WEC 43 was initially scheduled to take place on September 2nd, in Youngstown Ohio. With the current WEC lightweight champion Jamie Varner unable to defend his title due to an injury, top contenders Donald Cerrone and Ben Henderson were slated to face off for an interim title. However an injury suffered by Henderson in preparation for the fight left WEC without a main event, and forced them to reschedule the card for October 10th, coincidentally moving it from Ohio to San Antonio, Texas. Here’s how this long awaited event went down:
Will Campuzano vs. Damacio Page (135 lbs)
Round 1: Page comes out swinging wildly, backing up Campuzano with a series of hooks. Campuzano answers with a few big shots of his own and gets taken down. Campuzano looks for a triangle, then an armbar. Page escapes and takes Campuzano’s back. Page attempts a rear naked choke; Campuzano defends at first but is caught on the second try, and taps out at just over a minute into the round. An exciting 60-something seconds of action to start the night.
Fight Grade: 4/5
Raphael Assuncao vs. Yves Jabouin (145 lbs)
Round 1: Jabouin is quick on his feet, dancing around the more stationary Assuncao and throwing a variety of strikes, including spinning kicks, spinning backfists, and a superman punch. Most of the flashy strikes don’t find their target and Assuncao is consistently beating Jabouin to the punch. Jabouin catches a kick and throws Assuncao to the ground. Assuncao pulls guard and Yves backs out of it. Assuncao attempts a takedown but Jabouin scrambles and ends up on top in Raphael’s guard, then stands up again. Assuncao lands several solid strikes as the round ends. Round 10-9 Assuncao
Round 2: Jabouin is more accurate with his strikes than in the first round. Assuncao counters a kick with a sweep, knocking Jabouin down momentarily. Jabouin stands up and both fighters land strikes, Assuncao shoots for a takedown and doesn’t get it, but settles for a guillotine and pulls guard. Jabouin works his way out of the guillotine just as the bell rings. Round 10-9 Assuncao
Round 3: Assuncao lands leg and body kicks early in the round, knocking down Yves with another sweep kick. Yves gets up and gets taken down; Assuncao quickly takes his back and works to get the hooks in. Assuncao is staying on his opponent and looking for a choke. Jabouin defends well and eventually sweeps into guard, then escapes to his feet. Jabouin picks up the pace and lands a big spinning kick to the body, then a spinning fist. Jabouin finishes strong as Assuncao starts to look tired, but it’s not enough to win the round. Round 10-9 Assuncao
Raphael Assuncao defeats Yves Jabouin by split decision with the
scores of 29-28, 30-27, and 27-30
Fight Grade: 3/5
The score of 30-27 for Jabouin from one of the judges is inexplicable.
Noah Thomas vs. Scott Jorgensen (135 lbs)
Round 1: Jorgensen gets the best of an early exchange, rocking Thomas and causing him to pull guard. Jorgensen backs out and they go back to trading on the feet. Jorgensen again hurts Thomas with a punch and follows it up with a takedown. Thomas attempts submissions off his back but nothing comes close; they stand up again and Jorgensen drops Thomas with a combination, then jumps into Noah’s guard. Jorgensen is landing elbows and punches from the top; Thomas is trapped against the fence and not offering anything in return. Thomas is taking a lot of punishment and referee steps in to stop the bout.
Fight Grade: 3/5
Dave Jansen vs. Richard Crunkilton (155 lbs)
Round 1: Crunkilton gets the first takedown of the
night; Jansen gets up quickly. Crunkilton with another
takedown attempt and Jansen takes his back in a scramble.
They separate and this time it’s Jansen who goes for the takedown
and succeeds. Jansen is doing a good job of maintaining
position on Crunkilton while landing mostly insignificant
strikes. Jansen gets Crunkilton’s back but can’t do
anything with it. Crunkilton attempts a leg lock from the
bottom. Jansen defends and makes him pay with elbows.
Crunkilton finally gets back to his feet and tees off on Jansen,
visibly hurting him as the time runs out for the round.
Round 10-9 Jansen
Round 2: Both fighters miss strikes to start the
round. Jansen gets a takedown but Crunkilton quickly stands
back up. Jansen lands a knee to Crunkilton’s groin. It
takes a bit of time for the referee to notice what had happened and
briefly halt the bout. They restart and Crunkilton lands
several solid strikes but gets taken down again. Jansen loses
his mouth guard in the process. Jansen takes Crunkilton’s
back; Rich sweeps and ends up on top, then stands up. Jansen
with another takedown and is punching away from guard. Ref
stands them up to give Jansen his mouthpiece. Jansen gets
another takedown at the end of the round. Round 10-9
Jansen
Round 3: Crunkilton comes out swinging and hurts Jansen
early, but Jansen survives and scores another takedown.
Crunkilton stands up and works Jansen over on the feet. Both
fighters look tired and Crunkilton still can’t defend the
takedown. Crunkilton attempts a d’arce choke from the bottom
but can’t complete it. Referee calls for a standup but
Crunkilton is taken down yet again. Jansen finishes out the
round in dominant position. Round 10-9
Jansen
Dave Jansen defeats Richard Crunkilton by unanimous decision
with the scores of 30-27, 29-28, 29-28
Fight Grade: 3/5
Wagnney Fabiano vs. Mackens Semerzier (135 lbs)
Round 1: Fabiano wastes no time going for a takedown, and completes it. Fabiano passes into half-guard but Semerzier regains guard. Fabiano stands up and is caught in a triangle choke. Fabiano tries to work his way out of it; Mackens adjusts and Fabiano is trapped. Fabiano has no choice but to tap out. A huge upset and a very unexpected ending.
Fight Grade: 4/5
Donald Cerrone vs. Ben Henderson (155 lbs interim championship bout)
Round 1: Cerrone misses a high kick, giving Henderson
the opportunity for an early takedown. Cerrone instantly
locks in a guillotine, then switches to a triangle when Henderson
escapes. Henderson defends the triangle and stands up,
landing a solid knee as they separate. An uneventful exchange
on the feet then Henderson completes another takedown.
Cerrone threatens a triangle then an armbar but Henderson stands up
and lands several punches from the top position. Henderson
briefly takes Cerrone’s back in a scramble. Back to guard and
Henderson lands more punches from the top, but Cerrone gets the
round based on aggressive submission attempts. Round 10-9
Cerrone
Round 2: Henderson shoots and Cerrone briefly takes his
back in a scramble, but Henderson reverses and ends up in Cerrone’s
guard. Cerrone attempts an armbar. Henderson escapes
and stands over Cerrone, landing punches. Cerrone answers
with upkicks though most miss their target. Henderson keeps
landing heavy blows while standing over Cerrone. Cerrone
alternates sumbission attempts with upkicks but is taking a lot of
punishment. Round 10-9 Henderson
Round 3: A brief exchange then another takedown for Henderson. The fighters scramble on the ground, with both transitioning through several positions. Henderson ends up on top guard then Cerrone escapes. Cerrone defends a takedown attempt but is not so lucky on the next one. Henderson is again landing punches from standing position over downed Cerrone. Round 10-9 Henderson
Round 4: This time Cerrone shoots for the first takedown. Henderson defends but Cerrone pull guard and locks in a brabo choke. The choke seems tight but Henderson works through it and gets back to his feet. Henderson is tiring out and unable to complete the takedown as Cerrone sprawls or spins away. Henderson keeps trying for takedowns and ends up on his back off a failed shoot. Henderson is taking a lot of damage on the feet, still not able to get a takedown. Round 10-9 Cerrone
Round 5: Cerrone is punishing Henderson with strikes while successfully avoiding takedowns. Henderson finally gets Cerrone down but is caught in a very painful-looking arm lock. Somehow Henderson fights through it, but Cerrone is relentless with sumbission attempts, locking in another armbar. Henderson rolls with it and is able to miraculously escape again. Great submission defense from Henderson, who remains in the fight even though he clearly doesn’t have much left in the gas tank. Round 10-9 Cerrone
Ben Henderson defeats Donald Cerrone by unanimous decision with the scores of 48-47 on all three scorecards.
Fight Grade: 4/5
A close and enterntaining main event, the outcome of which hinged mainly on how you would score the first round. This sets up a title unification bout between Jamie Varner (who was interviewed after the fight and booed heavily by the crowd) and Ben Henderson, as well as eventual Cerrone – Varner and Cerrone – Henderson rematches down the road. All in all, a good event despite all of the WEC’s biggest names being absent from the fight card.