World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) is set to pull the trigger on the last event of its 2009 fight season TONIGHT (Dec. 19) with "Cerrone vs. Ratcliff" from "The Pearl" at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada.
WEC 45 features a 10-fight card, including a main event between two of the promotion's more exciting contenders in the 155-pound division -- Greg Jackson pupil Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone and feared striker Ed "9mm" Ratcliff.
The Versus telecast will also showcase two dynamite bantamweight fights with all kinds of potential title implications on the line. Japanese import Takeya Mizugaki and Scott Jorgensen will go toe-to-toe, as well as Urijah Faber protege, Joseph Benavidez, taking on Brazilian jiu-jitsu stud Rani Yahya in the night's co-main event.
MMAmania.com will provide LIVE blow-by-blow, round-by-round coverage of WEC 45 below, beginning with the Versus telecast at 10 p.m. ET. In addition, up-to-the-minute quick results of all the other under card bouts will begin to flow around 8 p.m. ET.
Many of our readers check-in before, during and after the event to share their thoughts on the action. Therefore, feel free to leave a comment or 45 before you leave and chat with all the other Maniacs during the show -- it always turns out to be a great discussion.
Keep in mind that we will also be the spot for the latest news, recaps and post-fight analysis after WEC 45.
Without further delay, see below for the latest WEC 45 results. (Note: This will go from the bottom up; therefore, scroll toward the bottom for the latest detailed round-by-round action!)
WEC 45 QUICK RESULTS:
Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone defeats Ed "9mm" Ratcliff via submission (rear naked choke) at 3:47 of round 3
Anthony Njokuani defeats Chris "The Polish Hammer" Horodecki via technical knockout (strikes) at 3:33 of round 1
Joseph Benavidez defeats Rani Yahya via knockout (punch) at 1:35 of round 1
Scott "Young Guns" Jorgensen defeats Takeya Mizugaki via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Bart "Bartimus"Palaszewski defeats Anthony "Showtime" Pettis via split decision (30-27, 27-30, 29-28)
Zach Micklewright defeats Muhsin Corbbrey via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Chad George defeats John Hosman via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Brandon Visher defeats Courtney Buck via technical knockout (strikes) at 4:45 of round 1
Brad Pickett defeats Kyle Dietz via submission (Peruvian necktie) at 4:36 of round 2
Erik Koch defeats Jameel Massouh via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
WEC 45 PLAY-BY-PLAY LIVE MAIN CARD COMMENTARY:
James here!
Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone vs. Ed "9mm" Ratcliff (155-pound limit)
Round one: Here we go with the main event! Cowboy practically runs out and meets Ratcliff in the center of the cage. He drives Ratcliff to the fence and he's looking for the takedown. Cowboy tries to pull guard, but Ratcliff is having none of that. He backs away and forces Cowboy to stand. Big exchange now with Ratcliff landing a hard right hand that buckles Cerrone's knees momentarily. Ratcliff is looking confident. Nice jab from both fighters. Cowboy with a body kick. Ratcliff returns fire and Cowboy gets put on the mat for a second before popping back up. Hard leg kick to the body from Cerrone. Muay Thai clinch for Ratcliff gets him nothing and Cowboy holds on to maintain the clinch. Nice dirty boxing from 9mm. Cowboy now with a Thai clinch and he's landing some nice knees. Hard knee from Ratcliff now to Cowboy's body. Ratcliff punches out with some huge punches. Cowboy shakes them off. Another Thai clinch from Cerrone after he gets a kick caught. He capitalizes with a few hard knees before Ratcliff escpaes. Hard kicks from Cerrone now as he's starting to build momentum. Jab from Cowboy as he's starting to move forward now. Out of the clinch Cerrone gets called for a low knee. The action gets stopped momentarily for Ratcliff to recover. He does and we're back underway. Cerrone misses a right hand and eats a leg kick. Kicks from both fighters coming at a rapid pace now. Cowboy drills Ratcliff with another hard kick to the legs that he follows up with another illegal low knee. The action again gets stopped and this time Herb Dean takes a point from Cowboy. Hard body kick from Ratcliff. Cowboy flurrying now with combinations. Ratcliff tries to clinch and Cowboy gets a takedown. He's looking for a guillotine, but Ratcliff gets saved by the bell. Close round. Could easily be 10-8 for Ratcliff with the point deduction for Cowboy, although Cerrone may have done enough late in that round to steal it to make it 9-9.
Round two: Cowboy takes the center and starts in with the leg kicks. He misses on a high kick and Ratcliff laughs it off. Cerrone slips to the mat momentarily but pops right back up. Hard body kick from Cowboy. Cowboy is really opening up here with his kicks and punches. Ratcliff counters with a big right hand that Cowboy definitely felt. Cowboy continues to walk forward though, and he continues to be more aggressive with his strikes. He has Ratcliff backpedaling now. Nice knee followed up by a jab from Cowboy. He's picking Ratcliff apart with nasty body and leg kicks. Thai clinch and another illegal low knee from Cowboy. Ratcliff takes a knee to recover and Herb Dean takes another point away from Cowboy. Cowboy comes out super aggressive. He backs Ratcliff up against the cage and continues to wear him down with kicks and punches. Ratcliff hasn't done much but retreat and take punches and kicks so far in this round. More jabs and leg kicks from Cowboy. Ratcliff sneaks in a right hand, but Cowboy continues to stalk him. Ratcliff catches a Cerrone kick and pushes him to the mat for a second before he stands right back up. They clinch and Ratcliff has Cerrone's back with 30 seconds left in the round. Cowboy scrambles and now they're on the mat with Cowboy looking for a kimura. He lets go and now he's got a deep guillotine, but Ratcliff again gets saved by the bell. Probabaly a 9-9 round with the point deduction.
Round three: Cowboy looks amped up and Ratcliff looks tired. Ratcliff comes out with a flying knee that Cowboy shrugs off. More stalking and now some dancing from Cowboy. They clinch and Cowboy has Ratcliff's back. Thai clinch and a nice knee to the head of Ratcliff from Cerrone as the crowd starts to chant his name. Cowboy shoots for a takedown and gets it. He goes right to mount, but Herb Dean steps in and calls for a stand up because Cerrone grabbed the fence to help get the position. So now they're back on their feet and Cowboy lands a hard body kick right away. Another. Another. High kick gets blocked now. Ratcliff with an uppercut, but then he eats another body kick. Ratcliff with a side kick to the body that doesn't do much. Cowboy clinches and he's looking for a takedown. He has Ratcliff's back now and he gets the takedown. Ratcliff is in big big trouble now. He looks gassed and Cerrone has him tied up like a knot. Cerrone lets the hold go and Ratcliff stands, but Cowboy is right on him and takes the fight right back to the mat. He's got Ratcliff's back again and this time he's in a great position for a rear naked choke. He finally sinks it in, and that's it, Ratcliff taps. Very entertaining fight that was dominated by Cowboy Cerrone in rounds two and three.
Final result: Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone defeats Ed "9mm" Ratcliff via submission (rear naked choke) at 3:47 of round 3
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Joseph Benavidez vs. Rani Yahya (135-pound)
Round one: Yahya fakes a shot and Benavidez shows him a kick. Big exchange with both fighters landing. Benavidez with a big left hand. Another big exchange and Benavidez gets drilled with a left hand that puts him on the mat. He bounces right back up, but he looks surprised by Yahya's power. Nice body shot from Benavidez now. Another huge exchange and now its Benavidez who creams Yahya with a big punch. It's an overhand right that hits directly on the chin and Yahya falls flat on his back. Benavidez pounces and easily finishes off his downed opponent. Wow. Nice win for Benavidez.
Final result: Joseph Benavidez defeats Rani Yahya via knockout (punch) at 1:35 of round 1
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Chris "The Polish Hammer" Horodecki vs. Anthony Njokuani (155-pound limit)
Round one: No gloves touching in this one. Njojuani leans out with a jab that connects. Horodecki misses on a high kick. Horodecki with another kick attempt that Njokuani easily avoids. A few nice jabs land for Njokuani. Horodecki misses wildy with a right hand and eats a nice combination of punches from Njokuani. Horodecki falls into a clinch and has Njokuani's back against the cage now. Knees from both fighters. Horodecki now with a double leg takedown attempt that Njokuani is defending nicely. He avoids it and then pushes out for a separation. Horodecki misses a right hand and eats a kick to the body. Nice exchange in the middle of the cage. Horodecki is punching and kicking in bunches now, but not landing much. another takedown attempt from Horodecki, but Njokuani reverses and gets a takedown of his own. Horodecki gets back to his feet and is retreating away from Njokuani when he gets drilled from behind with a high kick that puts him on the floor! Njokuani pounces and he's raining down the ground strikes. Horodecki is trying to recover, but the referee has no choice but to stop the fight. Wow! Huge win for Anthony Njokuani. That was a ridiculous kick right on the "Polish Hammer's" chin. Very nice.
Final result: Anthony Njokuani defeats Chris "The Polish Hammer" Horodecki via technical knockout (strikes) at 3:33 of round 1
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Takeya Mizugaki vs. Scott Jorgensen (135-pound)
Round one: Gloves touch and we're underway with the opening fight of the Versus telecast. Mizugaki leans in with some punches and Jorgensen drills him with a right hook that puts him on his ass. Jorgensen is looking for a guillotine, but Mizugaki recovers and escapes back to his feet. Both fighters working knees from the clinch now. Mizugaki is unsuccessful with a trip and Jorgensen drives his back against the cage. Punches to the body now from Young Guns. Mizugaki tries a knee to the head but Jorgensen catches his leg and puts the Japanese fighter on his back. He's immediately back to his feet though and now they're separated. Nice body shots from Mizugaki and Jorgensen answers with a nice flurry of his own. They're toe to toe now exchanges big punches. Jorgensen is teeing off and Mizugaki tumbles to the floor. Jorgensen pounces, but Mizugaki pulls guard and looks to be alright from there. Jorgensen is in half guard now, raining down punches. Mizugaki gives up his back, but works back to his feet at the same time. In the clinch, both fighters are jockeying for position. They separate and there's a decent exchange before the bell rings. 10-9 for Jorgensen.
Round two: Jorgensen takes the center, but Mizugaki is the aggressor early on with combinations of punches. Jorgensen now with a takedown attempt, and he gets it. He moves right to half guard, but Mizugaki escapes back to his feet easily. In the clinch again and Jorgensen is working more knees to the legs and body of Mizugaki. Mizugaki is returning fire with sporadic knees of his own now, but Jorgensen continues to strike, mixing in a good bit of dirty boxing. A separation from Herb Dean and Jorgensen scores another nice takedown. Mizugaki is right back to his feet though. Big punches from Jorgensen are landing and will and now they're clinched again. Jorgensen punches out with another big left hand. He misses on a high kick, drives Mizugaki to the fence and drills him with a few hard body shots before going back into the clinch. Mizugaki working some body shots and Jorgensen again punches out with some big blows. Mizugaki tries to answer with a combo of his own, but Jorgensen again gets a takedown. Right back up for Mizugaki and that's where the round ends. Another clear 10-9 for Jorgensen. He's easily winning this fight so far.
Round three: Jorgensen looks fresh and he takes the center of the cage. Nice right hand lands for Mizugaki and Jorgensen shoots and right away initiates another clinch. They separate and Mizugaki starts in with some jabs. Jorgensen fakes a shot and lands two or three punches before Mizugaki grabs him for anther clinch. Jorgensen pushes out and Mizugaki is right on him, trying hard to push the pace. Big right hand from Jorgensen. Leg kick from Mizugaki. Nice one two combo from Jorgensen lands. Mizugaki charges and Jorgensen gets another takedown. Mizugaki easily gets back to his feet and now he scores a tripping takedown of his own. He's in Jorgensen's full guard now, working the ground strikes. To side control. Jorgensen gives up his back, but reverses and takes side control on Mizugaki. The Japanese fighter doesn't like it and stands right up. They're in the clinch and Mizugaki with another tripping takedown. He's in side mount working the ground and pound and knees the body. Jorgensen is holding on, likely counting the seconds left in this one. The round and fight end there. Mizugaki took that round, but Jorgensen easily won the first two rounds and should take the decision.
Final result: Scott "Young Guns" Jorgensen defeats Takeya Mizugaki via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
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