WEC 48 was in Sacramento, Calif., and Inside Fights blogging all the action Saturday.
Main card
Jose Aldo vs. Urijah Faber
Round 1
Front kick from Faber misses. Faber comes with a two-punch and kick combo. Aldo is stalking Faber in the interim. Big leg kick misses by Aldo. Leg sweep attempt by Aldo dodged by Faber. Aldo goes for a front kick and Aldo sweeps the back leg and steps away quickly. Faber testing the range of Aldo, shoots for a flying knee. Two-punch combo and leg kick landed by Aldo. Faber shoots, but Aldo circles away. Front kick from Faber lands. Aldo stalks Faber, who explodes with two punches. Right hook by Faber missed. Outside leg kick missed by Aldo and Faber charges and misses a right hook. Big knee to the body of Faber as he charges in. Faber with a front kick as Aldo goes to sweep the leg. Faber with a shot to the body. Both men go for a flying knee, but Aldo lands to the body. Body Kick from Aldo.
Round 2
Faber comes out and presses for a takedown, then a body kick, then a right hook. All three miss. Body kick from Aldo. Aldo with a leg kick and misses a hook. Good head movement from Aldo. Faber comes with a right that misses. Right uppercut from Aldo just glances. Jab and cross from Aldo, followed by a leg kick. Two punches from Faber miss as Aldo is moving into striking range. Outside leg kick from Aldo makes Faber wince and switch stances. Another leg kick from Aldo lands. Left hook from Faber misses. Aldo lands another outside leg kick. Big welt starts to form on the back of Faber's left knee. Left outside leg kick causes Faber to limp. Outside leg kick is tearing Faber apart. The round ends and Faber limps back to his corner.
Round 3
Faber switches stances as Aldo comes forward. Aldo is trying to chop him down. Left hook to the body from Aldo. Faber goes for a takedown, but Aldo spins away. Outside leg kick from Aldo is chopping Faber, who is spinning away and visibly limping. Faber eats a body kick from Aldo and another inside leg kick (Faber moved to southpaw), but Faber is still moving forward. Right hand from Aldo sets up another body kick at Faber who catches it. Aldo slips away. On their feet, a head kick from Aldo is blocked but Faber is backed up to the cage wall. Shots to the head from Aldo are defended by Faber, who counters with hooks of his own. Outside leg kick from Aldo and Faber switches to the southpaw. He swings the big right hand and misses. Left shot to the body from Aldo followed by a big leg kick that drops Faber. He pulls Aldo in to prevent damage as the round ends.
Round 4
Aldo lands three leg kicks in the first minute. Faber goes down and takes Aldo into guard but gets mounted. Faber is rolled to his back and Aldo is working for a submission. Faber ends up rolling through and gets back to his feet. Southpaw stance from Faber and Aldo gets him with a huge outside leg kick and Faber ends on his back. Faber is in a mounted crucifix and Aldo is landing short fists, but Faber continues to work and try to roll through. Short elbows from Aldo as he tries to finish this fight. Faber is being beaten up. With 20 seconds to go, Faber holds out, defending the shots and trying to get to the next round. He makes it, despite the weak, scraping elbows from Aldo.
Round 5
Faber starts the round as the aggressor. Aldo swings for a low kick and misses. Faber switches to southpaw again to protect his damaged left leg. Right jab from Faber. Right hook from Faber misses. Faber dives for the takedown and hangs onto the ankle. Aldo, drags him across the apron and refuses to engage him on the mat. Aldo standing over Faber and the ref stands him up. Straight from Aldo lands clean. Faber dives for a takedown and misses, but we get a cool monkey roll out of it. Head kick from Aldo is blocked. Aldo stuffs another takedown attempt from Faber, who cannot seem to finish the explosion there. Big left hook to the body from Aldo. Faber ends up on the mat after missing the takedown. Punches to the body from Aldo who remains over Faber. Faber ends the fight on his feet as Aldo lets him back up as the bell rings to end the bout.
Winner and still champion: Jose Aldo by unanimous decision (49-45, 49-45, 50-45 )
Ben Henderson vs. Donald Cerrone
Round 1
Outside leg kick glances for Henderson. Henderson shoots for a single, but Cerrone rolls out. Back to their feet. Ben presses him to the cage. Knees to the back of Cerrone's legs. Knee to Cerrone's head is deflected. More loaded knees to the hamstrings by Henderson. Henderson with a big takedown on Cerrone who tries to scramble. Henderson locks in a tight guillotine. Cowboy tries to fight out but has to tap almost immediately.
Winner: Ben Henderson by submission (1:57, guillotine, Round 1)
Brad Pickett vs. Demetrious Johnson
Round 1
Johnson catches Pickett with a inside leg kick. Pickett dazes Johnson with a big punch. Left hook from Pickett moves Johnson across the cage. Another cross from Pickett stumbles Johnson, who spins and recovers. Body kick from Johnson caught by Pickett — two right hands from Pickett. Pickett with a takedown into side control. Big elbow from Pickett and Johnson gets Pickett into half and then full guard. Johnson onto his feet and tries to body kick, it's caught and Johnson is dropped to the mat. Pickett in guard, pressing Johnson into the cage. Johnson pops to his feet. Three quick punches followed by a head kick that's blocked. Pickett with a big slam. Johnson goes for a flying knee and Pickett catches him and slams him to the mat.
Round 2
Johnson bounces around like those slams didn't effect him and Pickett counters and tries to catch the kicks. Jab to the body from Johnson. Pickett launches for a flying knee but it misses. Outside leg kick from Johnson. Body kick from Johnson. Pickett ducks under and gets a counter takedown. Pickett in side control. Johnson pops back to his feet. Three or four body kicks from Johnson before Pickett takes Johnson to his back. Pickett in half guard. Right elbow from Pickett. Pickett is working to keeping Johnson on the mat and Johnson gets back to his feet. Big back suplex from Pickett and Johnson fights through and back to his feet. Jab, cross, outside leg kick from Johnson. Big, big slam from Pickett, who takes full mount and pounds away for the last few seconds of round 2.
Round 3
Johnson with a quick shoot and takedown. Pickett works back to his feet, but Johnson has an arm in. Possibly a d'arce choke, but Johnson goes to Muay Thai clinch and delivers a knee to the head. Johnson gets a takedown and into half guard. Johnson gets back to his feet and gets his hands going as he wants to finish. Takedown from Johnson, who is pulled into full guard by Pickett. Both men make it back to their feet. Takedown by Johnson that is rolled through. Pickett gets another takedown slam from his knees and takes mount. Johnson is pulling him in and preventing Pickett from posturing up. Johnson pulls half guard and Pickett lets Johnson out by giving him just a bit too much space. Maybe an inch, but this dude is lightning quick. The last 15 seconds are a blur of takedowns and reversals.
Winner: Brad Pickett by decision (30-27 , 30-27 , 29-28)
Mike Brown vs. Manny Gamburyan
Round 1
Partial right hook by Brown. Front kick by Brown misses. Both men are active on their feet and connect on jabs. Glancing inside leg kick from Gamburyan. Brown misses with two big right hooks. Uppercut missed by Gamburyan. Gamburyan presses with three strikes that are taken on the gloves. Gamburyan connects with a huge right hand, dropping Brown, who takes five or six shots from Gamburyan. Referee Jon Schorle steps in to stop the fight and protect Brown.
Winner: Manny Gamburyan by TKO (2:22, Round 1)
Anthony Njokuani vs. Shane Roller
Round 1
Roller presses for the takedown and gets Njokuani to his back. He transitions to back, slipping his hooks around Njokuani and get the Severn rear naked. After Njokuani tries to rolls away, but Njokuani continues to be pushed back into the rear naked. He finally gets the full rear naked choke, flattens Njokuani out and gets the tap.
Winner: Shane Roller by submission (3:07, rear-naked choke, Round 1)
Antonio Banuelos vs. Scott Jorgensen
Round 1
Jorgensen and Banuelos come out testing one another with several early strikes. After each test by Jorgensen, Banuelos counters with a big left hook. Banuelos continues to land the hook and he drops Jorgensen. Jorgensen pulls Banuelos into guard to recover. A strong armbar attempt by Jorgensen and Banuelos, and Banuelos avoids the submission and bails out of guard. Back on their feet and the two men probe with leg kicks. A clinch in the center of the cage leads to a knee to the body by Jorgensen. Spinning back kick by Banuelos. Body kick by Banuelos. Head kick and spinning back kick are deflected as round one ends.
Round 2
Jorgensen presses Banuelos to start round two. He's stalking Banuelos. Body kick by Jorgensen is half caught by Banuelos. He's really pressing Banuelos — head kick by Jorgensen deflected. Good right hook by Jorgensen that was set up with the jab. Banuelos misses a big right. Good body kick from Banuelos. Jorgensen catches Banuelos and drops him, Banuelos is dripping blood from his nose. Back on their feet, Jorgensen unleashes a big knee as they clinch.
Round 3
Banuelos gets split again by a big shot from Jorgensen. Several missed shots from Banuelos and a big knee. Left hook from Jorgensen. Banuelos with a jab. Outside leg kick from Jorgensen. Good shots from both fighters, Banuelos is looking to land the big shot. Big right cross from Scott. Jorgensen drops him with a huge right. Goes to pounce into guard and almost gets a guillotine. Jumping back elbow missed by Banuelos, but Jorgensen takes the back. Gets the rear-naked choke with both hooks, but Banuelos flips around and gets mounted. Big hammer fists as they roll to their knees. Banuelos is eating punches. Jorgensen gets the rear naked again, but Banuelos is throwing hammerfists to Jorgensen on his back.
Winner: Scott Jorgensen by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
