight card were told that Thursday night’s event was the last WEC show, perhaps what they heard was that it was the last MMA event ever.

If …

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GLENDALE, Ariz. – There must have been some misunderstanding. When the fighters on the WEC 53 fight card were told that Thursday night’s event was the last WEC show, perhaps what they heard was that it was the last MMA event ever.

If that were the case it might – just might – explain how the WEC managed to pull off such an unforgettable event.

How unforgettable was it? For one thing, it wasn’t until the fifth fight of the night that a bout finally made it out of the first round. Even then, it was a three-round war between Brad Pickett and Ivan Menjivar that drew a standing ovation from the crowd – and that wasn’t even the best fight of the night.