OlafAlfonso (falling) vs. John Polakowski | JeffSherwood/Sherdog.com
With the final show now officially in the books, it’s only fittingthat we take a look back at some of the matches that made World Extreme Cagefighting one of the pound-for-pound mostexciting MMA organizations of all time. Below, in chronologicalorder, are the top 10 bouts from WEC.
Olaf Alfonsovs. JohnPolakowski 1
WEC9, “Cold Blooded,” Jan. 16, 2004 -- Lemoore, Calif.
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A pivotal match in the evolution of WEC, the ultra-violent openingchapter of the Polakowski-Alfonso trilogy gave fans reason to takenote of the fledgling indy promotion during its first broadcast onHDNet. Polakowski may ultimately be remembered as the guy whohugged everyone on “The Ultimate Fighter 8,” and Alfonso as a manwho was on the receiving end of some brutal knockouts, but for 15minutes on that January night, the pair waged an unforgettable war.After accepting the match on just a few hours’ notice, thekickboxer Polakowski -- who competed in his muay Thai shorts --almost ended the fight just seconds in, when he floored Alfonsowith a hard right hand. Not only did Alfonso recover from the brinkof consciousness, but after the countless knees and punches wereall thrown, heel hooks were escaped from, the blood spattered andnoses broken, Olaf had earned a split decision, prompting anotherpair of fights between the men over the next two years.
HermesFranca vs. Nate Diaz
WEC24, “Full Force,” Oct. 12, 2006 -- Lemoore, Calif.
The main event of the last WEC card before the promotion’s purchaseby Zuffa very nearly didn’t happen. Lightweight champion Francaarrived under the impression that his title defense would be threefive-minute rounds, while the challenger Diaz had been told it wasa five-round affair. Only a last-minute meeting with big brotherNickDiaz and a clandestine $12,000 paycheck got Nate to agree to athree-rounder -- though, in the end, it wouldn’t matter. The21-year-old kid from Stockton got after the champion early,peppering with punches and drilling knees to the body of thepurple-haired Brazilian as Diaz bullied the smaller Franca into thefence. After losing the first round decisively, Franca turned thetide by stuffing a Diaz guard-pull in the second and teeing offwith punches from the top. Diaz survived to later drop Franca witha knee, but the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt latched on to Diaz’sleft arm from his back and finished off his challenger with alightning-quick armbar.
File Photo
Torres (above) was amazing at WEC 34.
MiguelTorres vs. YoshiroMaeda
WEC34, “Faber vs. Pulver,” June 1, 2008 -- Sacramento,Calif.
Torres and Maeda’s blazingly-paced bantamweight title bout hasbecome a touchstone for the burgeoning 135-pound division. The WECchamp and King of Pancrase went all-out from the jump, banging awaywith punches on the feet and engaging in a heated leglock battle onthe floor. Torres would retain his belt after his stinging jabsaccumulated to fracture Maeda’s right orbital bone, forcing refereeHerbDean to wave off the scheduled five-rounder after threeincredible frames.
CarlosCondit vs. HiromitsuMiura
WEC 35, Aug. 3, 2008 -- Las Vegas, Nev.
Condit and Miura sent the 170-pound class off in style with whatwould prove to be the final WEC welterweight title bout before thedivision was folded into the UFC. After a first round whichfeatured crisp strikes, quick scrambles and an impressive Miurathrow, the champion Condit slowly began to take over. Miura,however, was not to be put away easily, as he fought gamely througharmbar attempts and escaped full mount in the third. Although hestormed back and dropped Condit early in the next frame, Miurasuccumbed to punches from the “Natural Born Killer” with less than20 seconds to go in the fourth round.
DonaldCerrone vs. RobMcCullough
WEC36, “Faber vs. Brown,” Nov. 5, 2008, -- Hollywood,Fla.
For more than a month after it took place, the MMA world clamoredto see Cerrone and McCullough’s action-packed WEC 36 undercardbout. Why? WEC had been forced to omit the “Fight of the Night”from the live Versus broadcast, instead showing a JakeRosholt-NissenOsterneck middleweight match due to a clause in Rosholt’scontract which guaranteed his fights would be televised. WhenCerrone-McCullough aired on Dec. 28, as part of a “Best of 2008”special, all were treated to a late Christmas gift. The twoaccomplished muay Thai converts stood toe-to-toe and simplywalloped one another for the majority of the fight, including awild first stanza which Sherdog.com named 2008’s “Round of theYear.” When the match did hit the ground, McCullough impressivelywithstood back-mount and a mean-looking armbar attempt fromCerrone, who took a well-earned unanimous decision.