Memories from the WEC

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Thursday night in Glendale, Ariz., what started nine years ago at the humble Tachi Palace Hotel and Casino in Lemoore, Calif., will come to a bittersweet end in the Jobing.com Arena, when the final chapter of World Extreme Cagefighting is written.

In its infancy, it was an entertaining promotion in California's Central Valley that helped launch the careers of Gilbert Melendez, Nick and Nate Diaz, Chris Leben, Mike Swick, Brandon Vera, Scott Smith, "Razor" Rob McCullough, Joe Riggs and others. It made the jump from a DVD-only pleasure to live broadcasts on the then-fledgling HDNet, a major move for a regional MMA promotion at the time.

When UFC parent company Zuffa purchased the promotion in December 2006, WEC's place in the hearts and minds of the MMA public was radically transformed.

Under Zuffa's ownership, WEC quickly became the nexus of the bantamweight and featherweight divisions, bringing the 135- and 145-pound divisions to the masses and cementing the likes of Urijah Faber, Jose Aldo, Miguel Torres and Dominick Cruz among others as budding stars.

From the pentagon to the Octagon, Olaf Alfonso-John Polakowski to Henderson-Cerrone, Heavyweight Explosion to bantamweight exposure, it's been a thrilling ride. Now, on the eve of WEC 53, Sherdog.com's staff recall their fondest and favorite WEC memories.

Memories from the Tachi

TJ De Santis: The one thing I will always remember about the WEC was its accessibility -- or lack thereof -- pre-Zuffa. I avidly listened to Ryan Bennett's show on MMAWeekly to get the breakdown of the latest upcoming card. Then, I would have to search out a place that had HDNet, which was obscure and hard to find back then. People might not think that is a big deal now, but in 2003 there weren't fights on Spike and HDNet was almost impossible to find.

Greg Savage: It was Oct. 18, 2002, in Lemoore, Calif. I had little inkling that I was about to witness something historic that night, but I was lucky enough to be on hand for the professional debut of one of the best lightweight fighters in the world. Before the show got underway, a young kid approached Jeff Sherwood and myself during fighter check-in. This mop-topped adolescent had recognized Sherwood as the proprietor of Sherdog.com and informed us that he was a big fan of the site. As fate would have it, one of the fighters who was scheduled to compete that evening suddenly dropped out -- a common occurrence in those days -- and in stepped our new friend. When ring announced Jeff Weller screamed "Gilbert Melendez" into the microphone, it was the first time I'd heard the name. After his impressive outing against a wildly aggressive Gary Quan, I knew it wouldn’t be the last. The 20-year-old kid went on to become the WEC’s very first lightweight champion in 2004 and has gone on to even greater heights as the sport has grown up alongside him.

Tim Leidecker: My fondest WEC memory an old one: Frank Shamrock’s return to action after being away from the game for over two years. After a dominating stint in the UFC, everybody was really curious whether “The Legend” still had it in him when he stepped into the cage against Bryan Pardoe at WEC 6. Frank was a little rusty, but still only needed a little less than two minutes to submit the “Pain Inducer.”

Keith Mills: Kneeling on the floor of a large tent on a chilly late winter evening is not the ideal shooting situation, but WEC 6 in March 2003 was worth it. Future UFC vets Chris Sanford, Tim McKenzie, Brandon Wolff, Brodie Farber, Mike Swick, Jeremy Jackson, and Gil Castillo fought on this card, not to mention Shonie Carter and future Strikeforce ace Gil Melendez. But it was another future Strikeforce champ, a 19-year-old Nick Diaz, who lived up to the hype as he destroyed 11-2 former KOTC champion (back when that still meant something) Joe Hurley. Diaz rocked him with a right before pinning him to the cage for a takedown and a quick kimura, all in 1:55. The two were positioned just right for a photo of Hurley’s elbow popping out of the socket as he screamed in pain. This photo became my first cover shot for Full Contact Fighter; every day I wake up and see the framed cover on my wall.

Jordan Breen: Admittedly, I’ll remember WEC for legitimizing the bantamweight and featherweight divisions and turning the world on to sub-lightweight fighting. However, the first WEC moment that truly gripped me was the nuclear war between Olaf Alfonso and John Polakowski at WEC 9. Polakowski, a kickboxer by trade, took the fight -- his first in MMA -- on just hours notice, and started his MMA career by nearly decapitating Olaf’s in the first 10 seconds. The level of violence that erupted over 15 minutes was positively bananas, a once-in-a-lifetime smash-up that prompted a trilogy between the two. Most importantly, the war they waged was one of the most crucial fights in convincing fans that there was a thrilling, provocative world of MMA beyond the UFC and Pride. By brilliantly demonstrating the value of keeping an eye on regional MMA, Alfonso-Polakowski 1 helped establish the robust climate of MMA we now enjoy, and that the Zuffa-led WEC would capitalize on so richly.

Daniel Archuleta: My favorite WEC memory had to be at WEC 19 when "Razor" Rob McCullough KO'ed Olaf and sent his mouthpiece flying. It was a sweet combination of a kick to the midsection, a crisp right hand to the jaw that sent Olaf's mouthguard into orbit, then one of the most vicious beatings on the ground I've ever seen. I could watch that clip over and over.

Dave Mandel: The one night that will always resonate with me is the WEC 22 Ryan Bennett Memorial. The image of Herb Dean smacking Jason Guida’s hands as Guida attempted an atomic wedgie was unforgettable, as was Wes Sims' failed dropkick on Joel Suprenant, a move the late Bennett had always told Wes he wanted to see him pull off. Knowing that Sims had turned down a handsome payday to fight on the card kind of summed it up. Fight nights come and go, but Scott Adams and Reed Harris did something special that night in honoring a friend and colleague, proving that MMA isn't always about gate receipts and PPV buys.

Everybody Loves WEC 36

Ryan O'Leary: WEC 36 is the card that I'll remember the most for its highlight-reel knockouts and unexpected wackiness. The event, already pushed back due to a hurricane, dragged an uninterested and seven-pound overweight Paulo Filho back into the cage against Chael Sonnen. Seeing the end of Filho's undefeated streak couldn't have come in a more unspectacular fashion.

This memorable "fight" was contrasted by some vicious beatdowns, including Leonard Garcia's pummeling of Jens Pulver, Aaron Simpson's 18-second KO of David Avellan, and Mike Thomas Brown's shocking right-hand bomb on the chin of Urijah Faber.

Brian Knapp: The WEC 36 bout between “Razor” Rob McCullough and Donald Cerrone continues to hold a prominent place in my memory bank, perhaps because I had the good fortune of being in Hollywood, Fla., to see it in the flesh. It was an epic encounter, ignited by a blistering first round -- Sherdog’s Round of the Year in 2008 -- that featured five knockdowns, ridiculous momentum swings and the kind of palpable drama that leaves one gasping for air and begging for more. Cerrone ultimately won a unanimous decision from the WEC’s former lightweight king. That they endured to fight a second and third round was nothing short of remarkable.

Tristen Critchfield: My fondest WEC memory comes not from a live event, but from a fight I watched after the fact. In December 2008 I received a DVD in the mail -- unsolicited -- from the WEC with just one bout on the disc: Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone vs. "Razor" Rob McCullough. At this point you could call me a casual WEC observer at best -- I watched the events when I could, but I didn't clear my calendar for any of them. After I watched Cerrone and McCullough go at it, I was hooked. Their three-round slugfest epitomizes what the WEC is all about. Since then, any fight involving Cerrone has been must-see TV.

Chris Nelson: When it comes to memorable WEC moments, the one that immediately springs to mind is the first meeting between Urijah Faber and Mike Thomas Brown in November 2008. After watching Paulo Filho’s bizarre bout with Chael Sonnen in the co-main event slot, it was tough to imagine that WEC 36 could get any more shocking and bizarre. But when Brown -- whom I then knew mainly as a guy who'd once lost to Genki Sudo -- landed that big right hand counter to Faber’s ill-conceived elbow strike and took the California Kid’s title, my jaw dropped. At the time, Brown's win was a hugely shocking upset. In hindsight, it changed the course of featherweight -- and probably even Zuffa -- history.