PHOTOS - UFC 132 Fight Card: A Full Breakdown
 

UFC 132 Fight Card: A Full Breakdown of How WEC Transplants Have Fared vs. UFC


By Bleachersreport 30 June 2011






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At UFC 132 this Saturday, Urijah Faber and Dominick Cruz will square off for Cruz's newly minted UFC bantamweight title. It will mark the first time that two transplants from the now-defunct WEC will fight in a UFC main event.

The fight card also features two WEC transplants going against UFC veterans. In a matchup that holds fight-of-the-night potential, Shane Roller will take on Melvin Guillard. Muay Thai ace Anthony Njoukani will fight Andre Winner. WEC products Brian Bowles and Takeya Mizugazi also appear on the preliminary card.

By my count, 45 fighters made the leap from the WEC after the promotion officially closed up shop in December. These fighters—hailing from the lightweight, featherweight and bantamweight divisions—now comprise sizable portions of the UFC stables in these lighter classes. As ex-WEC fighters rack up fights and raise their profiles, though, there has been some conflicting speculation about whether this cohort is finding success thus far in the Octagon.

So it got me to thinking. How, really, have these WEC transplants fared so far against UFC veterans and other UFC newcomers from different promotions? What are the records? Who have they beaten?

Here’s a full breakdown of the 25 WEC transports who have faced a non-WEC fighter in the UFC.

re: PHOTOS - UFC 132 Fight Card: A Full Breakdown
 

25. Edward Faaloloto




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Weight Class: Lightweight

UFC Record Against Non-WEC Opponents: 0-1 (Loss to Michael Johnson)
Falo is only 2-2 in MMA and may not be long for the UFC after Michael Johnson crushed him at UFC on Versus 4.

re: PHOTOS - UFC 132 Fight Card: A Full Breakdown
 

24. Danny Downes




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Weight Class: Lightweight


UFC Record Against Non-WEC Opponents: 0-1 (loss to Jeremy Stephens)
Downes dropped his UFC debut to Stephens, and there's no word from the UFC on when, or whether, he will fight there again.

re: PHOTOS - UFC 132 Fight Card: A Full Breakdown
 

23. Manny Gamburyan




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Weight Class: Featherweight
UFC Record Against Non-WEC Opponents: 0-1 (Loss to Tyson Griffin)


Gamburyan dropped a close decision to Griffin last weekend at UFC Live on Versus 4. He used his wrestling effectively but faded down the stretch after some heavy leg kicks from Tyson. He is an accomplished and fairly well-known fighter, so I imagine he'll get more shots.

re: PHOTOS - UFC 132 Fight Card: A Full Breakdown
 

22. Kamal Shalorus




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Weight Class: Lightweight
UFC Record Against Non-WEC Opponents: 0-1 (Loss to Jim Miller)


Shalorus showed a tremendous chin in his loss to top contender Miller. The second Iranian-born fighter to compete in the UFC has a strong MMA record (the Miller fight was his first loss), and though his next bout has not been announced, I imagine it will come in due time.

re: PHOTOS - UFC 132 Fight Card: A Full Breakdown
 

21. Anthony Njoukani




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Weight Class: Lightweight
UFC Record Against Non-WEC Opponents: 0-1 (Loss to Edson Barboza)


Njoukani fought valiantly in going the distance with undefeated Muay Thai wrecking machine Barboza. He’ll try to get on the right side of the column this Saturday at UFC 132 against TUF alum Andre Winner. I personally believe he'll get it done.

re: PHOTOS - UFC 132 Fight Card: A Full Breakdown
 

20. Anthony Pettis




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Weight Class: Lightweight
UFC Record Against Non-WEC Opponents: 0-1 (Loss to Clay Guida)
The WEC’s last lightweight champion got a rude welcome to the Octagon in June, courtesy of The Carpenter.But something tells me The Head Kick Legend will be back with a vengeance.

re: PHOTOS - UFC 132 Fight Card: A Full Breakdown
 

19. Diego Nunes




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Weight Class: Featherweight
UFC Record Against Non-WEC Opponents: 0-1 (Loss to Kenny Florian)


Florian controlled Nunes for much of a fight that ended in victory (and will probably mean a title shot) for Ken-Flo. But Nunes isn't the first to come up short against the decorated UFC veteran.

re: PHOTOS - UFC 132 Fight Card: A Full Breakdown
 

18. Nick Pace




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Weight Class: Bantamweight*
UFC Record Against Non-WEC Opponents: 1-0 (Win over Will Campuzano)


*The New York City fighter did get a submission win here, but since he failed to make weight, the fight officially happened at catchweight. Nice first impression there.

re: PHOTOS - UFC 132 Fight Card: A Full Breakdown
 

17. Renan Barao




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Weight Class: Bantamweight
UFC Record Against Non-WEC Opponents: 1-0 (Win over Cole Escovedo)

re: PHOTOS - UFC 132 Fight Card: A Full Breakdown
 

16. Dustin Poirier




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Weight Class: Featherweight
UFC Record Against Non-WEC Opponents: 1-0 (Win over Jason Young)


Young was a UFC newcomer himself (though not from the WEC), so Poirier will probably need to get a bigger name under his belt before he can gun for the upper echelons of the featherweight rankings.

re: PHOTOS - UFC 132 Fight Card: A Full Breakdown
 

15. Chris Cariaso




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Weight Class: Bantamweight
UFC Record Against Non-WEC Opponents: 1-0 (Win over Will Campuzano)

re: PHOTOS - UFC 132 Fight Card: A Full Breakdown
 

14. Michael McDonald




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Weight Class: Bantamweight
UFC Record Against Non-WEC Opponents: 1-0 (Win over Edwin Figueroa)


A lot of people are watching McDonald, who could be the next great fighter at bantamweight. Only 20 years old, "Mayday" is already 13-1 and hasn't lost since 2009. His decision win over Figueora earned him Fight of the Night honors.

re: PHOTOS - UFC 132 Fight Card: A Full Breakdown
 

13. Leonard Garcia




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Weight Class: Featherweight
UFC Record Against Non-WEC Opponents: 1-0 (Win over Nam Phan)


We’ll see if Garcia can knock off another TUF alum when he faces Alex “Bruce Leroy” Caceres in August.

re: PHOTOS - UFC 132 Fight Card: A Full Breakdown
 

12. Takeya Mizugazi




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Weight Class: Bantamweight
UFC Record Against Non-WEC Opponents: 1-0 (Win over Reuben Duran)

re: PHOTOS - UFC 132 Fight Card: A Full Breakdown
 

11. Mackens Semerzier




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Weight Class: Featherweight
UFC Record Against Non-WEC Opponents: 1-0 (Win over Alex “Bruce Leroy” Caceres)


At 6-3 overall, Semerzier is fairly new to the sport, but an impressive first-round chokeout of Caceres will get him at least one more chance in the Octagon, barring something unforeseen.

re: PHOTOS - UFC 132 Fight Card: A Full Breakdown
 

10. Chad "Money" Mendes




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Weight Class: Featherweight
UFC Record Against Non-WEC Opponents: 1-0 (Win over Michihiro Omigawa)

re: PHOTOS - UFC 132 Fight Card: A Full Breakdown
 

9. Ricardo Lamas




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Weight Class: Featherweight
UFC Record Against Non-WEC Opponents: 1-0 (Win over Matt Grice)


Lamas stopped Grice by TKO in the first round of last weekend's UFC on Versus 4 event. Something tells me we haven't seen the last of the 10-2 Lamas.

re: PHOTOS - UFC 132 Fight Card: A Full Breakdown
 

8. Tiequan Zhang




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Weight Class: Featherweight
UFC Record Against Non-WEC Opponents: 1-0 (Win over Jason Reinhardt)


In his debut both in the UFC and at 145 pounds, Zhang ran his record to 13-1 over Reinhardt. Ten of Zhang's wins have come by submission, so it looks like it's time for a bump up in competition for this Chinese choke artist.

re: PHOTOS - UFC 132 Fight Card: A Full Breakdown
 

7. Danny Castillo




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Weight Class: Lightweight
UFC Record Against Non-WEC Opponents: 1-0 (Win over Joe Stevenson)Just as he was starting his UFC career, Castillo may have helped bring another one to an end when he defeated Joe Stevenson in March.
It seems the UFC powers that be want to see for sure whether Castillo’s win was a one-hit wonder; they’ve scheduled him to tangle with dangerous wrestler Jacob Volkmann in August.

re: PHOTOS - UFC 132 Fight Card: A Full Breakdown
 

6. Javier Vaquez




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Weight Class: Featherweight
UFC Record Against Non-WEC Opponents: 1-0 (Win over Joe Stevenson)


Speaking of Stevenson, a lot of observers think this loss might have been the last straw for Joe Daddy’s Octagon career. Give credit to Vazquez, though; he just looked like he wanted it more.

re: PHOTOS - UFC 132 Fight Card: A Full Breakdown
 

5. Joseph Benavidez




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Weight Class: Bantamweight
UFC Record Against Non-WEC Opponents: 1-0

He defeated Ian Loveland in his UFC debut and has another stiff test forthcoming against a win-hungry Eddie Wineland

re: PHOTOS - UFC 132 Fight Card: A Full Breakdown
 

4. Demetrious Johnson




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Weight Class: Bantamweight
UFC Record against non-WEC opponents: 1-0 (Win over Norifumi Yamamoto)


After defeating fellow WEC transfer Miguel Torres in addition to the fabled "Kid" Yamamoto, Mighty Mouse is ranked with a bullet at bantamweight.

re: PHOTOS - UFC 132 Fight Card: A Full Breakdown
 

3. Ben Henderson




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Weight Class: Lightweight
UFC Record Against Non-WEC Opponents: 1-0 (win over Mark Bocek)
An impressive decision win over UFC stalwart Bocek earned Henderson a shot at top contender Jim Miller in August. We’ll see what he does with the opportunity.

re: PHOTOS - UFC 132 Fight Card: A Full Breakdown
 

2. Shane Roller




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Weight Class: Lightweight
UFC Record Against Non-WEC Opponents: 1-0 (win over Thiago Tavares)
With a strong KO of Tavares, Roller announced his presence in the UFC with authority.

This Saturday at UFC 132, he'll face an even tougher (if passable) test against the up-and-coming (again) Melvin Guillard.

re: PHOTOS - UFC 132 Fight Card: A Full Breakdown
 

1. Donald Cerrone




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Weight Class: Lightweight
UFC Record Against Non-WEC Opponents: 2-0 (Wins over Paul Kelly, Vagner Rocha)


“Cowboy” entered the Octagon with guns blazing, and is the only WEC product so far to defeat more than one non-WEC opponent. He’ll try to make it three for three when he tangles with Paul Taylor this August.

re: PHOTOS - UFC 132 Fight Card: A Full Breakdown
 

Conclusions




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Here are the combined records of WEC transplants against their UFC counterparts:

Bantamweight: 7-0

Featherweight: 7-2

Lightweight: 5-5
Grand Total: 19-7


Next time you're in the middle of a debate over whether the WEC is finding success or failure in the UFC, your answer can be...neither. At least not yet.
It turns out that life and reality are a little more complicated than some bar debaters and comment threaders would have it be. Although the WEC transplants have posted a very strong record thus far, it is hard to tell for sure with fighters having only one or two contests apiece under their belts at this point. To compound the issue, most of these wins clearly are coming in the lower two weight classes they dominate, and have come against competition that has thus far been, with some exceptions, uninspiring.
That is beginning to change, however, and several fighters on this list will soon receive tougher tests. Those who have yet to fight a UFC opponent—including the promotion's biggest guns in Cruz, Faber and Jose Aldo—should get that opportunity soon.
Bottom line: So far, so good for the WEC refugees. But this group will soon begin to wade into much deeper waters.