WEC 48: 'Aldo vs. Faber' — Live Results + Commentary

Sure, we're calling it a WEC event, but things will be running a little differently tonight: Joe Rogan and Mike Goldberg are handling commentary, Chandella is co-headlining the ring girl pit, and the fighter introductions will be delivered by the sensual vocal stylings of Bruce Buffer. Plus, you're paying for it, which would be a bummer if the card wasn't so stacked. In the headlining slots: Jose Aldo makes his first featherweight belt defense against former champ Urijah Faber, and lightweight champ Ben Henderson tries to make it 2-0 against cowboy-hatted nemesis Donald Cerrone. Plus: Mike Brown, Anthony Njokuani, Scott Jorgensen, Leonard Garcia, and a man known as "The Korean Zombie" will all be fighting for your entertainment. Round-by-round "Aldo vs. Faber" results can be found after the jump starting at 9 p.m. ET; refresh the page every few minutes for all the gruesome details.
SAC-TOWN BABY! The Spike TV prelims broadcast is now rollin'. We begin in the lightweight division...

Alex Karalexis vs. Anthony Pettis

Round 1: Pettis lands a jumping switch-kick flush on Karalexis's jaw. Karalexis looks rocked, but he grabs onto Pettis and pushes him agains the cage. Pettis frees himself. Pettis throws a body kick, but Karalexis scoops it up and tosses Pettis to the mat. Pettis rolls and gets to his feet after taking a few punches. Leg kick Pettis. Karalexis returns it, but gets tagged with a punch. Another leg kick from Pettis. And one more. Karalexis shoots for the single-leg but can't get Pettis down. They separate. Pettis with two hard leg kicks that really seems to hurt Karalexis, so he keeps throwing 'em. Karalexis clinches with Pettis against the fence. A knee from Karalexis in the clinch, and round 1 ends. 10-9 Pettis.

Round 2: Pettis jabbing. Karalexis rushes forward with punches then grabs Pettis and slams him down. Pettis rolls and gets up. Leg kick Pettis. Karalexis shoots and gets Pettis to the mat. Pettis sets up a triangle and bashes Karalexis in the top of the head with punches until Karalexis taps.
Pettis def. Karalexis via (submission) triangle choke, 1:35 of round 2

Chad Mendes vs. Anthony Morrison from earlier in the evening...
Mendes shoots but is firmly rebuffed by Morrison. Morrison jabbing. Mendes shoots again and scores the takedown this time. He sets up a guillotine choke on the ground and torques it until he gets the tap. Mendes def. Morrision via submission (guillotine choke), 2:13 of round 1. The Team Alpha Male member brings it home for Sacramento, and the crowd loves him.

Leonard Garcia vs. "The Korean Zombie!" Chan Sung Jung
Uh oh, new referee. This never ends well.

Round 1: Jung snaps a leg kick. He's a bit flat footed though, and Garcia brushes him back with a right. Jung lands a flying knee and they start trading power punches. Both men land heat in a all-out brawl. Finally, Garcia wises up and grabs onto Jung to slow the pace. Jung slips in a nice elbow from the clinch. Jung chases with a knee and some punches after they separate. Garcia slips a bit while throwing a body kick, and retreats. Jung throws the head kick. Jung lands a massive left/right that knocks Garcia down, and jumps on to finish. From the bottom, Garcia uses an omoplata to tie Jung up. Jung with nasty punches from the top when he escapes. Jung with two knees in the clinch, and a head kick. And more punches. Garcia trying to give it back wherever he can, but he's getting swamped here, and he looks gassed. There's the bell. Amazing first round, but Jung clearly took it.

Round 2: Left hook Garcia. Jung with a head kick, and he follows it up with punches, but Garcia catches him with a shot and knocks him off his feet. Jung pops up and they're brawling again. Garcia with a spinning backfist. Garcia shoots again and tries for a takedown against the fence. They separate and start boxing again. The crowd howls "Garcia." Leg kick Jung. They're both slowing down now. Garcia throwing punches. Jung grabs onto Garcia and flips him to the mat. Jung tries to take Garcia's back, but Garcia escapes and gets up. Jung has his hands down in exhaustion. He lands a push kick. And a jab. Jung with a body kick and leg kick, and a knee in the clinch, and about a dozen punches. Garcia's mouthpiece is out. The ref gives it back. They go back to laying into each other. Head kick Jung and Garcia returns fire. That's the round. Fight of the Year so far?

Round 3: Even the ref is smiling. They trade punches. Garcia throwing kicks, and landing them. Garcia with a left hook. He scores with a punch combo and a body kick. Jung doesn't have much left. Jung jumps forward and whiffs a punch. Garcia tries a reverse head kick. Leg kick Garcia. Jung with a 1-2. Leg kick Garcia. Jung with a backfist and about four huge punches. Garcia manages to stay upright, and he comes back to mount his own attack. Leg kick Garcia. Jung using Garcia's head as a speedbag, for God's sake. Both guys start talking to each other in the cage. Leg kick Garcia. They slug it out until the bell, and of course, hug it out afterwards. Absolutely unbelievable.
Garcia says he broke his right hand in the first. Garcia def. Jung via split decision (29-28 Garcia, 29-28 Jung, 29-28 Garcia) ??????????? A *terrible* decision marrs an otherwise spectacular fight. Rogan calls it Fight of the Decade. But still...Garcia by split? Robbery.

And it's pay-per-view time. Let's hope these fights go quickly so we can watch Garcia vs. Jung again. I was afraid they'd pull out the UFC's gladiator intro for this one, but we instead get a brand new WEC highlight-reel package to kick off the show.

Antonio Banuelos vs. Scott Jorgensen
Banuelos won their first fight by a very close margin. Jorgensen says he's "evolved 180 degrees" since that fight.

Round 1: Banuelos lands first with a leg kick, then tags Jorgensen with a hook. Nice punch combo from Banuelos. They clinch, and Jorgensen slips in a knee. Banuelos trip Jorgensen down with a leg kick. He sticks a hook, but eats one in return. Another left hook from Banuelos, and one more that drops Jorgensen. Banuelos drops an elbow, but almost gets caught in an armbar. Banuelos gets up and they're back on their feet. Banuelos with a knee in the clinch. Jorgensen throws the high kick. Spinning back kick from Jorgensen lands. Banuelos with a right, and a high kick. There's the horn. Banuelos takes the first round, though you never know with these goddamned judges.

Round 2: Jorgensen jabs. They trade punches. Jorgensen with a nice uppercut and hook. He works his jab. Jorgensen the aggressor now. Banuelos might have a broken nose. His face is bloodied and his mouth is open. Both men land hooks. Leg kick Banuelos. Jorgensen pushing forward with punches. He throws a high kick. Jorgensen with a stiff jab. He knocks Banuelos to the mat and pounces on his back. Banuelos's nose is shooting blood as Jorgensen slips in punches from the top. Banuelos gets to his feet but eats a knee. And that's the round. Jorgensen evens the score in a big way.

Round 3: Jorgensen stalks Banuelos down and they start slugging. Jorgensen attacking with a body kick and punches. Nice right hook from Jorgensen. Banuelos with a body punch. Jorgensen snaps his head back with a right. Jorgensen drops Banuelos again with a right. He tries to set up a guillotine but Banuelos slips out. He transitions to Banuelos's back and almost sinks the rear-naked. Punches from the top from Jorgensen. Banuelos is pretty much stuck on his knees. Jorgensen tries the rear-naked choke again, but Banuelos, the tough S.O.B., punches and elbows his way out of it. And that's the fight. Should be Scotty's.
Jorgensen def. Banuelos via unanimous decision (29-28 x 3)

Anthony Njokuani vs. Shane Roller
Mike Goldberg says that Njokuani's right hand is "literally like a laser beam." It's *literally* made out of concentrated light.

Round 1: Roller shoots right away. He gets the takedown after some struggle, but Njokuani is quickly back on his feet. Roller stays on it, and gets Njokuani on his back. Roller moves to mount and transitions to Njokuani's back when Njokuani bucks. Roller sets up the rear-naked choke. It looks close, but Njokuani defends. Roller tries it again. He has Njokuani locked down in a body triangle. Njokuani tries to hang on, but he's caught. He taps.
Roller def. Njokuani via submission (rear-naked choke), 3:07 of round 1

They cut to Jake Shields and Dana White sitting next to each other, all smiles, with their arms around each other. Dana mouths "he's mine." HOLY SHIT, THAT JUST HAPPENED.

Mike Brown vs. Manny Gamburyan
Brown gets my vote for walkout music of the night with "Simple Man" by Skynyrd.

Round 1: Brown throws the right. He tries a couple front kicks. Gamburyan with a punch combo. Gamburyan jabs. He goes body/head. Brown gets caught with a right hand coming in, slumps to the mat, and gets jackhammered into unconsciousness. Damn. Manny's got hands? Bad setback for the former champ, who looked tentative up until the stoppage. Gamburyan def. Brown via KO, 2:22 of round 1. Gamburyan repeats the odd claim that he wanted to do genocide on Brown, as a tribute to the Armenian Genocide. Come on, bro, he didn't do that to your people.

We see Brad Pickett vs. Demetrious Johnson from the prelims...
Round 1: Pickett uses his wrestling to get Johnson on the mat multiple times, including a couple of arial slams, but Johnson gets to his feet each time and displays some mighty sharp standup.
Round 2: More of the same. Some great striking exchanges. At the end, Pickett takes a knee to the face and body slams Johnson without missing a beat. Close fight that will come down to the final frame.
Round 3: Johnson turns the tables by working his own takedowns. But it's only a matter of time before Pickett gets back on top. Johnson escapes mount and gets to his feet, but Pickett ends the round on top.
Pickett def. Johnson via unanimous decision (30-27 x 2, 29-28)

Ben Henderson vs. Donald Cerrone
Bendo and Cowboy share an embrace before the match. Henderson shakes the hands of the Jackson crew behind Cerrone. Henderson was raised by a single mother who worked 17 hour days, which begs the question, who exactly was taking care of Ben?

Round 1: Leg kick Henderson. Henderson dives at Cerrone's leg, but Cerrone defends and they tangle against the fence. Henderson with some knees to Cerrone's body and head, latched onto his back. He gets Cerrone to the ground and starts throwing some nasty Jon Jones-style elbows. He scrambles and sets up a guillotine choke. He cranks and that's all she wrote. The rematch lasted 23 minutes shorter than the first fight. Cerrone has an enormous lump on his head.
Henderson def. Cerrone via submission (guillotine choke), 1:57 of round 1. Buffer announces him as "still, the lightweight champion of the world." Well, of the world extreme cagefighting, at least. He's a beast, though, that's for sure. Henderson reminds Joe Rogan that he ruins motherfuckers through Christ who strengthens him.

From the prelims: Tyler Toner def. Brandon Visher via TKO, 2:36 of round 1. Brutal barrage of elbows to the side of the face to end the fight.

And they're showing Mendes/Morrison again. Where's Garcia/Jung at?

Jose Aldo vs. Urijah Faber
Aldo draws the cute lady-cop in his walkout. The crowd boos him hard; Sacramento is probably the only city on Earth where that would happen. He breaks away from his entourage and runs out to the Harley Davidson prep point. Urijah sings along to Aldo's walkout tune, "Run This Town." Jose looks at his feet in the faceoff.

Round 1: Urijah throws some punches, and misses. He fires a kick. Aldo is very calm, and a bit flat footed. Faber throws a 1-2. Aldo lands a leg kick that trips Faber to the mat, but he bounces up. Faber jumps forward with a body kick. Body punch and leg kick from Aldo. Faber shoots for a takedown but Aldo dodges. Aldo leaving himself dangerously in range. Baiting Faber, perhaps. Faber dashes in with punches. He lands a right hook. Aldo lands a nice knee to the body as Faber rushes in. Faber responds with a teep kick that spins Aldo around. Faber lands punches to the head and body. Aldo lands a flying knee to Faber's body that stops his momentum. Body kick Aldo. Very close, tense first round.

Round 2: Urijah throws a high front kick. Hard body kick from Aldo. And a leg kick that stumbles Faber. Faber lands a left uppercut. Aldo gives an uppercut right back. Hard leg kick from the champ. Faber fakes a shot and throws a high kick. Aldo with another leg kick, and Faber felt that one. Another kick, to Faber's rear leg. And one more. Hopefully the judges will count them. Body punch and leg kick from Aldo. Faber briefly switches stances. Aldo lands the leg kick again, and Faber bounces to shake it off. Aldo lands another leg kick, and Faber winces, He limps back to his corner at the horn. 10-9 Aldo.

Round 3: Aldo misses a kick and you can hear it cut through the air like a sword. Faber rebuffs Aldo's attempt at a clinch. Aldo with a leg kick that spins Faber around completely. Faber with a jab. Aldo with a punch and a hard body kick. A much more measured performance from Aldo than we're used to, but it's working out so far. A leg kick knocks Faber down. He's starting to look broken. He's basically unable to shoot. Aldo lands a hard kick to Faber's face and tees off with punches, but can't get him down. Faber throws a slapping left hook. Is his hand broken again? Leg kick Aldo. And again. Faber limps it off. Awesome body/head punch combo from Aldo. A leg kick gets Faber to the mat but the horn sounds before Aldo can finish it.

Round 4: Aldo gets back to leg-kickin'. He knocks Faber down with leg kicks, jumps on top, gets to mount, and takes Faber's back when he rolls. Faber spins out and escapes to his feet. But Aldo chops him down again and gets on top in half-guard. He pops out to side control, and sets up a mounted crucifix. Aldo slugging Faber in the face at will. He goes from punches to elbows. Aldo slicing down with short elbows. Faber is stuck on his back, eating shots. He can't do much besides cover his face with a free hand. Faber weakly throws some knees to Aldo's body as the round ends. Another ref would have stopped the fight.

Round 5: Faber dashes in punching. Aldo with his first leg kick of the round, and Faber switches to southpaw. Faber makes a slow lunge at Aldo's leg. He shoots and grabs onto Aldo's leg, but Aldo yanks out and punches Faber in the head. Faber won't get up and Aldo won't follow him down. The ref stands Faber up. Aldo not doing much besides riding out the clock. Maybe he's more tired than he looks. Faber shoots and misses. He shoots again and is stuffed. Aldo lands a hard body punch. Faber shoots and falls on his face. Aldo throws a punch down from his feet. More stalemate, with Aldo standing and Faber on his back. A very dull end to an epic beating.
Faber appears to be in agony back on the stool. Aldo didn't win any fans in Sacramento. Aldo goes over and kisses Faber on his cornrows.
Aldo def. Faber via unanimous decision (49-45 x 2 50-45)

Aldo says he would have liked to finish the fight in the last round and land more leg kicks, but Faber kept switching his stance. He calls Sacramento his home away from home and hopes Sac-Town can accept him as another great champion. Faber says that the leg kicks took away his ability to shoot early in the fight. Who's next for Aldo? Mike Goldberg actually suggests Manny Gamburyan. Oh my God, player.

And we get a replay of Garcia vs. Jung. A great way to end a top-notch night of action. If not for the decision in Garcia/Jung and the last round of Aldo/Faber, it would have been perfect. Who says the little guys aren't worth your money?