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The FightLockdown Forecast - WEC 45: Cerrone vs. Ratcliff
Written by Miles Hackett   
Friday, 18 December 2009 20:19
Not one to take second place, Zuffa is answering Strikeforce's event on Saturday night with one of their own; WEC 45: Cerrone vs. Ratcliff. As we've come to expect from the WEC, this card is stacked with a number of evenly matched bouts that could end up being nominees for FLD's coveted "fight of the year" award. Breaking the card down for you, fight-by-fight are our panel of experts made-up of Joshua Taylor, Jamie Hughes, and Brad Taschuk. See how their forecast matches-up with your own, after the leap of faith!




Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone vs. Ed "9mm" (insert penis joke) Ratcliff

Joshua Taylor: In what will apparently be the send off fight for Cowboy to head to the Featherweight division, he will be taking on WEC Veteran Ed Ratcliff. 9mm has been around the WEC for the majority of his career and has some good wins but he is primarily a striker and I don’t think he will be able to handle Donald’s ground game. Cerrone will likely look to make quick work of Ratcliff and will get this down and lock in the choke early. Winner via 1st round Submission: Donald Cerrone.

Jamie Hughes: In the main event of WEC 45, Ed Ratcliff faces featherweight-bound Donald Cerrone in a lightweight bout. I think this is Cerrone’s fight to lose, even though Ratcliff is a powerful striker with good hands, Cerrone has the experience and chin to handle him on the feet. I think Cerrone should look to take Ratcliff down or even pull guard and work his impressive submission game, but you can’t count out Ratcliff in this fight because, potentially, with one punch he could end the fight. That said, I feel Cerrone will have more than enough tools to deal with Ratcliff. Winner via 2nd round Submission: Donald Cerrone.

Brad Taschuk: My contemporaries are probably looking for a Cerrone submission in this one, and with good reason. I think this fight will take a bit of a different shape though, as Cerrone rarely chooses to take fights to the ground of his own accord, even though his submission game is both stellar and fun to watch. I think the sour taste left in Cerrone’s mouth from losing a decision to Henderson will lead to him playing the striking game with Ratcliff, which will result in an incredibly exciting fight. It should be noted that Ratcliff struggles when fighters pursue him on the feet, and Cerrone definitely fits that bill. Winner via Unanimous Decision: Donald Cerrone.


The Final Forecast: "Cowboy" holds up "9mm" and somehow drops down to 145 (possibly through amputation?)


Anthony Njokuani vs. Chris "The Polish Hammer" Horodecki

Joshua: So finally Horodecki moves on from his highly successful IFL days into a big promotion. Apparently his 1st round submission this past summer was enough to convince the WEC they needed him. I think this is a great matchup as Njokuani is on a two fight win streak but should be beatable for the Polish Hammer. I don’t think it will be a walk in the park though and will likely head to decision. I think Chris will do enough in the stand-up though to convincingly take the rounds. Winner via Unanimous Decision: Chris Horodecki.

Jamie: This could be a FotN candidate. I don’t expect this fight to go near the ground, as I think both fighters are going to come in a stand and trade. I think Horodecki has the more technical stand-up, but Njokuani has the superior stopping power. If Horodecki uses a solid game-plan which consists of striking to keep distance and out-point Njokuani, he could take the decision, but if he is drawn into a straight-up slugfest, I think Njokuani will have an excellent chance of stopping the Canadian. Winner via 2nd round (T)KO: Anthony Njokuani.

Brad: The 22 year-old who was once thought to be a prodigy by some, finally makes his debut at a higher level of competition. Horodecki dominated inferior competition in his days in TKO and the IFL, but struggled even at the top of those organizations. Njokuani has only lost to the best in the WEC in his MMA career, and he holds a big advantage over Horodecki in terms of size in this fight. Chris has a tendency to get into slugfests with looping punches (see: fight with Lierley, Shad), and that won’t serve him well against a much longer, straighter punching Njokuani, especially with Anthony’s stopping power. Winner via 3rd round (T)KO: Anthony Njokuani.


The Final Forecast: Anthony baffles Horodecki (and not with the pronunciation of his name) for a strike-based stoppage.


Joseph Benavidez vs. Rani Yahya

Joshua: Easily the most intriguing fight on the card for me as Yahya is 3-fight win streak in the WEC and although Benavidez is coming off a loss, it was a close decision loss to #1 contender Dominick Cruz. Both fighters love to go for the finish and have multiple submission wins but I think Rani will have the edge there. Benavidez will have the wrestling edge but I think he will be overconfident in his own submission ability and will mess around on the ground too long and get submitted. Winner by 2nd round Submission: Rani Yahya.

Jamie: Benavidez is looking to rebound after his tough loss and fight of the night against Dominick Cruz, and this is a tough match up to come back to, as Yahya is on a three fight win streak in the WEC. I can see Benavidez trying to implement his usual all-action style in this fight, looking to wear down Yahya, but will have to be careful when on the ground with the former ADCC winner. Yahya should look to get the fight down, whether he finds himself on his back or in top position, so that he can set-up and work for submission attempts to tire out and eventually for the energetic Benavidez to tap. Winner via 1st round Submission: Rani Yahya.

Brad: Rani Yahya’s stand up is ugly, but it’s not as bad as some people would have you think. He also possesses weirdly natural power for someone with such ugly technique (evidenced by him rocking Kid Yamamoto). I don’t really know why I’m talking about the stand up in this fight though, because between Benavidez’s wildness, poor takedown defence, and size disadvantage coupled with Yahya’s ability to just drag fights to the ground, this one is going to the ground in a hurry. Once there, as with most Yahya fights, it’s going to be over in a hurry as well, since very few people can even come close to hanging with Rani Yahya on the ground. Winner via 1st round Submission: Rani Yahya.


The Final Forecast: Yahya makes Benavidez wish that the WEC's Flyweight division was already in place.


Takeya Mizugaki vs. Scott Jorgensen

Joshua: Another great bantamweight matchup as Mizugaki looks to get back into title contention with a win over a very game Scott Jorgensen. Scott is a well-rounded and tough fighter but Takeya is a true top 5 BW and I don’t think Jorgensen is at that level. Mizugaki will likely control Jorgensen for the majority of the fight en route to earning another decision victory. Winner via Unanimous Decision: Takeya Mizugaki.

Jamie: This fight is going to be fought at a fast pace, as that’s what we’ve come to expect from both of these men in the WEC. Mizugaki should have the edge standing to deal with Jorgenson and I think that his toughness in combination with his ability to stop the takedowns will aid him on his way to victory. It will be one hell of a fight! Winner via Unanimous Decision: Takeya Mizugaki.

Brad: Much like Joseph Benavidez, Scott Jorgensen’s tour masquerading as a 135er continues in tough fashion, as Jorgensen takes on top 5 BW Takeya Mizugaki. This fight seems pretty simple to breakdown, as Mizugaki holds size, length, and technical advantages on the feet. Combine that with Mizugaki’s extremely solid takedown defence, and this fight looks to be an extremely long night for Jorgensen. I see no reason to think Jorgensen’s striking has progressed to where it needs to be since his fight with Antonio Banuelos. Winner via Unanimous Decision: Takeya Mizugaki.


The Final Forecast: Mizugaki emerges victorious from a 15 minute brawl.


Bart "Bartimus" Palaszewski vs. Anthony "Showtime" Pettis

Joshua: Winner via Unanimous Decision: Anthony Pettis.

Jamie: Winner via Unanimous Decision: Anthony Pettis.

Brad: Winner via Unanimous Decision: Anthony Pettis.


The Final Forecast: "Showtime" adds Palaszewski's bad string of luck in the WEC.


Muhsin Corbbrey vs. Zach Micklewright

Joshua: Winner by 2nd round (T)KO: Zachary Micklewright.

Jamie: Winner via 2nd round (T)KO: Zachary Micklewright.

Brad: Winner via 2nd round Submission: Muhsin Corbbrey.


The Final Forecast: Micklewright successfully debuts against the always game Corbbrey.


John Hosman vs. "Savage" Chad George

Joshua: Winner via 2nd round Submission: Chad George.

Jamie: Winner via Unanimous Decision: John Hosman.

Brad: Winner via 1st round Submission: John Hosman.


The Final Forecast: Hosman tames the "savage".


Courtney Buck vs. Brandon Visher

Joshua: Winner via 2nd round Submission: Brandon Visher.

Jamie: Winner via 1st round (T)KO: Brandon Visher.

Brad: Winner via 1st round (T)KO: Brandon Visher.


The Final Forecast: Visher knocks Buck off his high horse.. get it? Buck... high-horse...


Brad "One-Punch" Pickett vs. Kyle Dietz

Joshua: Winner via 1st round Submission: Brad Pickett.

Jamie: Winner via Unanimous Decision: Brad Pickett.

Brad: Winner via Unanimous Decision: Brad Pickett.


The Final Forecast: Pickett cannot end the fight in "One Punch" so he asks the judges to decide the fight for him.


Jameel "The Sergeant" Massouh vs. Erik "New Breed" Koch

Joshua: Winner via Unanimous Decision: Jameel Massouh.

Jamie: Winner via Unanimous Decision: Jameel Massouh.

Brad: Winner via 1st round (T)KO: Jameel Massouh.


The Final Forecast: Massouh introduces Koch to a new breed of competition.