UFC 128: Eddie Wineland and 10 Other WEC Fighters You Should Know

Well, the UFC-WEC merger seems to be paying off in a hurry.

Among the 12 bouts scheduled for UFC 128 this Saturday in Newark, New Jersey, seven of the fighters are recent acquisitions from the WEC.

That is a big chunk of violence the UFC would have a hard time filling if it wasn't for the idea of adding a couple weight classes to the classic five it had before.

And, for many of the casual fans that rarely followed the smaller men on Versus, many of these faces are unfamiliar, even if they are proven vets.

Even the hardcore fans have a hard time understanding how Eddie Wineland sneaked his way into a UFC co-main event. But clearly Urijah Faber is the A-side of that show.

Nonetheless, there are plenty of fighters below 155 pounds that deserve to be on the big stage as much as anyone. And I'm not just talking about the champions.

Most people know Urijah Faber and Miguel Torres, as they represented the majority of the star power in the WEC for some time. And, Dominick Cruz and Jose Aldo are now UFC champions, so there is no need to tell anyone about them.

The following is a list of WEC fighters that all MMA fans should be familiar with at this point. If you missed out on the amazingly frenetic WEC years, then it is time to do a little catching up.

Because, as evidenced by the upcoming card, these guys are going to have a major role in the UFC.

Kamal Shalorus

One of only a small handful of lightweights to make the jump from the WEC to the UFC, undefeated Kamal Shalorus will be making his UFC debut this Saturday when he meets Jim Miller at UFC 128.

Shalarus went a very impressive 3-0-1 in the WEC, most recently earning a split-decision victory over veteran Bart Palaszewski at the WEC's final event, WEC 53.

Miller is considered by most to be one of the top contenders in the stacked UFC 155-pound division, so Shalorus should have his hands full. However, with big risks come big rewards and if Shalorus can pull out a win on the main card of a major pay-per-view, his career will take a massive step forward.

Brad Pickett

A former Cage Rage champion, bantamweight Brad Pickett made his WEC debut in December of 2009 with a Submission of the Night win over Kyle Dietz.

Pickett followed that up by handing Demetrius Johnson the lone loss of his career, setting up a top contender match with Scott Jorgensen at WEC 50. Pickett lost a decision to Jorgensen, but won his second WEC bonus by earning Fight of the Night honors after the two put on an absolute war in one of the better fights in WEC history.

Pickett rebounded with a win over Ivan Menjivar at WEC 53, and will now make his UFC debut against former bantamweight king Miguel Torres at UFC 130.

Pickett's go-for-broke boxing style makes that a can't-miss matchup.

Joseph Benavidez

Former bantamweight title challenger Joseph Benavidez seems to get better every time he steps in the cage, and is clearly one of the best fighters in the world.

Benavidez's only two losses came against bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz, and Benavidez was competitive in each despite giving up four inches in height.

In his only fight since losing a five-round decision to Cruz in August, Benavidez submitted Wagnney Fabiano in the second-round at WEC 52, upping his WEC record to 5-2.

He is scheduled to make his UFC debut this Saturday, at UFC 128, against Ian Loveland. Sadly, and inexplicably, Benavidez's fight will be one of only three matches to not be shown live in any form. Hopefully it is a good one so they replay it after the pay-per-view.

As good as Benavidez is, he is always out-sized. If the UFC ever creates a flyweight division, Benavidez will be a monster.

Erik Koch

Featherweight Erik Koch is another WEC fighter making his UFC debut on Saturday.

Koch most recently earned Knockout of the Night with a brutal first-round head-kick against Francisco Rivera at WEC 52, capping his WEC record at 3-1—his lone MMA loss being a decision to rising contender Chad Mendes.

Like Benavidez, Koch's UFC debut is not scheduled to be shown live, but if his performance is anything like his last, the UFC will find some time.

At only 22 years old, Koch has all the time in the world to continue improving, so if he can get a win against Raphael Assuncao at UFC 128, expect to see him many more times in the future.

Shane Roller

Lightweight Shane Roller already made a successful UFC debut earlier this month with a second-round knockout of talented Brazilian Thiago Tavarez at UFC on Versus 3, earning Knockout of the Night.

Prior to that, Roller earned Submission of the Night at WEC 53 with a rear-naked choke of former WEC champ Jamie Varner.

His only losses in the WEC came against future titlists Ben Henderson and Anthony Pettis, finishing his run in the WEC with a record of 6-2.

Roller already faces much more daunting tasks in the UFC as he is now scheduled to face Melvin Guillard at UFC 132. The winner of that bout will set himself up for big things in the lightweight division.

Josh Grispi

In Josh Grispi's UFC debut, he was supposed to easily take care of business against unheralded Dustin Poirier and then go on to fight for the featherweight championship against Jose Aldo. That didn't happen and Grispi lost every round to Poirier in clearly the worst performance of his career.

Still, fans should not judge Grispi on that one appearance. Before that bout, he had won 10 straight, four of those coming in the WEC, with only one win by decision.

Every one of his fights in the WEC was a first-round finish, including submissions over Jens Pulver, Mark Hominick, and L.C. Davis, and a first-round knockout of Micah Miller.

Grispi is young and talented and will get a chance to rebound from the Poirier loss in June when he faces fellow WEC vet George Roop at The Ultimate Fighter 13 Finale.

Donald Cerrone

The five-time WEC Fight of the Night winner Donald Cerrone added another bonus to his resume when he earned Fight of the Night in his UFC debut against Paul Kelly at UFC 126, which he won by second-round rear-naked choke.

Cerrone's only losses in the WEC came in his three title opportunities, twice to Ben Henderson and once to Jamie Varner. He later avenged the Varner loss in a very entertaining battle at WEC 51.

With a final WEC record of 7-3-1, Cerrone is one of the more well-known fighters to make the jump to the UFC.

Normally brash and a bit insensitive, Cerrone fought with a heavy heart in his UFC debut, fighting through the thoughts of his recently deceased grandfather. Like a true veteran, he was able to separate himself from the drama and get a win.

Next, Cerrone faces former TUF winner Mac Danzig at UFC 131.

Eddie Wineland

Whether former WEC champ Eddie Wineland wins or loses against Urijah Faber come Saturday night, he is now a recognizable name in the UFC.

That happens when you're featured on the Countdown to UFC and co-headline a major UFC pay-per-view.

Wineland is coming off of four straight wins in the WEC, most recently scaring everyone in attendance at WEC 53 by viciously slamming Ken Stone unconscious to win his second consecutive Knockout of the Night bonus.

Apparently the UFC brass was impressed enough by the slam to offer Wineland a co-main event spot against star Urijah Faber at UFC 128. Or, maybe they just expect him to lose his UFC debut and help build up a major event for Faber.

Either way, Wineland is the kind of fighter to go for the kill no matter who he is facing, so it should be exciting. If he can win, he will have a case to make as the next title challenger.

Chad Mendes

At age 25 and undefeated through 10 bouts, Chad Mendes appears to have the most upside of any contender at 145 pounds.

Mendes has been a work in progress over the last couple of years, but in his UFC debut against Michihiro Omigawa at UFC 126, he put everything together to achieve the biggest win of his career to this point.

Mendes showed he has more than just wrestling by displaying fast and powerful hands against the accomplished Japanese fighter.

No word yet on who Mendes' next opponent will be, but with a 4-0 record in the WEC and a successful UFC debut behind him, he has to be considered one of the top contenders at 145pounds.

Demetrius Johnson

After stumbling in his WEC debut against Brad Pickett, Demetrius Johnson rebounded to win two straight against Nick Pace and Damacio Page.

In his UFC debut, Johnson faced Japanese superstar Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto and showed eye-catching speed, mixing quick takedowns and crisp striking to win a unanimous decision at UFC 126.

It was the biggest win of Johnson's career, who is now set to face highly acclaimed Renan Barao at UFC 130.

If Johnson can repeat another performance like his last, he will not be far from a title shot at bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz.

Mark Hominick

Ontario's own Mark Hominick may be the most widely-known fighter on this list.

Following a successful two-fight stint in the UFC, Hominick fought for numerous other promotions, including Affliction Entertainment, before heading back to the WEC, where he won three straight.

In his return to the UFC in January, Hominick knocked out George Roop in the first round, setting up a highly-anticipated title shot against UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo at UFC 129.

Hominick will have the home-field advantage against Aldo, as the event is set to take place in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Both fighters are tremendous on their feet, so expect a high-level striking battle for as long as it lasts.

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