WEC 51: "Aldo vs. Gamburyan" Card Begins to Take Shape, 9 Fights Announced

I just can’t get enough of the World Extreme Cagefighting promotion. I’ve been a fan of their’s for several years running, but only recently have I begun to realize that if the UFC did not exist, the WEC would be putting on the best cards on the planet right now. I think there’s even an argument to be made that some of the recent WEC shows have actually been better than some of the recent UFC shows. No matter what your opinion may be in regards to the friendly competition between the two companies both owned by Zuffa, the WEC is riding an incredible wave of momentum heading into their WEC 51 event, which looks to be another great night of fights. WEC 51 features a highly-anticipated WEC Featherweight Championship showdown, the next chapter in one of the bitterest rivalries in the WEC’s history, and the return of a former division kingpin looking to try and regain his former glory. Nine fights have recently been made official for WEC 51, so here’s how the card breaks down so far.

In the main event of WEC 51, WEC Featherweight Champion Jose Aldo will take on the runner-up to the fifth season of the popular UFC reality TV show “The Ultimate Fighter” Manny Gamburyan with the championship on the line. Aldo has been a man possessed in his run to the top of the Featherweight division, having lost only one fight in his six-year career, with eleven of his seventeen career wins coming by way of (T)KO. Most recently, Aldo put on a near-shutout performance against former long-reigning WEC Featherweight Champion and WEC posterboy Urijah Faber in the main event of the WEC’s first-ever Pay-Per-View. Manvel Gamburyan has earned his nickname “The Anvil” with his spirited performances both in the UFC and the WEC, and since dropping down to Featherweight in 2009, Gamburyan is on a three-fight win-streak.

The next chapter in the war between Jamie Varner and Donald Cerrone will be written at WEC 51, as the two men are set to lock horns for a second time. Both Cerrone and Varner are no stranger to the WEC Lightweight Championship, with Varner being a former Lightweight Champion and both men having competed for the championship in their recent fights. Both men need a win in a big way, with Varner coming off of a split-draw with Kamal Shalorus while Donald Cerrone is coming off of a loss to Ben Henderson. With the desire to get back into the W column as well as the already-fierce hostility these two have shown towards each other, this should be one of the best fights of the night.

Miguel Torres will also be making his return at WEC 51 against Charlie Valencia. For the first time in his career, the former long-reigning WEC Bantamweight Champion and Pound-for-Pound darling is on the wrong side of a two-fight losing streak, with many beginning to seriously question whether or not the Bantamweight division has finally caught up with him, and maybe even passed him by. Charlie Valencia is going to be a tough test and should be a good win, as he’s coming off a three-fight win-streak.

And there’s still more action to come, with big name, former champions, and incredible athletes. Here are the other announced match-ups that have been officially signed for WEC 51: Leonard Garcia vs. Mark Hominick, Mike Thomas Brown vs. Cole Province, Chris Horodecki vs. Ed Ratcliff, Chan Sung Jung vs. George Roop, Diego Nunes vs. Tyler Toner, and Antonio Banuelos vs. Chad George.

This event is so star-studded that I honestly think it may even top WEC 48 as the best WEC event of the year, possibly the best MMA event in 2010 period. I can’t wait to see people like Leonard Garcia, Mike Thomas Brown, Chris Horodecki, and “The Korean Zombie”, Chan Sung Jung. Add to that a huge championship fight, a huge grudge-match, and the do-or-die scenario of Torres desperately needing to get back in the win column, and you’ve got the makings for a stellar event.

But what do you think, fans and friends? How excited are you for WEC 51?