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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
The WEC decided against booking the rubber match between Jamie Varner and Donald Cerrone at WEC 53 in December, but both fighters will be in action on the card. After the news came out that Donald Cerrone will face Chris Horodecki, MMAWeekly now reports that Varner will take on Shane Roller on the card.
Varner fell short in his rematch against Cerrone, losing all three rounds on the judges' scorecards to drop the decision. 2010 has not been kind to Varner, and he'll look to reverse an 0-2-1 skid in the WEC in fights this year.
Roller lost to Anthony Pettis back at WEC 50 in August, getting caught in a triangle choke with time running out in the third round. The submission loss snapped a three fight win streak for Roller that had him nearing a title shot in the division.
WEC 53 will feature Pettis taking on the man who took the title from Varner, Benson Henderson, in the night's main event. It airs live on Versus from Varner's home state of Arizona on December 16.
Penick's Analysis: This is a very good lightweight matchup between two wrestlers who are in need of a win. Varner is now in desperation mode just two fights removed from holding the title. The fight with Kamal Shalorus in June should have counted as a win, but it remains a draw on the record books. Still, he'll be highly motivated in front of a hometown crowd and it could be a really tough fight for Roller. At the same time, it's a great opportunity for him as well, and a win over Varner will surely vault him in the standings of WEC's lightweight division.
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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