THE SHOWTIME KICK
But those were not the only moments the great MMA organization left us with during its last moments on earth. The main card of WEC 53 was truly spectacular, with exciting fights from top to bottom, including a matchup that had not one, but two titles on the line:
DOMINIC CRUZ VS. SCOTT JORGENSEN
These two competitors fought not just to prove themselves as two of the best fighters in the world at 135 pounds, not just to show that they're more than ready to enter the UFC next year, but to officially enter the history books, as the last WEC Bantamweight champion and first UFC Bantamweight champion. All earned in one night.
Cruz is known primarily for his speed. He has extremely fast hands and feet, which means that he can close the distance and hit an opponent with 6 consecutive punches and back away into safe distance all in the blink of an eye. Scott Jorgensen is known for his fierce fighting style, his never die attitude and his ability to finish almost anybody in his way. It's a hell of a matchup.
Out of the two, however, the current champ, Cruz, was the one more on point. His speed and unpredictable footwork confused Jorgensen much of the fight, such that he really never did a lot of damage to his opponent. Cruz was in and out, in and out, constantly peppering Jorgensen with 1-2's, and keeping his distance safe at all times with exact leg kicks.
He kept that pace and performance the entire 5 rounds, clearly outpointed Jorgensen the entire time and won the fight via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45).
Though it was an admirable and exciting performance, the win will only fuel Cruz's detractors even more. The main criticism against Cruz is that he rarely finishes fights, that he fights only to outscore his opponent, and very rarely to finish them in exciting, memorable fashion. Though Cruz dominated top contender Scott Jorgensen in their final fight in the WEC, he failed to silence his critics.
I, for one, am not against Dominic Cruz in any way. Sure, I would definitely like to see him finish more fights, as I'm sure most fans do, but his fights are always very exciting to watch and I am very grateful for that. I also understand that he's fighting at the very top of the Bantamweight division and thus, all his opponents will be the absolute cream of the crop. As such, they wouldn't be particularly easy to finish off, so saying that he never finishes fights is a bit too much of an exaggeration in my opinion.
DONALD CERRONE VS. CHRIS HORODECKI
I was rooting for "Cowboy" Cerrone the entire time, but Horodecki put up a hell of a fight in the first round. It was pretty back and forth for the first five minutes, with the fight staying mostly on the feet, but also going to the mat on occasion.
The second round starts, and Horodecki quickly shoots in and takes Cerrone down. Cerrone is extremely dangerous off his back and immediately transitions to a submission attempt. Horodecki survives, but eventually falls prey to Cerrone's dangerous Triangle, which eventually succeeds. Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone taps Chris Horodecki 2:43 of the second round.
KAMAL SHALORUS VS. BART PALASZEWSKI
Palaszewski is one of the WEC's more exciting fighters, but I predicted Shalorus would take this fight as I saw him as the more athletic and powerful wrestler. The match went the distance and was very much back and forth the entire time, both standing up and on the ground. Though it wasn't the most exciting fight in the main card, it was still filled with action. Both fighters were very active throughout, making each round very difficult to score. In the end Shalorus got his hand raised via split decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-28).
NEW BEGINNINGS
It's a new dawn for the fighters of the WEC, as they are now officially part of the UFC. All of them will try their best to earn their spots, especially those in the Lightweight division, and that only means more exciting fights in the future! Nerve wracking for the fighters, but very good for the fans. It's going to be one fantastic year for the UFC!
Check out more amazing photos of WEC 53 at the official WEC website!
Check out more amazing photos of WEC 53 at the official WEC website!
