A Good Primer for MMA Tonight on Versus

I’ve had a couple folks in the past week ask me where to start if they want to get into MMA.

Well, a great choice would be tonight’s final WEC show on Versus (available on Time Warner Cable and in HD!), tonight at 9:00pm.

WEC – or World Extreme Cagefighting – is a subsidiary of Zuffa, LLC, which is the parent company of the UFC. WEC focuses on the lighter weight classes, specifically Bantamweight (135 lbs.) and Featherweight (145 lbs.) and also has its own Lightweight (155 lbs.) division.

In boxing, you’ll often find that excitement and superior technique in fights is inversely proportional to the weight class the fighters compete in. MMA is no different, and over the last few years the WEC has exemplified that, putting on the best cards and fights in the sport.

Tonight is the final show for the promotion before it is fully absorbed into the UFC. It’s headlined by two title fights: WEC Lightweight champion Benson Henderson defends his title against Anthony Pettis, with the winner getting a future title shot at the UFC Lightweight Championship. In the co-main event, current WEC champion Dominick Cruz looks to use his superior technique to derail the momentum of Scott Jorgensen in a battle to crown the first ever UFC Bantamweight Champion.

The event starts at 9:00pm. I’ll be watching, huddled with my blanket and hot tea, because I’m sick and as always I’m a total baby about it.

My picks and predictions are after the jump.

Ben Henderson vs. Anthony Pettis (for WEC Lightweight Championship)
The chorus heading into the fight this week has been that these fighters think they’re at the level of UFC’s 155 class. A lot of people scoff at the idea, but anybody’s who’s been paying attention to the division in the last sixteen months will tell you that there’s a lot of parity and uncertainty amongst the UFC’s Lightweight division. Perpetual contenders like Tyson Griffin are suddenly fighting for their careers, and “upsets” are abound. I don’t think this means the UFC’s Lightweight Division is weaker than people think, but I do think that 155 is a lot more competitive outside of the promotion than people realize. That said, Benson Henderson is one of the best fighters in the biz when it comes to adapting to his opponents’ style and thinking on his feet during a fight. The winner of this fight is going to face the winner of Maynard/Edgar in January to unify the titles. I think Henderson’s going to win here, and mark my words: he has a very good chance of surprising people come this Spring.
Pick: Henderson

Dominick Cruz vs. Scott Jorgensen (for WEC Bantamweight Championship)
Jorgensen is a heroic and gutsy fighter. He’s aggressive and fights a very relentless pace, but with more technical prowess than many of his contemporaries. He spells trouble for anyone at 135, but Cruz has been fantastic in his last few fights, particularly when it comes to dictating where the fight goes. Jorgensen is the most dangerous fighter Cruz has faced, but I think the advantages Cruz has in reach, height, footwork, and precision striking is going to win the day.
Pick: Cruz

Donald Cerrone vs. Chris Horodecki
I’m surprised how many people are picking Horodecki in this one. He looked like a monster in the IFL, but so did so many other fighters. He’s been able to rebound from his embarrassing first WEC outing where he literally turned his back to his opponent and got knocked out, but that incident still hangs heavy in my mind and brings a lot of concerns about his fight maturity and intelligence in the cage.On paper, he’s a better striker than Cerrone, but he’s always looked like the better striker on paper than he is in practice. Plus, is he a good enough striker to overcome the reach disadvantage? I have my doubts, and I think people are also forgetting how good Cerrone’s wrestling is. I’m going with the Cowboy in this one.
Pick: Cerrone

Bart Palaszewski vs. Kamal Shalorus
Shalorus is a golden boy in many circles, with people praising his overall game and dubbing him a force to be reckoned with early in his WEC tenure. He’s undefeated, but only in eight fights. He looked distracted and sloppy in a split decision draw with Jamie Varner, which occurred due to Shalorus’s repeated low blows. There’s also questions of his health, as he’s been very injury-prone the last year. Meanwhile, Palaszewski has had the best year of his career, which includes a split decision win last year over the man getting a shot at the title in the main event, Anthony Pettis. I’m going with Palaszewski.
Pick: Palaszewski

Zhang Tie Quan vs. Danny Downes (non-televised prelim bout)
Downes made his debut against Chris Horodecki and lost via submission in the third. Quan, who is the first Chinese fighter to compete for Zuffa, allieviated doubts about his lack of competition overseas by finishing Pablo Garza in impressive fashion. He seems like the real deal, but Downes is a step up. Indications are he should be able to pull this off, so I’m going with him, albeit hesitantly.
Pick: Zhang

OTHER PRELIMINARY (non-televised) FIGHT PICKS:
Shane Roller vs. Jamie Varner – VARNER
Brad Pickett vs. Ivan Menjivar – PICKETT
Eddie Wineland vs. Ken Stone – WINELAND
Danny Castillo vs. Will Kerr – CASTILLO
Ricardo Lamas vs. Yuri Alcantara – LAMAS
Renan Barao vs. Chris Cariaso – BARAO