Wineland knocked out Stone with a powerful first-round slam in their preliminary matchup at WEC 53 “Henderson vs. Pettis” on Thursday at the Jobing.com Arena in Glendale, Ariz. The violent end came 2:11 into round one, as Wineland won for the fourth time in as many appearances. Stone, who later regained consciousness, left the cage on a stretcher. The American Top Team representative had never before been finished.
Meanwhile, Shane Roller pocketed a $10,000 “Submission of the Night” bonus after he finished former lightweight champion Jamie Varner with a rear-naked choke. A three-time collegiate All-American wrestler at Oklahoma State University, Roller, 31, cinched the choke and solicited the tapout 3:55 into the first round.
Finally, headliners Benson Henderson and Anthony Pettis banked matching $10,000 “Fight of the Night” bonuses after their unforgettable five-round duel ended in a unanimous decision for the latter. All three cage-side judges sided with Pettis, who dethroned Henderson and became the final lightweight champion in WEC history. Scores were 48-47, 48-7 and 49-46.
