WEC 50: CRUZ VS. BENAVIDEZ II
AUGUST 18, 2010
LIVE FROM LAS VEGAS, NEVADA
Todd Harris opens up the broadcast after another excellent opening hype video. Stephan Bonnar is back on commentary tonight along with Harris. I'm very much excited for this fight card tonight, and Bonnar and Harris break down what's on tap on the five fight card. They announce the top three cities for the Amp Energy contest that will bring a WEC event in December. They are Milwaukee, Nashville and Pheonix. The winner will be announced later on the broadcast.
[Commercial Break]
FIGHT ONE: BART PALASZEWSKI VS. ZACH MICKLEWRIGHT (LIGHTWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Palaszewski lands a couple of inside leg kicks early. Micklewright walks him down and lands a left. Micklewright gets in close and they exchange punches. Palaszewski lands a nice counter right. They exchange punches in a flurry again but Micklewright gets the better of it before clinching and pushing Palaszewski to the cage. He lands some knees to the thighs and they jockey for position on the cage. They're separated as neither does much. Palaszewski lands another counter left nicely as Micklewright gets in. Micklewright lands a few punches in combination. He continues to walk Palaszewski down. Bart pushes him back with a few punches. He gets in a nice right. Palaszewski lands another leg kick. Micklewright gets in close and they exchange in a flurry again. He tags Bart low accidentally. Some nice exchanges in this first round. Micklewright lands a hard leg kick and gets in with a few punches in a nice combo. Bart lands a low blow to even the score. Palaszewki lands a big right. He gets in a few more punches. Micklewright gets Palaszewski to the cage but Palaszewski presses back with a big combination and forces Micklewright to back up. Palaszewski throw a high kick. They exchange punches and Palaszewski throws another high kick as the round ends.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Palaszewski. He landed the harder and cleaner shots, though the round was very close. Nice pace from both guys right now in a fairly even fight.
[Commercial Break]
ROUND TWO: Palaszewski landed a hard counter left early that hurt Micklewright. He pressed him back to the cage and they exchanged shots again, Palaszewski landing the better strikes. He then unloaded a huge right hand that knocked Micklewright out! Awesome finish by Palaszewski.
[Commercial Break]
WINNER: Palaszewski via TKO at :31 of the second round
POST FIGHT: Palaszewski said he's always down to throw. He said he's an entertainer first, fighter second. He said he worked wrestling for three months to get the fight to the ground, but he abandoned that after a few minutes in the first round.
STAR RATING: (***-) Great start to the night. Both fighters fought at a great pace in the first round, exchanging shots and combinations. Palaszewski was simply landing the harder strikes throughout, and he set up the finish with a nice body kick that forced Micklewright to lower his hands. Good fight.
[Commercial Break]
FIGHT TWO: SCOTT JORGENSEN VS. BRAD "ONE PUNCH" PICKETT (BANTAMWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Both fighters meet each other in the center of the cage. Pickett lands a nice jab. Joergensen gets one in. Pickett catches a kick and drops Jorgensen. Jorgensen got back up and landed a two punch combo. Pickett caught another kick and sent Jorgensen down, but he got up quickly. Pickett again catches the body kick but Jorgensen got away and covered up. He landed a nice right. Pickett clinched but Jorgensen was able to break free. Jorgensen landed a nice short punch. Pickett came back with a few punches of his own. Jorgensen landed a couple of jabs and covered up. He shot in and got a takedown but stood right back up. Jorgensen snuck in with a good right. Picket came back with a left. Pickett lands another left. Jorgensen knocked Pickett's mouthpiece out and chased him to the cage as Pickett grabbed his mouthpiece and put it back in. Pickett got separation. Pickett tagged Jorgensen with a big punch but Jorgensen was alright. He shot in and got a takedown. Pickett went for a choke but Jorgensen got to side control. He landed a short elbow. Pickett turned and got to scrambled to his feet. JOrgensen landed a punch. Pickett got in with a body punch. Pickett landed with a flying knee. Jorgensen took it. He landed a push kick. Jorgensen landed a big left. Jorgensen connects on an uppercut. Pickett charges in and Jorgensen lands a big knee. Pickett tags him with a punch and they exchange as the round ends. Whew. What a round.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Jorgensen. Fairly even in the stand up, but Jorgensen's takedown was key.
[Commercial Break[
ROUND TWO: They both exchange strikes wildly early. Pickett gets in a few good punches but Jorgensen battles back. Pickett lands a couple of jabs. Jorgensen gets in an uppercut. Pickett presses and lands a combo. He tags Jorgensen with a jab. Jorgensen keeps him at bay with a few punches. Jorgensen lands a few short forearms standing that do some damage. Pickett feints and lands a left. He gets in a good body shot. Jorgensen unleashes a four punch combo. Pickett connects on a right. Pickett lands another huge right but Jorgensen just takes it. Pickett's mouth guard came out again and the action is halted to put it back in. Jorgensen goes for a takedown but gets shrugged off. Pickett then shoots in and lands a knee low in the clinch. Jorgensen continues. Pickett comes forward with a furious flurry. Jorgensen gets in with a combination of his own. Jorgensen lands again. Pickett with a number of punches. Pickett shoots but Jorgensen throws him down and gets into his guard. He lands a few elbows and drives Pickett to the cage with a minute left. He lands an elbow again and another against the cage. Pickett threw his legs up but Jorgensen landed some hard shots and passed the guard. Pickett scrambled and got to his feet and avoided a guillotine attempt. Pickett pressed right in and clinched, then tried to grab a double but the round ended.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Jorgensen. The takedown again was key, but this time he did more damage with it. Pickett landed more in that round. This is an amazing fight so far.
[Commercial Break]
ROUND THREE: Pickett comes forward with some pawing jabs early. Pickett landed a few hard left hands. Jorgensen got in with a couple. Pickett again landed a few more punches. He's getting the better of the stand up here at the start of the round. Jorgensen tags him with a couple punches. He seems to have slowed a bit more than Pickett here. Jorgensen shoots in and completes the single leg. He needs to do something with the position here and solidify it for himself. Jorgensen landed an elbow and Pickett tried to control his body to stall him. Pickett threw the legs up and he's staying very active on the ground. He nearly got a triangle, but used it to scramble and get to his feet halfway through the round. Pickett landed a couple of jabs and a right. Jorgensen lands a huge right. Pickett lands a huge left. Jorgensen then gets another single leg takedown. Pickett again stays active in the guard. Jorgensen lands a couple of hard forearms. Pickett again throws up for the triangle, but Jorgensen defends it and passes the guard. He lands a hard knee to the back and then another. He comes back with a couple more of those knees to the low back. Jorgensen holds side control and lands a couple of short elbows. Pickett scrambles but Jorgensen takes his back. Pickett rolls but Jorgensen stays on him. Pickett gets up but Jorgensen slams him down. Pickett then rolls into Jorgensen's guard as time is running out and lands a big elbow as the fight ends. Awesome, awesome fight.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Jorgensen. A few takedowns and damage on the ground outweighed Pickett's superior striking in that round. Pickett may have been given the first, second or both, however, so the scorecards for this could be interesting. Jorgensen should win the fight, though.
[Commercial Break]
WINNER: Jorgensen via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
POST FIGHT: Jorgensen said he knew Pickett was a tough guy and could take a punch. He said he hoped the crowd enjoyed it and laughed as he said he was hurting. He said he thinks he deserves the title shot and expects it for his next fight.
STAR RATING: (****-) Both fighters were a bit worn down in the third and that slowed things with some stalling on the ground, but that was one of the best fights of the year and the first two rounds were as good as you're going to see as far as an even fight goes in this sport. The fight was much closer than the scorecards reflect, and an awesome, awesome fight.
RAMIFICATIONS: Jorgensen needs to get his title shot next. And I think his striking is better than Cruz's, and his wrestling comparable to Benavidez. Either fight is going to be an absolute blast.
[Commercial Break]
-Manny Gamburyan and Donald Cerrone are interviewed cageside ahead of their WEC 51 fights next month. Gamburyan said he believes he can beat Jose Aldo, and he's going to go out there and do their thing. Cerrone said the fight with Varner is going to slingshot him and put him on the road to redemption. He said he's going out to whip Varner.
[Commercial Break]
FIGHT THREE: CUB SWANSON VS. CHAD MENDES (FEATHERWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Swanson circles on the outside early. Mendes popped in quick and landed a hard right that knocked Swanson off balance. Swanson tried to push in for a takedown for some reason but second guessed himself. Mendes took his back standing then and pulled him to the ground and got into side control. Big mistake by Swanson, this is not where he wants to be in this fight. Mendes throws some shoulders into the face of Swanson as Mendes holds side control. Rosenthal warns Mendes to work here in this position as he's not doing much with this spot. He finally throws a punch but Swanson holds control of him. Rosenthal finally stands them up with two minutes left. Mendes lands a leg kick and a right as Swanson tried to throw a kick. Swanson landed a good two punch combo. Mendes caught a body kick and took Swanson down again. Swanson scrambles and Mendes lets him up. Swanson gets in a right. He walks Mendes to the cage but misses a big right and eats one from Mendes. He tries a flying knee, misses and Mendes takes him down as the round ends.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Mendes. Swanson's not looking great here so far. Mendes didn't do anything with his position, but if he keeps this up he could take this one pretty easy.
[Commercial Break]
ROUND TWO: Mendes landed a leg kick early. He then quickly shot for a double leg and took Swanson right down. Swanson scrambled again and Mendes let him up. Swanson got in with a couple of strikes. Mendes shot for a single leg but Swanson held it off. Swanson came forward with a big flurry but Mendes avoided much of the damage. Swanson is starting to walk Mendes down now. He landed a good leg kick. Swanson landed a right and Mendes pressed him back with a nice one of his own. Swanson landed a hard body punch. He got in a good right but Mendes got in with a clinch. He pulled off a very nice trip and put Swanson on his back again. Mendes landed the double palms to the ear a la Sonnen at UFC 117. Swanson is holding control of Mendes and tried to scramble but Mendes stayed on him and got back into his guard. Swanson threw some short punches from the bottom. Mendes landed an elbow. Mendes just smothering Swanson right now. He pinned Swanson's arm under him but Swanson got it loose. Swanson landed a few more strikes from the bottom and Mendes landed a short elbow. Swanson scrambled and got to his feet with a near guillotine and landed a nice knee as he released it before the round ended.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Mendes. He's really not doing anything on the ground outside of smothering Swanson, but it's enough right now to have him well ahead into this round. Swanson needs to do something.
[Commercial Break]
ROUND THREE: Mendes pushed in immediately, Swanson slipped and just like that Mendes is in his guard again. Swanson tried to walk up the cage and finally was able to get to his feet. He's got four minutes to do something here. He landed a leg kick and tried to stalk, but Mendes again shot in and got the takedown. Swanson tried to go for an omoplata, but Mendes had control og his hips. He moved to half guard and then passed to mount. Swanson captures his foot, though and he doesn't complete the pass. He then breaks out and gets full mount. Swanson immediately gets back to half guard and then gets it back to guard. Swanson makes his way back to his feet. He rushes in as he's frustrated and Mendes takes him right back down with a slam. He gets back up again and comes forward. He's trying to swing for the fences. He landed a good uppercut. He landed a leg kick. Mendes shot again, got Swanson's back and took him down. Swanson rolled and Mendes finished the fight in Swanson's guard as Swanson landed a few elbows from the bottom.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Mendes. Another boring top control round from Mendes. He needs to learn some offense on the ground to go along with his excellent takedowns and control.
[Commercial Break]
WINNER: Mendes via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
POST FIGHT: Mendes said he wanted to showcase his stand up a little, but obviously he's a wrestler and that's where he's going to go.
STAR RATING: (*) That just wasn't an entertaining fight. For all of the commentary against Jon Fitch for not doing anything but holding top control in his fights, all one needs to do is watch this fight to gain more appreciation for his skills. Mendes just has no offense on the ground, but he has the wrestling ability to keep the fight there for 15 minutes. He's talented, but that kind of took the energy out of the crowd after the awesome Jorgensen-Pickett fight. It definitely slowed the pace of the show.
[Commercial Break]
FIGHT FOUR: SHANE ROLLER VS. ANTHONY PETTIS (LIGHTWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Roller walks Pettis down early and they each land a punch before Roller gets in with the clinch. Pettis turns him around, however and puts Roller on the cage. Roller tries to bring it to the ground but Pettis gets right back up. Pettis moves forward. Roller shoots for the single leg and Pettis stuffs it against the cage. Roller lands a couple knees to the thighs and tries to grab a foot but Pettis backed out and landed a nice right to get separation. Pettis throws a jumping kick high but it gets blocked. Roller got in with a big right and clinched Pettis on the cage. Pettis turned him around again. Pettis landed a knee. Roller tried to take Pettis down but Pettis wound up on top. After a scramble Pettis got back to his feet. Pettis came in with a nice right. He tried a jumping knee, got blocked, but landed an nice right before clinching Roller. They separate again. Pettis threw a high kick but it was blocked. He got in a nice right as Roller tried to come in. Roller landed a big right. Pettis landed a big high kick to the back of the neck. Flashy move. He hurt Roller there and followed up with a few strikes before Roller grabbed the clinch again. He landed a knee to the body. Pettis turned him around and got a nice knee in. Pettis landed a couple more punches in the clinch and separated. Pettis rolled and pulled off a spinning kick as the round ended.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Pettis. He held off the takedowns well, landed some good strikes and did some damage. Good round.
[Commercial Break]
ROUND TWO: Roller landed a kick early. He then shot in and got the clinch. He tried to grab a single leg and Pettis got out of it. Nice takedown defense from here in this fight. He came forward and landed a hard leg kick. He got in another. Roller again tries to take him down and Pettis lands on top in his guard. He throws some short punches to the body and keeps his posture down. I'm sure he'd be fine to have this stood up. Roller tries to hold him and stall as Pettis continues to land body punches. He lands a short hammer fist and goes back to body punches. Pettis is fighting a great fight right now. More body punches. He continues to land those. He backs off and lands a big right. More body punches. He's hitting both sides. Roller threw his legs up and Pettis backs off. Roller lands a big left on the feet and tries to take advantage, but Pettis holds off any more damage as he gets backed up to the cage. Roller lands a good uppercut. Roller then drags Pettis down and into the mount. Pettis moved to the cage and pushed off to somersault over Roller and get on top of him! He got right to side control. Roller scrambled and Pettis stood up. Pettis threw a spinning kick but Roller ducked under it as the round ended.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Pettis. Roller nearly stole the round with one big punch and the takedown into mount, but then Pettis pulled off a beautiful reversal by kicking off the cage to take it right back. Great fight for him so far.
[Commercial Break]
ROUND THREE: Roller pushed forward early and stalked Pettis as he was circling. Roller landed a nice left, shot in, picked Pettis up and dropped him down in the middle of the cage. Pettis almost scrambled out but Roller grabbed his legs and stayed on him. Pettis threw his legs up and nearly got a triangle locked on. Pettis landed a good upkick as Roller was standing. He tried to drop down but got blocked and Pettis almost locked the triangle in! He's working really well from his back. Roller moved over and got to side control, looking for a guillotine, but Pettis scrambled out and got back to guard. Pettis kicked him off again and got back to his feet. Roller is exhausted. Pettis is as well. Pettis landed a nice right as Roller came in. He landed a good kick to the body. He landed a hard leg kick and a hard right hand> Pettis then ducked under a punch and took Roller down. Roller got to his knee and stood up. Pettis threw a kick to his head from behind him. Roller put his hands on his knees Kimbo style with 40 seconds left. Roller came forward and Pettis took him down again. Roller went for a guillotine and Pettis rolled out. Pettis then slapped on a triangle from his back and forced Roller to tap with nine seconds left! Wow! Amazing finish.
[Commercial Break]
WINNER: Pettis via submission (triangle choke) at 4:51 of the third round
POST FIGHT: Pettis said Roller was a really tough opponent and gave him credit for being a tough fight. He said he trained hard for this fight and he's ready for the Champ and asked where he was. He said the WEC needs a new face and it's him. Roller said it was one of those nights where he couldn't get going for whatever reason.
STAR RATING: (****-) The finish bumped it up as both fighters were really gassed in the third round, but that's right up there with Jorgensen vs. Pickett for "Fight of the Night." That's one of the best finishes of the year. Great, great fight.
RAMIFICATIONS: Pettis should be high on the list for the next challenger for Ben Henderson's Lightweight Championship. If Milwaukee gets this December fight, put Henderson vs. Pettis in Pettis' backyard. That would be huge.
-Speaking of that, Urijah Faber and UFC President Dana White came cageside to announce the winner. And it's Phoenix, Arizona getting the WEC event. Damn. They will be heading there on Thursday, December 16. Henderson is interviewed cageside, and he fights out of Arizona so they'll likely have the title fight there.
[Commercial Break]
MAIN EVENT FIGHT FIVE: DOMINICK CRUZ VS. JOSEPH BENAVIDEZ (BANTAMWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP BOUT)
ROUND ONE: Benavidez lands a short front kick early. Cruz is so much taller, I forgot how much the difference was from the first fight. He pops in with a couple of short rights and hops out. Benavidez connects as Cruz comes in. Benavidez ducks under a punch and lands a hard right. Benavidez slipped and Cruz came in. Benavidez defended a takedown attempt and Cruz landed a couple of knees to the body. in the clinch. He landed a knee high. Benavidez broke free. Benavidez ate a leg kick and came forward with a nice combination. He lands another left. He lands a straight punch as Cruz pops in again. Cruz lands a leg kick. Cruz landed an uppercut as he popped in and out. He stays so active with his footwork. Benavidez lands again with the right. He gets in a leg kick. Benavidez catches a kick and lands a big right and another right after. He's looking much better than the first fight so far. Cruz shot in perfectly as Benavidez was throwing a kick. Cruz threw a couple of shots and Benavidez landed some elbows from the bottom. Cruz landed some body punches as the round ended.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Cruz. He stole it late but Benavidez landed some hard punches. Very close round, and a great pace to start the fight.
[Commercial Break]
ROUND TWO: Benavidez dropped Cruz early with a punch but Cruz got back to his feet. Benavidez lands a couple of body punches and avoids the counter. He's cut at the hairline. Cruz lands a big knee to the body. Benavidez lands a nice right. Benavidez lands another combo and pushes forward and lands a jumping high kick. Benavidez landed another counter right as Cruz continued to try to pop in and out. Benavidez is countering really well here. He landed a few more and attempted a takedown and was held off. Cruz landed a low kick but Benavidez countered with a big right. Benavidez slipped but recovered by going for a single leg. Cruz held it off. Benavidez landed a straight kick. Neither fighter landing a ton here. Cruz landed a straight left and landed a jumping knee as Benavidez countered with a right. Benavidez landed another combination. Benavidez with another combo. Cruz shoots in and Benavidez grabs for a guillotine and stays on his feet. He pushes Cruz to the cage and lands a few strikes as the round ends.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Benavidez. His counter strikes are scoring well here. Still a close fight through two.
[Commercial Break]
ROUND THREE: Cruz comes right back out, pressuring again. He's always moving. Benavidez blocked a high kick and sprawled on a takedown attempt. He blocked another high kick. Cruz popped in with a couple rights and then backed out again. Benavidez landed a good leg kick. Benavidez again with the counter right as Cruz comes in. Benavidez presses forward with leg kicks. He shoots in and presses Cruz to the cage, unsuccessful with the takedown attempt. Cruz pulls out of a single leg attempt. Benavidez presses him back with a short right. Cruz hops around and pops in with a short combo. They trade punches. Benavidez is looking for his shots here as he walks Cruz down. Cruz grabs a clinch but Benavidez puts him on the cage and drops for a single. Cruz pulls out of it again. Cruz landed a nice jab. Benavidez pushed in and landed the right. Cruz again landed a jab. Benavidez with a leg kick. He blockes another high kick and pushes forward with a combination that ended in a nice leg kick. Cruz got in with a good kick to the body. Benavidez landed a nice high kick as Cruz was trying to back out. He blocked another high kick and landed a counter left shortly thereafter. Benavidez landed a nice right as Cruz tried to clinch. He pushed him back with body punches. Cruz grabs a takedown with ten seconds left and may have stolen a close one.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Benavidez. That takedown should not be enough to steal that round. Benavidez is landing punches and kicks, countering and blocking strikes. But the judges may give that one to Cruz.
ROUND FOUR: Cruz gets a takedown right off the bat and gets to side control. Benavidez gets it back to guard. Benavidez staying active in the guard. Cruz lands some short punches. He brings Benavidez to the cage and tries to pass to half guard but can't. Cruz tries to pass and Benavidez scrambles and sneaks out the backdoor. Benavidez then grabs a single leg and pulls Cruz to the ground, but Cruz holds it off. Benavidez grabs for a guillotine in a scramble but Cruz gets out and clinches Benavidez on the cage with a body lock. Benavidez landed a nice knee to the head. Benavidez then tried to throw him off but Cruz stays on him and Cruz is cut open from the knee that Benavidez landed. He lands a knee. He takes Benavidez down again with a minute left. He passes to side control and tries to work. Benavidez gets it back to guard and tries to kick Cruz off. Cruz got to the mount but Benavidez scrambled and got back to his feet and Cruz's cut is really bad. Benavidez ends the round pressing Cruz against the cage.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Cruz. He held positional control for a few minutes in the round, but I've got it even to the fifth. That cut could come into play here in the final round.
ROUND FIVE: Cruz comes forward and goes for the takedown but Benavidez stuffs it. Benavidez lands a right as Cruz comes in. Benavidez lands another counter right. He gets in with a leg kick. Both fighters land hard punches and Benavidez gets in with a clinch. He separates. Cruz lands a right and Benavidez counters. Benavidez lands a lef kick. Cruz throws a flying knee but Benavidez ducked under it. More urgency is needed here in the final round. Benavidez eats a body kick and counters. He lands a left. Benavidez lands a few punches and gets away from the counters. Benavidez with the leg kick and they exchange punches. Benavidez lands a nice spinning back fist. Cruz lands a right. Both fighters miss on combinations. Benavidez pressing here in the fifth. He lands another right. He ducks under the counter and clinches briefly. Benavidez landed a big right. He pressed in again and landed a left. Benavidez countered a flying knee attempt. Benavidez landed a nice right and blocked a high kick. Cruz got a takedown with 20 seconds left. He throws a few shots and Benavidez lands some from the bottom and the round ends.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Benavidez. Benavidez was winning that round until the takedown, and it wasn't enough to steal it in my estimation. The fight probably goes to Cruz, though.
WINNER: Cruz via split decision (47-48, 48-47, 49-46)
POST FIGHT: Cruz thanked the fans, but most of them were booing him. He said he ranks among the best in the world, but I didn't think he "won" that fight as much as he squeaked it out.
STAR RATING: (***+) It was a very good Championship fight, but it was so close it's a shame it came down to the scorecards like that. It was an extremely tough fight, that I think Benavidez squeaked out, but I knew he wouldn't get the nod from two judges. It's not a robbery, but Cruz didn't come out and "win" this one, he simply managed to hold onto the belt. Great fight, though, and Benavidez couldn't stop those takedowns when it mattered. I wouldn't mind seeing a trilogy, but that doesn't usually come to fruition when one fighter wins the first two fights. This might be an exception, but Cruz will need to get past Scott Jorgensen, which is not going to be an easy task, and Benavidez will need at least a couple of wins to get back there.
Well that's another event in the books; thanks for joining us once again and make sure to check back tomorrow as Matt Pelkey will have live coverage of Bellator 25 on Fox Sports Net, and then the action continues on Saturday with live coverage of Strikeforce: Houston on Showtime!
Credit: http://www.mmatorch.com
WEC 50: Cruz vs. Benavidez 2 Results
