WEC 53 was the swan song for the promotion that sprung to life in 2001, was acquired by the UFC in 2006, and now joins the UFC fold in 2011. And the farewell show represented well the event’s defining characteristic: action galore.
The submission- and knockout-filled evening saw two up-and-coming Brazilian fighters put on splendid displays on their way big league in Renan Barão and Yuri Marajó, Dominick Cruz stamp his authority on the bantamweight division as the first divisional champion of the UFC, and definition of Anthony Pettis as the next challenger to the UFC lightweight throne, after Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard face off.
Check out the photos by Josh Hedges:
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