World Extreme Cagefighting returned to Las Vegas tonight with WEC 45: “Cerrone vs Ratcliff,” which was capped off by a strange and foul-filled lightweight tilt between former title challenger Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone and hard-hitting Ed “9mm” Ratcliff.

Also on the main card, Anthony Njokuani took advantage of a mental lapse from “The Polish Hammer” Chris Horodecki and stopped the former IFL champ in the first round, while Joseph Benavidez made equally short work of jiu-jitsu wizard Rani Yahya in bantamweight action.

Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone vs Ed “9mm” Ratcliff

Round 1:
Cerrone rushed forward immediately and clinched. Ratcliff reversed and tripped Cerrone, but backed away and allowed him to stand. He staggered Cerrone with a one-two and followed with a pair of leg kicks. Another one-two landed for Ratcliff and he tripped Cerrone with an inside leg kick. Cerrone clinched and Ratcliff once again reversed against the cage.

Ratcliff landed punches over the top, but Cerrone secured a Thai clinch and an exchange of knees followed. Ratcliff punched free again and caught a kick, but ate a pair of knees from Cerrone. A kick to the liver landed for Cerrone and he added another body kick seconds later. A knee from Cerrone went low and time was called. The fight resumed and Cerrone walked Ratcliff down with kicks.

Quick punches scored for both and Cerrone landed another inadvertent low knee. Time was called again and referee Herb Dean deducted one point. Action continued and Ratcliff scored with a front kick and a one-two that staggered Cerrone. An exchange of punches followed and Cerrone scored a takedown. He landed elbows from half-guard and tried for a guillotine choke. Close round. 9-9 due to the deduction.

Round 2:
Cerrone opened the second round with kicks, but was tripped to the mat by a counter kick from Ratcliff. More leg kicks scored for Cerrone and he followed with a lead left hook and a body kick. Ratcliff continued to back up as Cerrone’s kicks did more damage and Cerrone connected with a knee and two big punches. Cerrone landed a one-two and a knee from a Thai clinch, but the knee strayed low. A lengthy timeout was called and Cerrone lost another point.

Cerrone remained aggressive and connected with a left hook and a punch-kick combo, then followed with more strikes. A flying knee landed and Ratcliff backed up. Cerrone’s kicks continued to pick Ratcliff apart and he followed up with quick punches. Ratcliff caught a kick and pushed Cerrone to the mat. Cerrone stood and landed two elbows over the top, but Ratcliff took his back. Cerrone countered with a Kimura and a power guillotine at the bell. 9-9.

Round 3:
Ratcliff opted to throw a flying knee rather than touch gloves in the final round, but it missed the mark. Cerrone took Ratcliff’s back in a clinch, then spun and scored with a flying knee to the face. Kicks followed for Cerrone and he rocked Ratcliff with a one-two. Ratcliff tried for a takedown and Cerrone grabbed the fence on the way. Herb Dean stood the fighters up and warned Cerrone.

The fight resumed and Cerrone backed Ratcliff up with more kicks. Cerrone clinched and landed knees, then dragged Ratcliff to the ground. Cerrone moved from a rear naked choke to an inverted triangle to a modified armbar, but Ratcliff did not give up. He scrambled to his feet, but Cerrone dragged him down again. Cerrone secured a rear naked choke and Ratcliff finally tapped out.

Winner: Donald Cerrone by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 3:47 of round three. He improves to 11-2-0, 1 NC.

Anthony “The Assassin” Njokuani vs “The Polish Hammer” Chris Horodecki

Round 1:
Njokuani snapped Horodecki’s head back with a jab and avoided a series of kicks from Horodecki. Two counter left hooks found the mark for Njokuani and he blasted Horodecki with a knee in a Thai clinch. Horodecki pressed Njokuani against the cage, but Njokuani kneed his way free. Horodecki, bleeding from the mouth, landed a one-two and a leg kick. Both fighters scored with punches in an exchange seconds later.

Horodecki struggled to find his range as Njokuani kept him at bay with varied kicks and punches. Njokuani used a judo throw to take Horodecki down and nearly moved straight to mount. Horodecki stood up and literally ran away from Njokuani, but was floored by a head kick in the process. Njokuani swarmed with punches until referee Steve Mazzagatti stopped the fight. Huge mistake by Horodecki, but a big win for Njokuani.

Winner: Anthony Njokuani by TKO (Head Kick & Punches) at 3:33 of round one. He improves to 12-2-0, 1 NC.

Joseph Benavidez vs Rani Yahya

Round 1:
Yahya jabbed early on and scored with a quick flurry. Benavidez missed with a lunging right hook and fell down. He got up and both fighters landed hard punches simultaneously. Benavidez fired a windmill series of punches and a right hook dropped Yahya against the cage. Benavidez pounced and landed a barrage of punches before referee Kim Winslow rescued Yahya.

Winner: Joseph Benavidez by TKO (Punches) at 1:35 of round one. He improves to 11-1-0.

Scott “Young Guns” Jorgensen vs Takeya Mizugaki

Round 1:
Jorgensen dropped Mizugaki right away with a powerful right hand and locked up a guillotine choke, but Mizugaki survived and escaped. Knees were exchanged in a clinch for a full minute as each fighter looked to gain an upper hand. Mizugaki attempted a high knee, but Jorgensen used the opportunity to take him down. Mizugaki got right back to his feet and the clinch resumed.

Jorgensen landed a punch over the top and backed away, then ate a combination from Mizugaki. Hard punches were thrown by both and Jorgensen rocked Mizugaki with a pair of vicious right hooks. He dropped Mizugaki with a lunging hook and looked to finish, but Mizugaki recovered. Jorgensen took Mizugaki’s back and tried to set up a choke with punches, but Mizugaki stood up. More knees were exchanged late in the round. 10-9 Jorgensen. Nearly a 10-8.

Round 2:
Mizugaki scored with a one-two and a trio of punches early in the second round, but Jorgensen took him down. Jorgensen tried for a guillotine as Mizugaki stood up, but let it go and landed knees in a clinch. As in round one, the fighters traded knees to the midsection in the clinch, but neither held a significant advantage. Referee Herb Dean separated the fighters and Mizugaki landed a one-two and a head kick.

Jorgensen scored another brief takedown, but Mizugaki immediately returned to his feet. Back in the clinch, Jorgensen tried to take Mizugaki down and then backed away. He backed Mizugaki up with a four-punch flurry and clinched. Mizugaki, bleeding from the nose, fired back with punches and kicks. Short strikes were exchanged in close and the fighters engaged in another punching battle. Jorgensen attempted another takedown to no avail. 10-9 Jorgensen.

Round 3:
The final round opened with both fighters throwing punches and Jorgensen scored with a knee to the body. Mizugaki established his jab and kept Jorgensen at a distance, but Jorgensen managed to punch his way into a clinch. The pace remained high as the fighters continued to throw punches and Mizugaki landed a leg kick. Both landed quick flurries and Jorgensen scored a brief takedown.

Mizugaki scrambled to his feet and took Jorgensen down. From half-guard, Mizugaki landed short elbows and he looked to take Jorgensen’s back. Mizugaki briefly trapped Jorgensen in a crucifix, but Jorgensen escaped and stood up. Mizugaki slammed him down again and kneed from side-control. Jorgensen regained half-guard, but Mizugaki maintained top position and landed punches at the bell. 10-9 Mizugaki.

Winner: Scott Jorgensen by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 8-3-0.