UFC & WEC Merge

[Shaka]

UFC, WEC join forces starting in 2011
By Mike Fridley
Sherdog.com

Come next year, World Extreme Cagefighting will be no more.

Ultimate Fighting Championship president Dana White on Thursday announced that the WEC will merge with the UFC in 2011.

"It's time," White said during a UFC conference call. "As we continue to grow globally, we're doing enough fights to fold [the WEC] into the UFC. It's always been in the cards to grow this sport and add every weight class."

All WEC talent will be retained, White said, including the 135- and 145-pound champions. WEC featherweight titleholder Jose Aldo will be recognized as the new UFC champion, and the same will go for the winner of Dominick Cruz's title defense against Scott Jorgensen at the promotion's final event, WEC 53, in December. White also confirmed that Aldo will defend his new UFC title on Jan. 1 at UFC 125 "Resolution," though his opponent was still not set in stone.

In regard to the lighter weight classes headlining future UFC events, White was optimistic.

"[The lighter champions will be] main and co-main events. As we grow and go into new countries, you're going to see a lot of talent coming into those divisions," White said. "A lot of people haven't seen how exciting these guys are. I'd like to [eventually] have a 125-pound championship, too."

But what about the WEC lightweights? The UFC already has its own 155-pound title and a deep stable of fighters to go with it. White said he intends to fold all the WEC lightweights into the UFC talent pool, unifying the two belts with a miniature tournament of sorts.

"The winner of Ben Henderson's [Dec. 16 title defense against Anthony Pettis] will automatically face the winner of Frankie Edgar versus Gray Maynard," said White.

Maynard and Edgar will fight at UFC 125 on New Year's Day. Soon, the speculation as to how the 155-pounders from the WEC will fare in the big show will finally become reality.

"The way it works is you win fights, and you stick around. Or if you're incredibly exciting, you stick around for a while," White said. "We're looking for great fighters and exciting fighters. If you're one of those, you're going to stick around."

Also of note was White's assertion that the UFC's Octagon would not decrease in size to accommodate the smaller fighters. Additionally, White announced that the UFC just penned a new contract with Versus to air four events on the network in 2011. While technically that doubles the UFC's exposure from 2010, the loss of several WEC events on Versus actually decreases the total number of Zuffa-owned shows airing on the network.

"It's a positive. We got [more] UFC on Versus," White said. "We're not looking at it like we lost two fights [per year]. If you ask Versus, they were happy with the WEC's ratings, but the UFC is going to pull bigger ratings."

Job security is not exclusive to the WEC's fighters, White said, as the employees behind the scenes will also have their services retained. This includes WEC general manager Reed Harris and matchmaker Sean Shelby.

"Every employee from the WEC is staying with the UFC," White said. "We have so much work to do that nobody is going to be sitting around."

Thoughts?

I think it could be great. I've always wanted to see the UFC add a Featherweight and maybe even a Bantamweight division. The WEC has been home to some of the best fights at the lower weight classes.

This also might make my dreams come true that UFC might be able to go more mainstreem with fights televised like WEC was. Maybe follow boxing footsteps with Friday Night Fights.

I'm excited... yet it was always nice to find these fights on for free. Sure hope they don't just get rid of the only free fights on TV besides TUF.

 

[Pugz]

wow, i love that this is happening. i really think the ufc will pick up the versus network the way wec uses it. as you mentioned the lower weight classes have some mega stars and this will make them even more known.


i read about this happening a few months ago but it didnt say it was gonna happen this early.

 

[snipezo]

I've been waiting for this to happen since I started gettin into wec. I mean they're affiliates right? Plus this is a great way to advertise some of the best fighters in lower weight classes. Good move.

 

[Pugz]

wec is owned by zuffa already

 

[cruzg24]

This is going to be amazing, I cant wait to see Jose Aldo fight in the UFC.

 

[footballplaya52]

nice. great move

 

[Mooche]

This is only going to make the UFC that much better. Love the move, can't wait to see some of these guys fight.

 

[Atlas]

I do not like this move at all. I'm a huge fan of lighter weight classes and the WEC has put on some of the most underrated cards of all time. All of the WEC's cards, with the exception of Aldo vs. Faber, were aired free on Versus and this merger means those are gone. The UFC made a deal to air 4 cards on Versus in 2011 but that's a lot less than the 8 WEC cards and 2 UFC cards we got this past year.

I understand this move from a business aspect and I can only hope that it leads to a bigger, better, perhaps bi-weekly network deal in the near future. I am curious as hell to see how guys like Aldo, Cerrone, Henderson, and Faber stack up in UFC but I also fear that we will never see the long-promised Bantamweight division and even worse, 145 could eventually go away.

 

[Shaka]

I do not like this move at all. I'm a huge fan of lighter weight classes and the WEC has put on some of the most underrated cards of all time. All of the WEC's cards, with the exception of Aldo vs. Faber, were aired free on Versus and this merger means those are gone. The UFC made a deal to air 4 cards on Versus in 2011 but that's a lot less than the 8 WEC cards and 2 UFC cards we got this past year.

I understand this move from a business aspect and I can only hope that it leads to a bigger, better, perhaps bi-weekly network deal in the near future. I am curious as hell to see how guys like Aldo, Cerrone, Henderson, and Faber stack up in UFC but I also fear that we will never see the long-promised Bantamweight division and even worse, 145 could eventually go away.

There is no way they are going to take a product that is generating revenue and dissolve it for no reason. I have to imagine they are going to air weekly or bi-weekly fights like I mentioned about Friday Night Fights. It might not be on Versus but I have to imagine that's the plan. They know their market isn't stupid and will get mad if they take a free product and make us pay for it.

Also... all Featherwieght and Bantomweight fighters will still be fighting against themselves. It's mostly going to be the best of the WEC added into the UFC. It's not like Aldo is going to "Stack up" against anyone currently in the UFC. They have plans for a Featherweight division because they are already calling him the UFC Champion at that division. They ddn't have a featherweight division before the merger therefor they have no fighters. It's going to be all WEC fighters fighting each other.

I agree I loved seeing free fights on WEC but I can't imagine they won't just be free UFC fights now you know.

 

[Atlas]

Also... all Featherwieght and Bantomweight fighters will still be fighting against themselves. It's mostly going to be the best of the WEC added into the UFC. It's not like Aldo is going to "Stack up" against anyone currently in the UFC. They have plans for a Featherweight division because they are already calling him the UFC Champion at that division. They ddn't have a featherweight division before the merger therefor they have no fighters. It's going to be all WEC fighters fighting each other.

I agree I loved seeing free fights on WEC but I can't imagine they won't just be free UFC fights now you know.

When I said "stack up against UFC"...I'm talking Henderson vs. the rest of the lightweight class and even guys like Aldo and Faber. Aldo could very well move up, as could most fighting at 145. At the same time, there's guy currently at UFC's 155 who could move down.

But in the end, I do think we will see 145 go away. It's a 10-pound difference and unless Dana has a desire to carry an additional title just for the sake of having an additional title, it makes no sense to have a trio of UFC weight classes all within 10 pounds of each other. By 2012, we'll have 205+, 205, 185, 170, 155 & 140.

 

[Shaka]

By 2012, we'll have 205+, 205, 185, 170, 155 & 140.

Makes sense. I'm game with that.

 

[DJT]

Dana also said he wants a 125 class.