WEC 48 Recap, Results and Discussion: Aldo dominates Faber, Ben Henderson chokes out Cerrone

World Extreme Cagefighting presented the promotion’s first ever Pay Per View event, headlined by the Featherweight title bout between the Brazilian phenom Jose Aldo and “The California Kid” Urijah Faber. The event took place at the packed ARCO Arena in Sacramento, California.

Urijah Faber squared-off against the phenomenal Jose “Junior” Aldo, in what turned to be a one of the most one-sided Championship fights of the recent time. Despite showing an unmatchable amount of heart and courage, Urijah Faber was dominated by Aldo’s lethal fighting, barely surviving until the end of the fight. Jose Aldo devastating leg kicks, which helped him sabotage Urijah Faber’s gameplan and to completely control his movement.

Jose Aldo looked calm during the bout, forcing Urijah Faber to fight for his survival. “The California Kid” could barely walk, and without legs his only option was to try his luck by taking Aldo to the ground. Urijah Faber listened to the advice of his corner men and probably to his own sense, but he quickly found out that Jose Aldo is everything but a joke on the ground. Aldo locked Faber in a Crucifix Position, punishing the former Champion during two minutes of unstoppable ground and pound, which could have forced some of the referees to finish the fight.

Jose Aldo won a clean 49-45, 49-45, 50-45, solidifying his place as one of the top Pound-for-Pound fighters in the World. 17-1 “Junior” will have to wait for a possible match-up between Manny Gamburyan and the winner of Grispi-L.C. Davis bout, to discover who will be his next victim at the WEC Featherweight division.

Co-main event attraction of the night featured the rematch between “The Cowboy” Donald Cerrone and the reigning WEC Lightweight Champion Ben Henderson. Donald Cerrone looked for revenge, after losing a decision to Henderson at WEC 43. Despite Cerrone’s motivation, Ben Henderson had plans of his own. Defending Champion opened the first round by storm, swarming all over “The Cowboy”, and finally getting an impressive Guillotine Choke that sent the challenger into a quick tapout after just 1:57 minutes of Round One.

Henderson has successfully defended his title for the first time, since the unification victory over Jamie Varner at WEC 45. “Smooth” can be safely regarded as one of the Top 10 Lightweights in the World; eleven-fight winning streak, 12-1 record of which none of the bouts went to the judges score.

As the list of potential challengers becomes shorter and shorter, Ben Henderson should consider a permanent move to the UFC, where that incredible fighter could test himself against a much stiffer competition.

Former WEC Featherweight Champion Mike Brown looked to capture his second straight victory, since losing the title to Jose Aldo at WEC 44, against the Ultimate Fighter alum Manvel Gamburyan. Both fighters came to stand-and-bang in that fight, but it was Gamburyan who shocked the world by knocking out the former Champion. Gamburyan finished the job quickly after knocking down Brown, in what was without a doubt the biggest victory of his career. Mike Brown is regarded by many as one of the best Pound for Pound fighters in the World, will have to climb the title shot ladder once again.

“The Anvil” Gamburyan completes a three-fight winning streak, following the victory over Mike Brown. Twenty-eight year old Armenian improves his record to 11-4, making his way into the mix for the shot at Jose Aldo’s Featherweight title.

In the other bouts of the night, Scott Jorgensen edged a decision victory against the more experienced Antonio Banuelos in the Bantamweight opener of the night. Jorgensen improved his record to 10-3 by dominating Banuelos, which earned him a triple 29-28 score from the judges. Also, Shane Roller has viciously submitted the Nigerian prospect Anthony Njokuani via a first round Rear Naked choke. Roller controlled the pace from the early seconds of the fight, continuing to climb the ladder for a possible shot at Ben Henderson’s Lightweight title.

Next WEC event is scheduled to take place at the Rexall Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, on June 20th. WEC 49 will be headlined by the Lightweight bout between the former Champion Jamie Varner, and the undefeated 6-0 Kamal Shalorus. Josh Grispi and L.C. Davis will square-off in the co-main event of the evening.

Full Results:

Jose Aldo def. Urijah Faber via Unanimous Decision (49-45, 49-45, 50-45)
Ben Henderson def. Donald Cerrone via Submission (Guillotine Choke) - Round 1, 1:57
Manny Gamburyan def. Mike Brown via Knockout (Punches) - Round 1, 2:22
Shane Roller def. Anthony Njokuani via Submission (RNC) - Round 1, 3:07
Scott Jorgensen def. Antonio Banuelos via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Leonard Garcia def. Chan Sung Jung via Split Decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Anthony Pettis def. Alex Karalexis via Submission (Triangle Choke) - Round 2, 1:35
Brad Pickett def. Demetrious Johnson via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Chad Mendes def. Anthony Morrison via Submission (Guillotine Choke) - Round 1, 2:13
Takeya Mizugaki def. Rani Yahya via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 30-27, 29-28)
Tyler Toner def. Brandon Visher via TKO (Elbows) - Round 1, 2:36