Cerrone vs. Henderson - WEC 43
Bart Palaszewski (35-13-0) vs. Kamal Shalorus (6-0-2)
This was supposed to be a title eliminator contest to see who would meet the winner of the evening’s main event in the future, but the UFC merger ended these fighters’ lightweight championship dreams for now.
Shalorus is a very dangerous fighter, and a very unique one to prepare for as well. He has legitimate world-class wrestling credentials and fires heavy hands from his hip, which usually gives his opponents little option other than to try and stick-and-move while avoiding takedowns and thunderous hands. He’s not even close to being technical with his striking, but that hasn’t mattered as of yet; if he hadn’t kicked Varner in the pills a couple of times when they met in June, he’d have earned a victory over the former champion.
Closing in on his fiftieth career fight, Palaszewski has won three-straight in the WEC and four consecutive contests overall, including a split decision victory over title challenger Anthony Pettis. More importantly than who he’s beaten in the cage, Palaszewski has been fighting to clean up his life outside of the cage, admitting that going out was getting the best of his at one point in his career. Once again focused solely on fighting, “Bartimus” looked like a completely different fighter in his last outing, and aims to make waves in the UFC after this one is over.
Donald Cerrone (12-3-0) vs. Chris Horodecki (16-2-0)
There may not be a fighter in the WEC who is going to become a more popular and successful figure in the UFC than “Cowboy” Cerrone. He’s essentially this company’s version of Josh Koscheck, and we’ve just witnessed what being a polarizing prick has done for Kos’ career.
The three-time title challenger can’t seem to get over the hump, but it doesn’t really matter; he’s incredibly talented and exciting, as he showed in his rematch with Varner in September. Cerrone keeps a quick pace and has the ability to finish fights in a number of ways, and he appears to be a cut above his Canadian counterpart here.
Saying that could get me thrown out of the country I live in, but whatever; I have to be honest, and while I like Horodecki, he’s too one-dimensional in my opinion. The London, Ontario native is a strong kickboxer, but so too is Cerrone, and he’s not nearly as talented on the ground. Moving forward, a move to featherweight might make sense, and while he won’t want to clash with teammate Mark Hominick, he’s not on the same level as “The Machine” either.
Looks like I can’t ever go back to London…
Dominick Cruz (16-1-0) vs. Scott Jorgensen (11-3-0)
This bout is incredibly intriguing to me, and hopefully others as well.
Cruz has gotten a great deal of praise and publicity since beating Brian Bowles for the bantamweight title in March, and rightfully so. He looked tremendous in that bout, and followed it up with a second win over Joseph Benavidez in just over a year. His footwork is outstanding, and his style is somewhat reminiscent of Frankie Edgar’s, utilizing a stick-and-move attack, keeping opponents off-guard, and scoring points as he goes.
Jorgensen is pretty much the opposite; a scrappy, straight-ahead wrestler with constantly improving hands and an endless gas tank. While Cruz has climbed up everyone’s pound-for-pound list, Jorgensen has grinded out his chance at gold without much fanfare, and that could work to his advantage. All the pressure rests with Cruz, and Jorgensen is more than ready to move into the UFC with the belt around his waist.
Ben Henderson (12-1-0) vs. Anthony Pettis (12-1-0)
This one has all kinds of implications attached to it, but when you strip all of that away, you’re still left with an outstanding lightweight battle.
Henderson has been every in the WEC lightweight division, save for Pettis, during an incredible run that has seen him go from making his debut to defending the lightweight belt all in the span of two years. Along the way, he’s submitted Anthony Njokuani and former champion Varner, scored a TKO win over Roller, and beaten Cerrone on two different occasions, following up their 2009 Fight of the Year candidate with a quick submission in the rematch. He’s an all-around talent and is going to be a threat in the UFC, whether he enters as champion or not.
Pettis too has had an impressive run of late, knocking out Danny Castillo in a must-win match-up in March to kick-off his climb to the top of the list of contenders. The Milwaukee native followed it up with a submission win over veteran Alex Karalexis before dominating Roller in their title eliminator bout in August. His appearance on MTV’s World of Jenks has greatly increased the 23-year-old Pettis’ profile, and a win here would make him an instant superstar entering the UFC.
The winner not only leaves as the WEC lightweight champion – and the last man to win a fight in the organization – but also as the #1 contender for the UFC lightweight belt. The two titles will be unified sometime in 2011 (fingers-crossed for Toronto in April), and whoever emerges here will have a chance to prove they belong with the big boys right off the bat.