WEC 53 will feature two title fights

Posted by Joshua Wood (Editor in Chief)

Sep 27

The World Extreme Cagefighting today finally made official, the Lightweight title fight between Ben Henderson and Anthony Pettis for WEC 53 in Arizona. While the announcement came as no surprise, the WEC did have one thing up their sleeve. Also headlining the card will a bantamweight title fight featuring champion Dominick Cruz defeating his title for the second time against Scott Jorgensen.

For a card that was voted on to determine its location as part of the AMP Energy hometown takedown contest, fans in Arizona are getting rewarded nicely.

Henderson (12-1) is coming off a first round submission victory of Donald Cerrone at WEC 48 and will be making his second defense of the undisputed WEC lightweight title. Henderson is 5-0 in the WEC and has been riding a win streak since early 2007 that has now reached 11.

Pettis (11-1) defeated Shane Roller at WEC 50, winning submission of the night with a third round triangle choke. The win gave him 3 in a row and when he step in the cage on December 16^th it will be his fifth fight in a year.

Bantamweight champ Dominick Cruz (16-1) last fought at WEC 50 in a rematch against Joseph Benavidez. It was his first title defense and the two fought all five rounds to a split decision victory for the champ, Cruz. Since he lost to Urijah Faber at WEC 26, Cruz has dropped down a weight class and racked up a seven fight win streak.

Jorgensen (11-3) has been rising up the ranks of the Bantamweight division, having won his last five fights. He most recently grabbed fight of the night honors at WEC 50 by defeating Brad Pickett by unanimous decision.

The two fights look on paper to be very competitive and action packed in their own ways.