This Thursday, live from the Jobing.com arena in Glendale, Arizona it’s the final WEC event before the organization officially merges into the UFC.
Since being purchased by Zuffa in 2006, World Extreme Cagefighting has put on some of the most memorable MMA fights ever aired on television.
Let’s take a look at the top ten fights in WEC history:
Chris Leben faced Mike Swick at WEC 9
Chris Leben faced Mike Swick at WEC 9
10. Chris Leben vs. Mike Swick: WEC 9 (1/16/2004)
One year prior to becoming household names on the original cast of “The Ultimate Fighter,” Chris Leben and Mike Swick went to war in this WEC classic. At the time, the WEC wasn’t owned by Zuffa. The sport itself was struggling for mainstream acceptance.
After an action-packed first round, these two strikers stood in the pocket and traded punches until Leben dropped Swick with a thunderous left hand to become the first WEC middleweight champion. Leben would then vacate the belt to take part in the very first TUF and the rest is history.
9. Mike Brown vs. Urijah Faber: WEC 36 (11/5/2008)
“The California Kid” Urijah Faber was (and still is) the face of the WEC. When Zuffa purchased the organization in 2006, Faber was their most marketable asset and also a dominant champion at 145 lbs.
With five consecutive title defenses under his belt, Faber was considered as close to untouchable as one could get. But his invincible mystique would come to an end at the hands of Mike Brown, who not only defeated Faber, but knocked him out in the very first round to claim the featherweight championship.
8. Donald Cerrone vs. Rob McCullough: WEC 36 (11/5/2008)
On a stacked card headlined by WEC poster boy Faber, lightweights Donald Cerrone and “Razor” Rob McCullough were originally booked on the untelevised preliminary card. That turned out to be a huge mistake. Over the course of three rounds these two warriors put on one of the most exciting, back and forth contests that the WEC has ever seen.
This was also the fight that solidified Cerrone as both a popular star and a ferocious contender in the WEC’s lightweight division.