Split decision favors WEC champion Cruz

A tightly contested decision over Joseph Benavidez last August earned Dominick Cruz the shot at the title that resulted in him becoming the World Extreme Cagefighting bantamweight champion.

The stakes were even higher this time around, but the outcome was largely the same.

Cruz retained the belt in his first title defense with a split decision over Benavidez in the main event of WEC 50 at the Palms on Wednesday night.

The champion, who enjoyed a 4-inch height advantage, used his unorthodox movement and striking to keep Benavidez at a distance early in the fight. Cruz won the first two rounds on all three scorecards.

The scores varied greatly in the final three rounds, as the challenger started timing his shots to hit Cruz as he moved forward. Benavidez won each of the final three rounds on two of the three scorecards, but it was not enough to take away the belt.

Cruz, who again scored several takedowns to complement his standup game, said he thought he did plenty to remain champion.

"I thought I won it pretty unanimously. That's all I can say," he said. "I thought I won it for sure. In my humble opinion, I thought I won all the rounds."

While he was disappointed with the outcome, Benavidez thought he hadn't done enough. Still, the first score announced was 48-47 in his advantage, giving him hope.

"I figured I didn't do enough to win, but I wasn't watching the fight," Benavidez said, "so when the judge said my name, I was thinking, 'Is this really happening?' "

Benavidez got his answer, as the other two judges scored the fight 48-47 and 49-46 in Cruz's favor.

"I'm pretty disappointed, of course," Benavidez said. "It was a fun fight. I can't wait to watch it. I went out there and gave it all I can. He just executed a little bit better than me again."

Both fighters suffered serious cuts during the back-and-forth action.

Benavidez was cut on the forehead early, and the cut was opened up late in the fight as Cruz got a takedown and pounded down as the final seconds ticked away.

Cruz was cut above the nose in the fourth round from a knee Benavidez landed in the clinch. He thought the blood might have impacted how the judges viewed the final two rounds.

The champion has won seven straight fights, including all six since dropping to 135 pounds. Five of those victories have come by decision, something Cruz acknowledged after yet another fight went to the scorecards.

"I'm a little disappointed I didn't get the finish. I was looking for it," Cruz said. "I landed a lot of hard shots that I felt could stop him, but he's a tough guy."

The next defense for Cruz might be against Scott Jorgensen, who won a unanimous decision, and a fight of the night bonus, over Brad Pickett.

Cruz said he wasn't able to do any scouting.

"I didn't really get a chance to enjoy any fights. I was getting ready for my fight," he said. "I'm sure it was a great fight. Jorgensen is a beast."

Jorgensen traded big shots with Pickett all night but got the better of most of the exchanges.

After the victory, he knew he was potentially in line to take on the winner, so he paid close attention to the main event.

"I was definitely watching the fight. It was a great fight," he said. "It's exciting for me to hopefully get that title shot against Dominick and take the belt from him.

"I feel I'm stronger in every area."

Anthony Pettis also might have put himself in line for a shot at the lightweight title. Pettis submitted Las Vegan Shane Roller with nine seconds remaining in the third and final round, though he would have won by decision had the fight gone to the scorecards.

Chad Mendes won by unanimous decision over Cub Swanson, and Bart Palaszewski stopped Zack Micklewright early in the second round.

Newcomer Maciej Jewtuszko knocked out Las Vegan Anthony Njokuani in the first round, and Javier Vazquez submitted Mackens Semerzier.

Also, Danny Castillo, Fredson Paixao and Ricardo Lamas picked up decision victories on the undercard.

Contact reporter Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or 702-224-5509.