FanPost

Chris Horodecki's first impression with the WEC a disappointment


The announcement that Chris Horodecki was making the move to the WEC left hardcore fans of the sport excited to see the former International Fight League (IFL) sensation step back into the cage.

However, the highly anticipated debut fell well short in terms of the expectations as Horodecki was nearly knocked unconscious because of a wig-splitting  head kick from Anthony Njokuani at WEC 45: "Cerrone vs. Ratcliff" las night (Dec. 19) in Las Vegas.

Njokuani went on to finish off the "Polish Hammer" with brutal ground and pound moments later, forcing the referee in charge of the action to intervene. While the finale finish was spectacular, the situation that led to the head kick knock down is what really tells the story of this bout.

After a small exchange between Njokuani and "The Polish Hammer," Horodecki broke away and turned his back on his opponent. The opportunity was too good for Njokuani to pass up, as he smacked a very nice kick into the side of Horodecki's head.

The knockout loss marks only the second time Horodecki has been defeated in a professional mixed martial arts competition. The worst part about the situation is that it all could have been avoided.

The Shawn Tompkins product made an enormous mistake by turning his back to a highly skilled kickboxer. Had he not attempted to act so casual about the situation, things would have been very different. Yet the loss on his record is not the greatest loss of the evening, but rather the failure of Horodecki's first impression with the WEC community.

Horodecki's silly jog away from Njokuani cost him a good first impression with the WEC and its viewers on Versus. Not only was the opportunity the biggest of Horodecki's career, but it was the first real shot he had at any kind of stardom or notoriety in the sport after his two scheduled bouts under the Affliction banner were cancelled.

"The Polish Hammer" will now have to move on to his next fight with the Zuffa-owned promotion after starting off on the wrong foot. Now the fans may remember him as "the guy who was knocked out after turning his back on his opponent" instead of "the future of the lightweight division". 

While the title of "future of the lightweight division" may have been a long shot for Horodecki, after a few solid victories with the WEC, that could have been the case.

Unfortunately, his failure to succeed in his WEC debut, along with way all the negative events transpired in his bout with Anthony Njokuani, Horodecki threw away a golden opportunity at a great first impression with a notable promotion.

Instead of an exciting debut to introduce Chris Horodecki to the main stream audience, the Versus viewers saw the young 155-pounder get absolutely rocked. However, Horodecki is very young in his career and will have plenty of opportunities to recover.

But to think what could have been achieved tonight for Horodecki, one can only view the outcome as a heavy disappointment and a failure in terms of expectations. 

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