UFC 144 Results: Benson Henderson and the 10 Best WEC Crossovers

When Benson Henderson defeated Frankie Edgar to capture the UFC lightweight belt, the WEC veteran emphatically proved that the now-defunct promotion was anything but a sidekick.

Current title holders Jose Aldo and Dominick Cruz had their belts carry over when the promotion closed its doors at the end of 2010. For the fighters in the lightweight division, they were forced to work their way through the ranks of the crowded 155-pound division.

Henderson has been on a tear since joining the UFC, scoring impressive wins over Mark Bocek, Jim Miller and Clay Guida en route to his title shot. Now with UFC gold around his waist, Henderson has become the poster boy for the former WEC combatants.

Let's take a look at some of the most successful fighters that have transitioned from the promotion.

Jose Aldo

Possessing a 14-fight winning streak, including three straight in the UFC, Brazilian featherweight Jose Aldo is easily one of the most dominant fighters on the planet.

Armed with an arsenal of lethal Muay Thai and black belt level Jiu-Jitsu, the current 145-pound champion has dispatched of every opponent put in front of him in both the UFC and WEC.

After dominating Mark Hominick for the majority of his UFC debut, Aldo was matched up against former lightweight title contender Kenny Florian. Aldo outworked Florian from the opening bell and made a huge statement that he was here to stay. In his most recent outing, he handed the previously undefeated Chad Mendes a first-round knockout.

Dominick Cruz

Although Cruz's win streak may not be as lengthy as his fellow champion, it has been more than four years and 10 fights since the last tasted defeat.

With a relentless pace and volume-based striking attack, Cruz has largely been a puzzle for his opponents since capturing the WEC belt in early 2010. The bantamweight would defend the belt twice before moving to the UFC, and he has since defended that strap two times.

The most impressive performance came at UFC 132 against former featherweight kingpin Urijah Faber, who is the only man to ever defeat Cruz. Cruz used his footwork and unexpected takedowns to stifle Faber on his way to a unanimous decision win. The two fighters will meet in a rubber match in July following coaching stints on The Ultimate Fighter.

Carlos Condit

Many may have forgotten that UFC interim welterweight champion Carlos Condit was once the dominant WEC champion before the promotion folded the 170-pound division.

Prior to joining UFC, Condit had been to decision just once in his career. To date, "The Natural Born Killer" has finished 26 of his 28 wins.

After dropping his UFC debut, a close-fought decision against Martin Kampmann, Condit reeled off four straight wins to earn a title shot. With welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre out of action due to injury, Condit battled former Strikeforce champion Nick Diaz and claimed UFC gold.

Anthony Pettis

Although it is Benson Henderson that is getting most of the attention since capturing the UFC lightweight belt, it should be noted that it was Pettis who was the final WEC champion. Pettis famously defeated Henderson in the promotion's final event with a highlight reel kick off the fence appropriately dubbed the "Showtime" kick.

Pettis was promised a title shot when he joined the UFC, but due to Frankie Edgar's draw with Gray Maynard, Pettis elected to fight rather than wait. Despite his flashy striking and active Jiu-Jitsu attack, Pettis was neutralized by Clay Guida in his UFC debut.

Since that time, Pettis has gone on to defeat veteran Jeremy Stephens and dismantled Joe Lauzon in his most recent bout. The victories, coupled with Henderson's win, will likely set up a rematch between the WEC veterans.

Mark Munoz

Similarly to Condit, most fans have likely forgotten that former national champion wrestler Mark Munoz got his start under the WEC banner. At the time, the fighter was competing in the light heavyweight division, but he's transitioned to the middleweight division in UFC.

With an ever-evolving striking attack, "The Filipino Wrecking Machine" has managed to vault his way into title contention at 185 pounds.

Munoz was expected to take on Chael Sonnen at UFC on Fox 2 in January, but an elbow injury forced him to pull out of the bout. Once healthy, Munoz is again expected to make a run at Anderson Silva's middleweight belt.

Johny Hendricks

Yet another national champion wrestler that fought under the WEC banner, welterweight Johny Hendricks is also on the verge of a title shot in the UFC.

Hendricks reeled off four straight wins to kick off his UFC career and moved his record to 9-0 before falling at the hands of Rick Story at UFC 117.

Since that loss, Hendricks has won three straight fights. In his most recent appearance, he needed only 12 seconds to knockout consensus top-ranked fighter Jon Fitch at UFC 141. In his next outing, he will meet fellow national champion wrestler Josh Koscheck at UFC on Fox 3.

Joseph Benavidez

Former bantamweight Joseph Benavidez came up short in both of his bouts against current champion Dominick Cruz, including a split-decision loss in the pair's second meeting. With the UFC adding the 125-pound flyweight division, Benavidez may earn another shot at UFC gold.

The New Mexico native has managed to dispatch of every opponent put in front of him with the exception of Cruz, even though he was competing outside of his natural weight class.

With four fighters competing in the inaugural flyweight tournament, Benavidez is just two wins away from becoming yet another WEC veteran to where UFC gold.

Urijah Faber

After ruling the featherweight division of the WEC for years, Urijah Faber made the transition to bantamweight after a brutal loss to Jose Aldo.

Competing in the 135-pound division is a more natural fit for the wrestling stalwart. He quickly earned a crack at Dominick Cruz by defeating Eddie Wineland in his UFC debut.

He fell short in his attempt at UFC gold, but after handling former WEC champ Brian Bowles, Faber earned another crack at the belt. He will face Cruz in July.

Renan Barao

There may not be a better fighter in the bantamweight division than Brazilian Renan Barao, and yet very few have heard of the fighter until recently.

Barao has not lost since his MMA debut in early 2005. Over that stretch, he has amassed 28 wins, with 13 coming by submission.

After two impressive performances in the WEC, Barao has now reeled off three straight wins under the UFC banner. In his most recent outing, Barao dominated former title challenger Scott Jorgensen and likely earned the next crack at the bantamweight belt.

Donald Cerrone

Another lightweight that experienced a successful transition to the UFC was Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone. While he fell short in his three attempts at the WEC strap, Cerrone quickly established himself in the UFC.

In his first four Octagon appearances, Cerrone would go undefeated, easily dispatching of writing contenders Charles Oliveira and Dennis Siver. However, in his fifth and final bout of the year, Cerrone dropped a decision to Nate Diaz at UFC 141.

With his title hopes derailed for the time being, Cerrone will take on longtime MMA veteran Yves Edwards at UFC on Fuel TV 3 in May.

Rob Tatum is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report MMA. You can also find Rob’s work at The MMA Corner. For anything related to MMA, Follow @RobTatumMMA.