The matchup started with a frenzied pace and rarely slowed, as Cerrone strung together several submissions early in the opening round that appeared close to ending the fight, but Henderson managed to escape and turn the tide with takedowns and ground and pound to steal the frame. Henderson repeated the formula in rounds two and three, escaping more Cerrone submissions while taking the fight to the ground and largely cominating on the canvas.

Cerrone rebounded in the later rounds, shrugging off several takedowns in the fourth while connecting on the feet before finishing strong in the fifth and final round with more striking and several near-submissions.

With Henderson winning the second and third frames, and Cerrone taking the final two, the bout ultimately came down to the opening round and the judges sided unanimously with Henderson’s escapes and ground and pound, earning him 48-47 scores across the board, the interim title, and a future matchup with lightweight champ Jamie Varner.

Henderson improves to 10-1 with his victory in the “Fight of the Year” candidate, while Cerrone falls to 10-2.

The night’s other notable result took place on the preliminary card but made it onto the Versus broadcast, as newcomer Mackens Semerzier upset Wagnney Fabiano, submitting the former IFL featherweight champ with a triangle choke early in the opening round.

Dave Jansen, Raphael Assuncao, and Damacio Page also picked up main card wins, while Anthony Njokuani, Scott Jorgensen, Eddie Wineland, Charlie Valencia, and Deividas Taurosevicius were victorious on the WEC 43 prelims.

The official results for WEC 43 were:

• Ben Henderson def. Donald Cerrone via unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 48-47)
• Dave Jansen def. Rich Crunkilton via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
• Raphael Assuncao def. Yves Jabouin via split decision (30-27, 27-30, 29-28)
• Damacio Page def. Will Campuzano via submission (rear naked choke) — Round 1, 1:02
• Anthony Njokuani def. Mushin Corbbrey via TKO (strikes) — Round 2, 1:24
• Scott Jorgensen def. Noah Thomas via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, 3:13
• Mackens Semerzier def. Wagnney Fabiano via submission (triangle choke) — Round 1, 2:14
• Eddie Wineland def. Manny Tapia via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Charlie Valencia def. Coty Wheeler via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
• Deividas Taurosevicius def. Javier Vazquez via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

For the latest WEC news and WEC rumors stay tuned to MMAFrenzy.com.

Pictured: Ben Henderson

MMAFrenzy.com will have live results from the WEC 43 preliminary card beginning at approximately 7pm ET, followed by live updates from the Versus-televised main card at 10pm.

Discuss the event in the comments below, follow along with our live results, and stop back after the fights conclude for post-event coverage.

WEC 43 LIVE RESULTS

• Ben Henderson def. Donald Cerrone via unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 48-47)
• Dave Jansen def. Rich Crunkilton via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
• Raphael Assuncao def. Yves Jabouin via split decision (30-27, 27-30, 29-28)
• Damacio Page def. Will Campuzano via submission (rear naked choke) — Round 1, 1:02
• Anthony Njokuani def. Mushin Corbbrey via TKO (strikes) — Round 2, 1:24
• Scott Jorgensen def. Noah Thomas via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, 3:13
• Mackens Semerzier def. Wagnney Fabiano via submission (triangle choke) — Round 1, 2:14
• Eddie Wineland def. Manny Tapia via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Charlie Valencia def. Coty Wheeler via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
• Deividas Taurosevicius def. Javier Vazquez via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)*

* Decision was met with boos from the crowd and many observers scored the fight in favor of Vazquez.

Click here for more WEC 43 coverage.

Cerrone (154.4) and Henderson (155) meet for the WEC interim lightweight title in the WEC 43 main event, which airs live tomorrow on Versus.

The official weigh-in results for WEC 43 were:

• Donald Cerrone (154.5) vs. Benson Henderson (155)
• Rich Crunkilton (156) vs. Dave Jansen (156)
• Raphael Assuncao (146) vs. Yves Jabouin (146)
• Damacio Page (136) vs. Will Campuzano (135)
• Anthony Njokuani (156) vs. Mushin Corbbrey (156)
• Noah Thomas (136) vs. Scott Jorgensen (136)
• Mackens Semerzier (146) vs. Wagnney Fabiano (145.5)
• Manny Tapia (135.5) vs. Eddie Wineland (135.5)
• Cody “Ox” Wheeler (135) vs. Charlie Valencia (134.5)
• Javier Vazquez (145) vs. Deividas Taurosevicius (144.5)

Jeff Monson plead guilty to charges related to spray-painting graffiti on the Washington state Capitol on Tuesday, and was forced to surrender his passport as part of a plea deal, which may force his to withdraw from several upcoming bouts abroad. [The Olympian]

Pictured: Jeff Monson

[Kris Karkoski contributed to this post]

Lyle Beerbohm

• Lightweights Lyle Beerbohm (9-0) and Duane “Bang” Ludwig (18-8) are likely to headline the second installment of ShoMMA: Strikeforce Challengers on June 19th. [MMAjunkie]
• Kyle Dietz will make his WEC debut against Charlie Valencia at WEC 41 on June 7th at the Arco Arena in Sacramento, California. [MMAjunkie]
• Bantamweights Eddie Wineland and Frank Gomez will also meet at WEC 41. [NWI.com]
• Antonio Rogerio Nogueira will return to action against Dion Staring in the main event of a May 9th Jungle Fight event in Fortaleza, Brazil. [Tatame via Bloody Elbow]
• The undercard for “Ultimate Chaos,” which is co-headlined by Bobby Lashley vs. Bob Sapp and Gilbert Yvel vs. Pedro Rizzo, includes Din Thomas vs. Javier Vazquez, Chris Horodecki vs. William Sriyapai, Brett Cooper vs. Waachiim Spiritwolf, Tom Atencio vs. Randy Hedderick, and Danny Abbadi vs. Lance Thompson.
• George Bush vs. Lavar Johnson and Bao Quach vs. Isaac De Jesus have been added to the lineup for the debut of ShoMMA: Strikeforce Challengers on May 15th in Fresno, California. [MMAjunkie]
• A rematch between Shinya Aoki and Joachim Hansen has been confirmed for DREAM 10 on July 20th in Saitama, Japan.
• In an effort to attract more Japanese fans, the UFC recently launced jp.ufc.com, with a full site “coming soon”.

Jamie Varner and Donald Cerrone Weigh-In For WEC 38

All 20 fighters slated to participate at WEC 38 tomorrow night at the San Diego Sports Arena in San Diego, California successfully made weight earlier today.

WEC lightweight champion Jamie Varner came in exactly at the 155-pound division limit, while challenger Donald Cerrone tipped the scale at 154.5 pounds. Urijah Faber (145.5) and Jens Pulver (146) also successfully weighed in for their featured featherweight rematch.

Ben Henderson, Edgar Garcia, and Blas Avena all missed weight on their initial weigh-in by half a pound, but the trio successfully made weight on their second attempts.

The full WEC 38 weigh-in results were:

MAIN CARD (Versus – 9pm ET)

• Jamie Varner (c) (155) vs. Donald Cerrone (154.5)
  WEC Lightweight Championship
• Urijah Faber (145.5) vs. Jens Pulver (146)
• Mike Campbell (170.5) vs. Danillo Villefort (170.5)
• Jose Aldo (145.5) vs. Rolando Perez (145)

PRELIMINARY CARD (Unaired)

• Ben Henderson (156) vs. Anthony Njukuani (156)
• Edgar Garcia (171) vs. Hiromitsu Miura (170.5)
• Dominick Cruz (135) vs. Ian McCall (135.5)
• Scott Jorgensen (135.5) vs. Frank Gomez (136)
• Blas Avena (171) vs. Jess Lennox (170.5)
• Seth Dikun (136) vs Charlie Valencia (134)

The “California Kid’s” victory highlighted the twelve-bout card which was broadcast on Versus.

Faber dominated from the opening bell, controlling the pace of the bout with a right hand that immediately found it’s mark and continued to land for the remainder of the bout. After an especially dominant opening to the first round Pulver coutered Faber’s early shots with some offense of his own but Faber finished out the round with accurate rights. In the second, Faber rocked Pulver with a combination then followed with even more strikes but the UFC veteran survived the flurry and returned with some offense of his own, hurting Faber with a solid combination before the pair finished out the round with a back-and-forth exchanged.

Through the final three frames, Faber continued to connect with accurate rights and combos and secured multiple takedowns to wrap up the exciting unanimous decision victory. Judges scored the bout 50-45, 50-44, and 50-44. MMAFrenzy.com scored the contest 50-45 in faver of the “California Kid”.

After the fight, both fighters expressed their mutual respect for one another while the announcer’s set the stage for a Faber-Pulver rematch down the road. When asked about a potential rematch, Jens Pulver (21-9-1) stated that he wished to defeat another opponent before rematching with the promotion’s dominant 145-pound champion Urijah Faber (21-1), who improved his record to twenty-one wins and only one loss with the unanimous decision victory.

In the event’s other title bout, the promotion’s 135-pound bantamweight title was on the line as champion Miguel Torres (34-1) looked to defend his crown against challenger Yoshiro Maeda (23-5-2). In a very exciting, back-and-forth battle the pair put on quite the show, battering, bruising, and bloodying one-another over three full rounds. After closely contested first and second rounds, Torres took control in the third and tagged his opponent with a series of combinations including a solid punch that immediately caused Maeda’s eye to swell. Maeda narrowly survives the round but during the break the doctor calls the bout as a result of the eye injury and Torres is declared the winner, retaining the WEC bantamweight title.

In other main card action, Chuck Grigsby (13-4), who held a distinct size advantage over opponent Mark Munoz (4-0), was knocked unconscious late in the opening round after Munoz connected with a vicious ground and pound assault from the top position and former WEC lightweight champion “Razor” Rob McCullough (16-4) defeated Kenneth Alexander (5-3) via split decision to open the broadcast with scores of 30-27, 30-27, and 28-29.

WEC 34 OFFICIAL RESULTS

• Champion Urijah Faber def. Jens Pulver via unanimous decision
  WEC Featherweight Championship
• Champion Miguel Torres def. Yoshiro Maeda via TKO – Round 3, 5:00
  WEC Bantamweight Championship
• Mark Munoz def. Chuck Grigsby via KO – Round 1, 4:15
• Rob McCullough def. Kenneth Alexander via split decision
• Donald Cerrone def. Danny Castillo via submission – Round 1, 1:30
• Mike Brown def. Jeff Curran via unanimous decision
• Will Ribeiro def. Chase Beebe via split decision
• Tim McKenzie def. Jeremy Lang via submission – Round 3, 0:40
• Alex Serdyukov def. Luis Sapo via TKO – Round 1, 5:00
• Jose Aldo def. Alexandre Nogueira via TKO – Round 2, 3:22
• Dominick Cruz def. Charlie Valencia via unanimous decision

• Champion Urijah Faber def. Jens Pulver via unanimous decision
  WEC Featherweight Championship
• Champion Miguel Torres def. Yoshiro Maeda via TKO – Round 3, 5:00
  WEC Bantamweight Championship
• Mark Munoz def. Chuck Grigsby via KO – Round 1, 4:15
• Rob McCullough def. Kenneth Alexander via split decision
• Donald Cerrone def. Danny Castillo via submission – Round 1, 1:30
• Mike Brown def. Jeff Curran via unanimous decision
• Will Ribeiro def. Chase Beebe via split decision
• Tim McKenzie def. Jeremy Lang via submission – Round 3, 0:40
• Alex Serdyukov def. Luis Sapo via TKO – Round 1, 5:00
• Jose Aldo def. Alexandre Nogueira via TKO – Round 2, 3:22
• Dominick Cruz def. Charlie Valencia via unanimous decision

EXTENDED RESULTS

CHAMPION URIJAH FABER DEF. JENS PULVER
WEC FEATHERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP

ROUND 1 – There’s no touch of gloves for this one and Faber gets started quickly with a solid series of punches. Faber continues to tag Pulver with rights. He slips and Pulver pounces onto the WEC champ but they both return to their feet. Pulver is accidentally poked in the eye but the action quickly resumed. Pulver connects with a good knee. Pulver improves late in the round but Faber continues to land right hands. Good late combo by Pulver. MMAFrenzy.com scores the round 10-9 Faber.

ROUND 2 – Pulver is accidentally kicked in the groin early in round two and after a brief break they quickly resume. Faber gets a takedown on the restart but they return to their feed. Faber rocks Pulver a combination and continues with a series of strikes that Pulver is narrowly able to survive. Now it’s Pulver’s turn, who comes back with a solid combination led by a hard left hand that hurts Faber who then shoots for a takedown. Both fighters return to their feet late and trade before the round concludes. MMAFrenzy.com scores the round 10-9 Faber.

ROUND 3 – Faber again utilizes his right hand to open the third round and it finds its mark. Pulver with a big kick to the body. Faber counters with a kick and then shoots for a takedown. Pulver sprawls and ends up on top in a scramble. Faber reverses and claims the top position but Pulver neutralizes and they are soon restarted by the referee. They trade again late as the horn sounds to mark the end of the third. The closest round thus far on the scorecards. MMAFrenzy.com scores the round 10-9 Faber.

ROUND 4 – Pulver is hit by a Faber combo to open the fourth. Another solid combination by Faber sets up a takedown. They remain on the mat for the remainder of the frame with Faber peppering elbows onto Pulver to win the fourth round and take a dominating lead on the scorecards. MMAFrenzy.com scores the round 10-9 Faber.

ROUND 5 – Pulver avoids a Faber takedown and looks for the knockout but it’s not to be had as Faber avoids the punches. Pulver connects with a hard left. Pulver again connects but Faber gets one more takedown to win the final round on the scorecards and rides his way to a unanimous decision victory to retain the promotion’s 145-pound title. MMAFrenzy.com scores the round 10-9 Faber and the bout 50-45 Faber.

Champion Urijah Faber defeats Jens Pulver via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-44, 50-44)

CHAMPION MIGUEL TORRES DEF. YOSHIRO MAEDA
WEC BANTAMWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP

ROUND 1- Torres slips avoiding a kick and Maeda follows him to the mat but Torres is quickly back on his feet and presses the action, landing a series of knees and kicks that has Maeda running away. They go to the ground and Torres nearly finishes of his foe with an armbar but Maeda escapes and Torres gets back to his feet. Their pair exchange some solid knees. The go back-and-forth with more strikes before Maeda catches a kick and Torres pulls guard. They briefly trade on the ground before returning to their feet and again go back-and-forth. The pace finally slows briefly before Torres scores a good punch-kick combo just before the end of the frame. MMAFrenzy.com scores the round 10-9 Torres.

ROUND 2 – Maeda again makes Torres slip avoiding a kick early in the second round and makes him pay, brutally landing leg kicks. Torres comes back with a up kick that hits Maeda on the chin. Back on their feet the war wages on and the pair again go back and forth with hard punches, kicks, and knees. The fight again hits the mat and both simultaneously secure toe holds. Neither taps however and they scramble away and return to their feet. After another offensive series on their feet Torres secures a guillotine then mounts Maeda late and lands a series of good kicks to the ribs to steal the second round. MMAFrenzy.com scores the second round 10-9 Torres.

ROUND 3 – Both fighters are bloodied, bruised, and battered. Torres scores a solid combination to open the round. Torres continues to connect as the round wages on and Maeda’s eye starts to swell. It’s all Torres in the third but Maeda survives the round despite landing very little in contrast to the previous back-and-forth rounds. MMAFrenzy.com scores the round 10-9 Torres.

Between rounds the doctor rules Maeda is unable to continue due his his eye, which has now swollen shut, and Torres remains the promotion’s bantamweight champion.

Miguel Torres defeats Yoshiro Maeda via technical knockout (doctor’s stoppage) – Round 3, 5:00

MARK MUNOZ DEF. CHUCK GRIGSBY

ROUND 1 – A brief feeling out period before Munoz shoots multiple times and Grigsby, with a distinct size advantage, sprawls to remain on his feet. Munoz and Grigsby clinch before they fall to the mat and Munoz lands in side control. Grigsby quickly gets back to full guard and looks for submissions but none are to be had. Munoz quickly gains the upper hand and pounds on Grigsby before transitioning to side control. The ground and pound assault continues and Munoz knocks Grigsby out before referee Steve Mazzagatti can halt the bout late in the opening round.

Mark Munoz defeats Chuck Grigsby via knockout – Round 1, 4:15

ROB MCCULLOUGH DEF. KENNETH ALEXANDER

ROUND 1 – There’s little action in the opening minute as they attempt to get a feel for one another. Alexander shoots for a takedown but McCullough reverses and takes Alexander down. They work back to their feet but there’s little strikes and next none land. Alexander again shoots for a takedown and McCoullough tags him with a punch to avoid the takedown. High kick by Alexander is blocked.  Punch-kick combo by McCullough. Alexander with a decent combo and they lock up but quickly break. Alexander shoots again but McCullough hits him with a knee on the way in that just misses but Alexander again returns to his feet. The round ends. MMAFrenzy.com scores the round 10-9 McCullough.

ROUND 2 – They stand and trade early before Alexander shoots and finally takes McCullough to the ground but they quickly return to their feet. McCullough misses and Alexander shoots but McCullough sprawls and they’re both back up. The boos from the crowd continue to get louder as the fight wages on with little damage done. Body kick by Alexander is blocked. Solid uppercut and kick by Alexander. McCullough counters with a kick of his own. Alexander misses a head kick. Inside leg kick by McCullough. Another late-knee by McCullough just misses. Alexander gets a takedown and lands in half guard but he’s unable to do anything on the ground before the round concludes. MMAFrenzy.com scores the round 10-9 Alexander.

ROUND 3 – Both fighters are much more active to start the final round as the pair trade much more solid strikes. Alexander catches McCullough with a solid knee. Overhand by Alexander misses. Solid leg kick by McCullough followed by another. Punch-kick combo by McCullough knocks Alexander down and he returns to his feet and locks up with McCullough. McCullough accidentally knees Alexander in the groin and the fight is halted to allow Alexander time to recover. They quickly resume and Alexander shoots but McCullough sprawls and remains standing. They clinch against the cage briefly then separate momentarily before clinching again. Knees to the body by McCullough before they again separate. Alexander takes McCullough down but McCullough provides most of the offense on the ground in the form of elbows before they both get back to their feet. Alexander works for another takedown but McCullough defends the attempt as the final round ends. MMAFrenzy.com scores the round 10-9 McCullough. On our cards it’s 29-28 in favor of McCullough but this one could go either way as neither fighter did enough to clearly win any of the three rounds.

Rob McCullough defeats Kenneth Alexander via split decision (30-27, 30-27, 28-29)

• Urijah Faber vs. Jens Pulver
  WEC Featherweight Championship
• Yoshiro Maeda vs. Miguel Torres
  WEC Bantamweight Championship
• Chuck Grigsby vs. Mark Munoz
• Kenneth Alexander vs. Rob McCullough

PRELIMINARY BOUTS

• Richard Crunkilton Jr. vs. Donald Cerrone
• Jeff Curran vs. Mike Brown
• Chase Beebe vs. Will Ribeiro
• Tim McKenzie vs. Eric Schambari
• Alex Serdyukov vs. Luis Sapo
• Jose Aldo vs. Alexandre Nogueira
• Charlie Valencia vs. Dominick Cruz