In a great fight that showcased just how exciting the lower weight classes in mixed martial arts can be, 135-pounders Scott Jorgensen and Brad Pickett brawled for 15 minutes at WEC 50, with Jorgensen winning a unanimous decision.
Pickett leveled Jorgensen with a straight right hand early in the first round and then, after Jorgensen got back up, caught a kick and knocked Jorgensen down again. Jorgensen started to come back, though, securing a takedown and then cracking Pickett in the ribs so hard that he knocked out Pickett's mouth guard -- which Pickett calmly picked up and put back in his mouth while Jorgensen kept hitting him. It was a back-and-forth battle as the first round drew to a close.
The second round picked up right where the first round left off, with Jorgensen and Pickett standing and trading. The round was stopped briefly because Pickett's mouth piece came out again, and briefly because Pickett hit Jorgensen with a low blow, but for the most part it was just a slugfest. With a minute and a half to go in the round they went to the ground, with Jorgensen in Pickett's guard. Late in the round Jorgensen passed Pickett's guard and almost locked in a guillotine choke, but Pickett slipped out of it and got back to his feet as the round ended.
But while the first two rounds were mostly stand-up battles, in the third Jorgensen used his superior wrestling to take Pickett down and control him on the ground to clinch the decision. All three judges gave Jorgensen all three rounds.
The victory improves Jorgensen's record to 11-3, and it was Jorgensen's fifth straight. He said afterward that he believes he's due for a bantamweight title shot against the winner of Wednesday night's Dominick Cruz-Joseph Benavidez fight.
"Definitely, I think I'm totally deserving of that next title shot," Jorgensen said. "I'll be watching tonight to see who I fight whenever we're healthy and ready to go. I expect the bantamweight title in 2010."
Pickett leveled Jorgensen with a straight right hand early in the first round and then, after Jorgensen got back up, caught a kick and knocked Jorgensen down again. Jorgensen started to come back, though, securing a takedown and then cracking Pickett in the ribs so hard that he knocked out Pickett's mouth guard -- which Pickett calmly picked up and put back in his mouth while Jorgensen kept hitting him. It was a back-and-forth battle as the first round drew to a close.
The second round picked up right where the first round left off, with Jorgensen and Pickett standing and trading. The round was stopped briefly because Pickett's mouth piece came out again, and briefly because Pickett hit Jorgensen with a low blow, but for the most part it was just a slugfest. With a minute and a half to go in the round they went to the ground, with Jorgensen in Pickett's guard. Late in the round Jorgensen passed Pickett's guard and almost locked in a guillotine choke, but Pickett slipped out of it and got back to his feet as the round ended.
But while the first two rounds were mostly stand-up battles, in the third Jorgensen used his superior wrestling to take Pickett down and control him on the ground to clinch the decision. All three judges gave Jorgensen all three rounds.
The victory improves Jorgensen's record to 11-3, and it was Jorgensen's fifth straight. He said afterward that he believes he's due for a bantamweight title shot against the winner of Wednesday night's Dominick Cruz-Joseph Benavidez fight.
"Definitely, I think I'm totally deserving of that next title shot," Jorgensen said. "I'll be watching tonight to see who I fight whenever we're healthy and ready to go. I expect the bantamweight title in 2010."