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Ben Henderson, Dominick Cruz to defend belts Dec. 16

WEC announces two title fights for December show in Arizona

The city of Glendale, Ariz., won the right to hold a WEC card on Dec. 16 through an online voting competition held by the promotion earlier this year.

It's turning out to be some kind of prize.

WEC officials announced Monday that the Jobing.com Arena in Glendale will cap off 2010 by hosting two world-title fights.

Defending lightweight champion Ben Henderson (12-1) will look to defend his title for a second time against No. 1 contender Anthony Pettis (12-1) in the night's main event.

In the co-main event, bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz (16-1) will take on Scott Jorgensen (11-3).

"Arizona deserved a card like this after winning the contest," said WEC manager Reed Harris in a released statement. "Fans in the Phoenix market voted for over two months and beat out 30 other cities to bring WEC to their area."

The venue should provide a hometown feel for Henderson, who is based out of Glendale. The 155-pound champ is 5-0 in the WEC and defended his belt for the first time in April with a first-round win over Donald Cerrone.

He'll have his hands full with the 23-year-old Pettis, who earned the title shot with a late submission win over Shane Roller at a Las Vegas show last month.

"I love the matchup," Pettis said. "Ben Henderson is at the top of the division, and that's where I want to be. He's a well-rounded fighter who brings it every time. Neither of us quit, so it's going to be an interesting fight."

Cruz is coming off his first successful title defense with a unanimous-decision win over Joseph Benavidez in August.

The 25-year-old fighter recently has received a lot of praise for his unorthodox style. Cruz's only loss came in 2007 against former WEC featherweight champion Urijah Faber.

For Jorgensen, the event will mark his first opportunity to fight for a world title. The Idaho-based fighter has more than deserved a shot at Cruz by winning his last five fights.

"He's a strong, powerful guy with great wrestling ability," said Cruz of Jorgensen. "But his winning streak means nothing to me because I'm on a streak myself. He's got a different matchup with me and I'm excited to put an end to his streak.

"I've got nothing but respect for the guy, but I'm going to be better that night."

The main card of the Dec. 16 event will air on Versus. Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. PDT Thursday.

Brett Okamoto can be reached at 948-7817 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at LVSunFighting

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