In other action Saturday night:

Chris Horodecki vs. Anthony Njokuani

Don't dare turn your back on Anthony Njokuani. That is the painful lesson Horodecki learned in his WEC debut when a vicious high kick sent him crashing to the canvas and in a cloudy state of mind. Njokuani sealed the deal with a barrage of ground and pound shots to the bloodied Canadian, prompting referee Steve Mazzagatti to halt the action at 3:33 of round one.

"He just turned his back, I saw the opening and I went for it -- and then, bam! -- right on the button, baby," Njokuani said. "This was my best performance. I was timid in my (earlier) fights but this time I let loose."

The outcome was never in question as Njokuani, enjoying a 6-inch reach advantage over the former International Fight League poster boy, opened with a stiff jab and then two crisp straight rights that bloodied Horodecki's mouth. Though celebrated as a gifted striker, Horodecki wisely tried to take the fight to the mat, but Njokuani turned the tables on the hard-nosed 22-year-old with a surprise judo throw. A scramble ensued, and Horodecki got back to his feet and ran across the cage with his back to Njokuani, setting into motion the match's dramatic conclusion.

Njokuani, 12-2, scored his seventh TKO victory and has won three straight in the WEC. The lightning-quick lightweight's stock is rising fast and he now feels at home inside the cage.

"I'm always going to get better because that's what I do!!" he said.

Joseph Benavidez vs. Rani Yahya
When he needed it most, against the man he least wanted to fight in the WEC, Benavidez demonstrated that big punchers can come in small packages. Reluctant to go to the mat with Yahya, a grappling wizard, the 5-feet-4-inch Benavidez rocked the Brazilian with a monster right hand early in round one, then consecrated his triumph with a furious ground and pound assault at the 1:35 mark.

Yahya (15-5) had impressed with two stiff left jabs early, perhaps to loosen up Benavidez for a takedown, but Yahya's porous standup defense eventually betrayed him.

Benavidez rebounded from a loss to Dominick Cruz and improved to 11-1.

Takeya Mizugaki vs. Scott Jorgensen

On any night other than when Cerrone is on the card, this might have qualified for fight of the night. The underdog Jorgensen, perhaps feeling that Mizugaki would be primarily concerned with his wrestling, uncorked a sizzling overhand right in the opening seconds of the fight that put his Japanese foe on his rump. Jorgensen hunted in vain for a guillotine choke on his woozy opponent. Mizugaki, known for his heavy hands, recovered from the onslaught and landed some of his patented combinations. The standup exchanges were heated, and Jorgensen clipped Mizugaki with more hard right hands, putting him to the canvas yet again. Somehow Mizugaki survived the assault and the round ended.

Having forced Mizugaki to respect his hands, Jorgensen kept his opponent off-balance with a swift double leg takedown. This round was close, with both men trading combinations, though the blows were not nearly as damaging as the first stanza. The third round saw Mizugaki flex his own grappling skills, scoring two trip takedowns from the clinch. Jorgensen scrambled for a reversal and the action returned to their feet, where both men landed combinations.

In the end the judges awarded Jorgensen a unanimous decision, pushing his record to 8-3. Mizugaki...