The 10 Best Fights In WEC History

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

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.

photo courtesy MMAFighting.com

7. Miguel Torres vs. Brian Bowles: WEC 42 (8/9/2009)

Miguel Torres was to the WEC what middleweight champion Anderson Silva is to the UFC. While not nearly as dominant as Silva, Torres displayed few weaknesses during his reign as WEC bantamweight champion. Unbeaten in 17 consecutive fights, Torres finally met his match against Georgia native Brian Bowles at WEC 42.

Bowles ruthlessly knocked Torres out in the first round to capture the gold and stun the entire MMA world.

6. Urijah Faber vs. Jens Pulver: WEC 34 (6/1/2008)

After a one sided loss to rival B.J. Penn, former UFC lightweight champion Jens Pulver decided to drop down to 145 lbs and fight in the WEC. Before Pulver even put on the blue gloves, fans began salivating at the thought of a potential dream matchup between Pulver and featherweight champ Urijah Faber.

Pulver defeated Cub Swanson in his WEC debut to earn the title shot against Faber in the champ’s hometown of Sacramento. It was the most high profile fight that the WEC had ever promoted and it certainly didn’t disappoint. Faber retained his title in an action packed three-rounder and the WEC’s fan base grew exponentially.

5. Jose Aldo vs. Mike Brown: WEC 44 (11/18/2009)

Fresh off two successful title defenses, including a destructive win over Leonard Garcia and a decision victory over Faber in their rematch, Brown was on top of the mountain at 145 lbs. With his blend of power punching and explosive wrestling, Brown was a handful for anybody in the division.

Or at least he was, until Brazilian wrecking machine Jose Aldo came along and decimated Brown with ferocious striking to claim the featherweight title. Aldo has defended his title successfully twice since and has showed little signs of slowing down.

photo by Tracy Lee

4. Jose Aldo vs. Urijah Faber: WEC 48 (4/24/2010)

Headlining the WEC’s first and only pay-per-view event, Aldo defended his newly won featherweight crown against Faber in Sacramento, California. It was a highly anticipated bout that climaxed a night of incredible PPV fights.

For five rounds, Aldo thoroughly dismantled Faber with vicious striking on the way to a unanimous decision victory. The most severe damage was reserved for Faber’s leg, a victim of seemingly hundreds of leg kicks from the explosive Aldo.

3. Leonard Garcia vs. Chan Sung Jung: WEC 48 (4/24/2010)

The fight between Leonard Garcia and “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung was the epitome of an action packed bout. As the lead-in for the first WEC pay per view, it was the featherweight version of the 2005 classic between Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar from the first Ultimate Fighter finale. Garcia and Jung stood in the pocket and threw bombs with reckless abandon for three full rounds with neither fighter slowing down.

From a technical standpoint, it was an incredibly sloppy fight, but still an exciting fifteen minutes. It was under consideration for 2010’s fight of the year as well.

2. Miguel Torres vs. Yoshiro Maeda: WEC 34 (6/1/2008)

After dominating the Midwest circuit for eight consecutive years, Torres defeated Chase Beebe to become WEC bantamweight champion in 2008. His first title defense against Japan’s Yoshiro Maeda is what truly put Torres on the map.

Torres pushed the pace and was extremely aggressive throughout the entire fight but the challenger refused to fade. Maeda kept moving forward, giving it his all in his attempt to claim the company’s top prize. The fight was dubbed a TKO victory for Torres due to a doctor’s stoppage in what should be considered the best televised bantamweight fight in the division’s history.

1. Donald Cerrone vs. Ben Henderson: WEC 43 (10/10/2009)

When then-lightweight champ Jamie Varner was out with an injury, Cerrone and Ben Henderson competed for the interim title in what can only be defined as a complete mixed martial arts battle. It had everything: action-packed striking, beautiful transitions and excellent jiu-jitsu ground work. There was nary a dull moment for 25 minutes.

The fact that these two fighters in particular are now part of the ultra stacked UFC lightweight division can only mean that we are in store for some incredible bouts in 2011. Henderson picked up the decision in this fight, and now finds himself just a few days away from defending his crown against dangerous contender Anthony Pettis.

Honorable mentions: Carlos Condit vs. Hiromitsu Miura, Miguel Torres vs. Takeya Mizugaki, John Polakowski vs. Olaf Alfonso, Cub Swanson vs. Mackens Semerzier, Manny Gamburyan vs. Mike Brown

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