WEC 47 went into the history books as a success for the promotion, with the event placing in the top several most attended. With a thrilling under card and surprising results in the broadcast portion of the evening, fans and fighters alike were left with a dose of reality in the sense that MMA truly is an unpredictable sport.

In the main event of the evening, former champ Brian Bowles couldn’t summon his inner Urijah Faber to continue fighting with a broken hand. He did not answer the third round bell and opponent Dominic Cruz left the stadium with the bantamweight strap around his waist.

Now-likely #1 contender Joseph Benavidez put on a dominant performance against former champ Miguel Torres, shocking many who believed Torres would quickly finish off the little powerhouse. This was supposed to be the fight in which Torres could make a statement and nab a shot at fighting for the belt he once held for so long but a massive forehead gash leading to the guillotine finish dashed those plans, for now. Benavidez’s impressive showing sets up a potential rematch with Cruz - as their previous bout resulted in a decision loss for the fighter out of Faber’s Alpha Male camp.

While younger fighters like Benavidez building momentum and notoriety, one pioneer seems to be entering retirement after his loss at WEC 47. “Lil Evil” Jens Pulver was submitted with a slick armbar delivered by opponent Javier Vasquez in the second round - a finish that seems to be marking the end of a career that hardcore fans will praise for years to come. Pulver was an early UFC champion and enjoyed success in japan’s PRIDE organization before coming to the WEC. Although having dropped his last several bouts, Jens is hugely popular and will always be remembered for his contributions to the sport. He is a fantastic role model with a huge heart who will hopefully return to commentary on some future Zuffa events.

In regards to production, WEC/Versus once again blew Strikeforce out of the water and gave us all a taste of how well the upcoming “Aldo vs. Faber” pay-per-view will be done.