Sandwiched between two great UFC cards is another stellar line up now official for August as the WEC will bring event number 50 to the Palms Casino Resort on August 18 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
"Cruz vs. Benavidez" was recently made official and features WEC Bantamweight Champion Dominick Cruz (15-1) making his first title defense against former foe Joseph Benavidez (12-1).
The newly-minted 135-pound kingpin snatched the gold from the clutches of one-and-done champion Brian Bowles at WEC 47 back on March 6.
It was his sixth straight win since a submission loss to former featherweight champion Urijah Faber way back at WEC 26 in March 2007. His path to the title included a unanimous decision win over the previously unbeaten Benavidez in August of last year.
Now Benavidez gets a chance at both the belt and revenge.
Fortunately his 2009 loss to Cruz did little to disrupt his momentum.
Benavidez quickly bounced back with a technical knockout win over Rani Yahya at WEC 45 back in December before a convincing submission win over former bantamweight champion Miguel Torres in March.
Speaking of former champions, no major WEC card would be complete without the inclusion of former featherweight title holder Urijah Faber, who makes his bantamweight debut against the venerable Japanese standout Takeya Mizugaki.
Faber was recently pushed out of the 145-pound weight class by reigning division champion Jose Aldo. Aside from a Jens Pulver submission win, "The California Kid" dropped consecutive fights to his temporary successor Mike Brown, first at WEC 36 and then again at WEC 41.
His frame may be better served at 135-pounds, but don't expect any liberties from Mizugaki.
The rugged Japanese brawler made a name for himself in his promotion debut, giving then-champion Miguel Torres all he could handle for five rounds in the main event of WEC 40 back in April 2009.
Since that loss, Mizugaki has gone 2-1 for the promotion, defeating Jeff Curran (WEC 42) and Rani Yahya (WEC 48) but losing on points to Scott Jorgensen at WEC 45. A convincing win over a "name" like Faber could possibly get him right back into contention.
Also on tap for August 18 is a lightweight bout between Zach Micklewright and Bart Palaszewski while fellow 155-pounders Anthony Pettis and Shane Roller mix it up on the Versus televised card.
For the latest WEC 50: "Cruz vs. Benavidez" fight card and rumors click here.
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