World Extreme Cagefighting 40 Results
by Robert Sargent
Capped off by a WEC Bantamweight Championship bout that was far closer than most anticipated, WEC 40 was a solid event, and also featured another exciting bantamweight bout between former WEC title challenger Jeff Curran and Joseph Benavidez.
Also on the main card, Benson Henderson and Rafael Assuncao picked up big wins, while Anthony Njokuani dominated former IFL star Bart Palaszewski and finished him in round two.
WEC Bantamweight Championship
Miguel Torres vs Takeya Mizugaki
In a back-and-forth battle that was far closer than most would have imagined, Torres narrowly retained his title with a close but Unanimous Decision that was marred only by Frank Mir's horrendously biased commentary throughout the fight.Mizugaki immediately pressed forward and threw a series of looping hooks, then backed Torres to the cage and unloaded with a barrage of punches. Torres countered with one solid left hook, but Mizugaki did most of the damage. Mizugaki landed another big combination of punches against the cage and punctuated it with a knee. Commentator Frank Mir ignored the entire exchange and continued talking about how great Torres's jab had been in past fights. Awesome. Mizugaki landed another combination and Torres locked on a Thai clinch. He landed knees, but Mizugaki threw him hard to the floor. Mizugaki's forward march of punches continued, while Torres seemed hesistant to commit. Torres began landing kicks to the body, but Mizugaki punished him with punches and a knee. Mizugaki stuffed a takedown before the bell and easily took the round. 10-9 Mizugaki. By Frank Mir's commentary, his scorecard likely has it 10-7 for Torres by now. Terrible.
Mizugaki unleashed another big flurry of punches early in round two, but Torres finally reacted and fired back a combination of his own. He slipped in the process, however, and was met with more punches when he stood up. Torres missed badly with a spinning back kick and fell, but got back up. Mizugaki rocked Torres with a big right hook, but Torres landed punches with his back to the cage. Mizugaki scored with another flurry, then began to target the liver of Torres. Mizugaki connected with another big left hook in an exchange, then a right hook seconds later. Torres finally strung together some punches that seemed to hurt Mizugaki, and he used punches and elbows to back Mizugaki to the cage. Torres landed knees to the body and short elbow strikes, but Mizugaki used punches to create distance. Torres landed a trio of stiff jabs in the final 30 seconds, then pressed Mizugaki against the cage and landed more knees. He finished the round with a one-two. Torres's onslaught in the final 90 seconds steals the close round. 10-9 Torres.
Torres landed a solid left hook counter early in round three, and the fighters exchanged punching combinations. Torres missed a spinning back fist and Mizugaki rushed forward with punches. Both landed strikes in a clinch, with Mizugaki favouring knees to the head. Torres attempted a head kick, but missed and was drilled with a left hook in a subsequent exchange. The fighters traded punches and Torres began to bleed from the nose. A left hook counter from Mizugaki opened a deep gash above Torres's right eye. Time was called to check the cut, but action resumed. Mizugaki staggered Torres with a right cross and landed a flurry of punches. Torres came back with a combination and two knees, and both fighters landed punches in an exchange. Mizugaki blasted Torres with more punches and a knee that opened up the cut above Torres's eye. Neither fighter was able to land any significant strikes in the final 40 seconds. 10-9 Mizugaki.
Mizugaki tagged Torres with two lunging left hooks to begin round four, then stuffed a takedown attempt. Torres came forward with sloppy punches and tried for a takedown, but wound up on his back. Mizugaki stood up and the fight resumed on the feet. Torres clinched against the cage and landed elbows and knees, but Mizugaki landed punches and a knee in return. Torres landed another flurry that backed Mizugaki up to the cage. The fighters traded knees, but Torres did more damage. Short elbows landed for Torres, and he followed up with more knees. Mizugaki spun and took Torres's back, but Torres rolled for a kneebar and then stood up. Torres landed a nice left hook and a combination that sent Mizugaki back to the cage, but Mizugaki pushed forward with a lunging punch. A punching exchange ensued, with Torres holding an advantage as the round ended. 10-9 Torres.
Mizugaki pressed the action to begin round five, but Torres evaded his strikes. Torres looked to pull guard, but aborted the plan and landed a series of hard punches that seemed to hurt Mizugaki. He held on, however, and gamely fought back with a combination. The fighters exchanged strikes and Torres fell while throwing a kick. Torres got up and clinched against the cage, where he landed knees to the legs and body. Mizugaki threw Torres to the ground and allowed him to stand up. Mizugaki landed a nice body shot, which was answered by one from Torres. Another clinch against the cage saw Torres score with more knees to the body. Torres landed a punching combination and backed away. The final 20 seconds featured a lengthy slugfest, but neither fighter was able to score a knockout. 10-9 Torres.
The judges largely agreed, giving Torres a hard-fought Unanimous Decision, but Mizugaki's reputation will skyrocket after this close fight.
Winner: Miguel Torres by Unanimous Decision (49-46, 49-46, 48-47) after five rounds. He improves to 37-1-0 and remains the WEC Bantamweight Champion.
Joseph Benavidez vs "The Big Frog" Jeff Curran
Controlling the fight both on the feet and on the ground, Benavidez left no doubt in the judges' minds, as he walked away with a clear-cut Unanimous Decision over the former WEC Featherweight title challenger.Benavidez landed a nice right cross in the early goings, then followed up with a series of leg kicks. Curran jabbed from the outside and ate another right cross, but landed a left hook in reply. Benavidez clinched against the cage, but Curran spun free and landed two punches. Benavidez landed a wild one-two and a knee. Curran drilled Benavidez with a huge left cross as Benavidez jumped forward, but Benavidez continued to push the pace and clinched again. Benavidez landed elbows and knees against the cage, but Curran broke free with an elbow. Benavidez landed a hard leg kick, but a follow-up kick was shrugged off by Curran. Benavidez dropped Curran with a right hook and pounced into Curran's guard, but Curran quickly recovered and prevented Benavidez from doing anything. Benavidez stood up and kicked the legs of Curran, then dove in with a pair of punches. Benavidez continued to kick the legs of Curran and kept him from getting up before the bell. 10-9 Benavidez.
Round two began with an exchange of kicks, as Benavidez targeted the legs and Curran landed side and front kicks to the body. Curran landed a left cross, but Benavidez countered with a quick flurry of three punches. Curran attempted a Superman Punch, but Benavidez threw him to the mat and worked from Curran's guard. Benavidez stood and tried to pass Curran's guard with twisting punches, but Curran got to his feet. Benavidez landed more kicks, which prompted Curran to jump and pull guard. Curran quickly transitioned from triangle choke attempts to an omoplata, but could not put Benavidez in any serious trouble. Benavidez scrambled and ended up in side-control briefly, but Curran sat up. Benavidez used a front choke to keep Curran on the ground, then stood up and kicked the legs again. Benavidez threw wild punches from the top, but Curran landed an upkick before the bell. 10-9 Benavidez.
Curran opened up round three with kicks to the legs and body, and Benavidez came back with a one-two. The fighters exchanged punches and Benavidez attempted a body kick. Curran caught his leg, but Benavidez spun free with a spinning back fist that just missed. Benavidez landed a good combination of punches, then followed up with a kick. He tripped Curran to the mat and landed elbows, then stood up and landed punches from the top. Curran stood up and clinched, then landed knees. He attempted a wild spinning back fist, but Benavidez backed away and landed a flurry of punches. Curran attempted a head kick and scored a big takedown, but Benavidez got right back to his feet. Curran landed knees in a clinch, but was taken down. Benavidez landed more big punches from the top and mixed in elbows, then avoided an armbar attempt from Curran. Benavidez nearly trapped himself in a triangle choke, but broke free and landed more punches until the bell. 10-9 Benavidez.
Winner: Joseph Benavidez by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 10-0-0.
Benson "Smooth" Henderson vs Shane Roller
In a brief but wild fight, Roller dropped Henderson early on and locked on a tight guillotine choke, but Henderson escaped and floored his opponent with punches seconds later, scoring a great comeback victory.Henderson landed a left cross early on, but was dropped by a left-right combination from Roller. Henderson collapsed against the cage and Roller immediately pounced and locked on a guillotine choke. Henderson fought it off, as well as some hard punches to the body, and managed to reverse position. The fighters stood and clinched against the cage, where Henderson landed a solid knee. Henderson landed knees to the legs and tossed Roller to the ground. Roller stood up, only to be dropped by a five-punch combination. Henderson swarmed and landed more punches until the referee waved him off. Crazy fight.
Winner: Benson Henderson by TKO (Punches) at 1:41 of round one. He improves to 9-1-0.
Rafael Assuncao vs Jameel "The Sergeant" Massouh
After dropping his opponent early in round one, Assuncao dominated the remainder of the fight with big punches, takedowns and submissions, which Massouh had little answer for.The fighters rushed to the middle of the ring and Assuncao slipped on the canvas. Massouh let him stand up and was promptly dropped by an overhand right from Assuncao, who dove to the ground and looked for the finish. Massouh survived the strikes from Assuncao and tried for a heel hook and a toe hold. Assuncao appeared to be in significant danger, but somehow escaped and landed more big punches from Massouh's guard. Massouh looked for a triangle choke, but Assuncao escaped and got to his feet. Both fighters landed leg kicks in an exchange, with Assuncao mixing in quick punches. Assuncao landed a nice one-two shortly before the bell. 10-9 Assuncao.
Assuncao began round two with a series of huge overhand rights that rocked the jaw of Massouh. Somehow, Massouh remained standing and threw back an overhand right of his own. Assuncao ducked the punch and clinched, then defended a takedown attempt by trapping Massouh in a guillotine choke. Assuncao let go of the choke, but dragged Massouh to the mat with a front face lock. Massouh battled free and stood up, where he was drilled with a right hook. Both fighters landed low kicks and Assuncao followed up with a right cross. In an exchange, Massouh slipped while throwing a kick and Assuncao dove into his half-guard. Assuncao retained top position and landed sparse strikes until the bell. 10-9 Assuncao.
Assuncao missed a head kick to begin round three, but landed kicks to the legs and body. He continued to batter Massouh with big punches, but Massouh stayed on his feet. Massouh pulled guard and attempted a guillotine choke, but Assuncao escaped and moved to mount. Massouh managed to buck him off and took top position, then landed weak strikes to the body. Assuncao attempted a triangle choke, but was unsuccessful. He managed to sweep Massouh, however, and wound up on top once again. Assuncao was unable to do much with the position and Massouh resorted to heel hook attempts late in the round. Assuncao escaped and briefly took Massouh's back, where he looked for a rear naked choke. Massouh broke free and got to his feet just before the bell. 10-9 Assuncao.
Winner: Rafael Assuncao by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) after three rounds. He improves to 13-1-0.
Anthony "The Assassin" Njokuani vs Bart "Bartimus" Palaszewski
Rebounding after a tough submission loss to Benson Henderson in his last fight, Njokuani dropped Palaszewski in round one and finished him off with strikes early in the second stanza, giving the former IFL star his fifth loss in his last seven fights.Both fighters opened up with quick punches in round one, with both looking to establish their jabs. Palaszewski shot in and took Njokuani down, despite Njokuani holding the cage. Njokuani got back to his feet and clinched, where he landed knees to the body. Njokuani landed stiff jabs and looked to set up power punches. A one-two landed for Njokuani, and he went back to jabs. Palaszewski countered with jabs of his own and Njokuani mixed in a variety of kicks. Palaszewski landed a pair of solid punches, but Njokuani fired back a hard kick to the liver. Palaszewski came forward with a left jab, but was dropped by a straight right hand from Njokuani. Palaszewski collapsed to the canvas and covered up to survive a barrage of punches from Njokuani. The fight returned to the feet and Palaszewski scored a much-needed takedown. Njokuani held on and little transpired before the bell. 10-9 Njokuani.
Njokuani landed a leg kick early in the second round, then followed up with a body kick and a pair of right crosses. The second punch floored Palaszewski, who fell in a heap against the cage. He turtled and covered up as Njokuani unleashed well over a dozen fast punches. The referee had seen enough and stopped the fight.
Winner: Anthony Njokuani by TKO (Punches) at 0:27 of round two. He improves to 10-2-0.
Undercard Fights:
Dominick Cruz defeated Ivan Lopez by Technical Decision - Unanimous (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) at 3:24 of round three. After dominating the first two rounds with takedowns and ground and pound, round three was shaping up to be more of the same for Cruz until he landed an illegal knee to his downed opponent late in the round. Replays showed that the knee appeared to be a glancing blow, but Lopez looked to be in significant pain. The fight went to the scorecards, with the third round included, and Cruz handily won the decision. Cruz improves to 13-1-0 with the win.Wagnney Fabiano defeated Fredson Paixao by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) after three rounds. Using his textbook game plan of takedowns and top control, Fabiano was unable to secure a submission finish, but left no doubt as to the victor of the fight. Paixao had no answers for the jiu-jitsu wizard. Fabiano improves to 12-1-0 with the win.
Rani Yahya defeated Eddie Wineland by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 1:07 of round one. This fight was over in a hurry, as Yahya scored a quick takedown and took Wineland's back in a scramble, then locked on a rear naked choke that forced Wineland to submit. Yahya has totalled two impressive victories in a row since returning to WEC competition. Yahya improves to 13-4-0 with the win.
Akitoshi "Ironman" Tamura defeated Manny "The Mangler" Tapia by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) after three rounds. Surprising many, Tamura dominated the striking exchanges in what was essentially a kickboxing match against the skilled striker, Tapia. The fight was close and Tapia managed to steal round three with a late flurry, but Tamura's kicks and varied strikes were enough to earn him a competitive decision victory. Tamura improves to 13-7-2 with the win.
Rafael Dias defeated Mike "Wildfire" Budnik by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28) after three rounds. Working from top position on the ground for the majority of the fight, Dias landed strikes and attempted submissions, but was unable to finish Budnik. A last-ditch armbar from Budnik nearly stole the fight late in round three, but Dias survived to take the decision. Dias improves to 12-5-1 with the win.
Poor commentating aside, WEC 40 was an exciting albeit decision-filled night, and bantamweights can perhaps take solace in the fact that WEC Bantamweight Champion Miguel Torres is not invincible after all.
