World Extreme Cagefighting
Encyclopedia
World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) was an American mixed martial arts (MMA)
promotion. It was purchased by Zuffa, LLC
, the parent company of Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)
, in 2006. In its final incarnation, it was made up of 3 weight classes: 135, 145 and 155 lbs. To accommodate the smaller fighters, the WEC's cage was 25 ft. in diameter—5 ft. smaller than the standard UFC cage.
.
In December 2006, Zuffa purchased the WEC. With the purchase, the WEC continued as a separate promotion with its own roster of fighters. Adams was retained after the purchase as the organization's matchmaker. Harris and Adams were named co-General Managers and were both active in the new WEC. In 2008, Sean Shelby was named the new match-maker for the promotion by Zuffa.
Zuffa made several changes to the promotion after the purchase. It discontinued its pentagonal cage for a modified version of the UFC's octagonal cage. The championships of fighters who were contracted UFC fighters were vacated. The promotion moved to focus on lighter weight classes, abandoning their heavyweight
and super heavyweight
divisions and championships, and retaining their bantamweight
and featherweight
divisions—two divisions not then present in the UFC. After the purchase, several of the WEC events were held in Zuffa's hometown of Las Vegas, Nevada
, much like the UFC.
The WEC aired their events live on Versus
(formerly known as the Outdoor Life Network) in the United States and on TSN
(and later The Score) in Canada. WEC's first live event was broadcast on June 3, 2007 on Versus from The Joint
at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.
Todd Harris
was the play by play announcer on every televised WEC event on Versus, and was joined by former UFC Heavyweight Champion Frank Mir
on color commentary until the spring of 2010, when Mir was replaced by UFC light heavyweight Stephan Bonnar
. Fellow Zuffa fighters Kenny Florian
& Jens Pulver
have also filled in on color commentary due to Mir or Bonnar's absences. UFC announcers Mike Goldberg
and Joe Rogan
called the WEC's only pay-per-view event, WEC 48
in April 2010. Postfight interviews on the Versus-televised cards were typically done by either Harris or Versus sportscaster Craig Hummer
.
Joe Martinez
served as the announcer for Zuffa-promoted WEC events until April 2010, when he left the organization and was replaced by UFC announcer Bruce Buffer
. However, Martinez made a one-off return at WEC 52
that November when Buffer was overseas for a UFC event
.
The WEC announced that it would dissolve their light heavyweight and middleweight divisions after their December 3, 2008 event to further their concentration on lighter classes. Fighters from the light heavyweight and middleweight divisions started fighting in the UFC after the dissolution of their divisions. Also, on February 3, 2009, the WEC officially announced the creation of a 125 lb. flyweight
division and the dissolution of its welterweight division (flyweight would have been the last division under the "Unified Rules of MMA" to be activated under Zuffa, excluding Super Heavyweight
). Fighters from the welterweight division started fighting in the UFC after the dissolution of their division. The only weight class that still crossed over between the WEC and the UFC prior to the merger was the 155 lb lightweight division.
On January 8, 2010, World Extreme Cagefighting announced that AMP Energy would be the official energy drink of WEC. Amp Energy also sponsored three of the WEC's top stars - featherweight
Urijah Faber
, featherweight Chad Mendes
, and bantamweight
Joseph Benavidez
.
On April 24, 2010, the WEC held its only pay-per-view
event, WEC 48
, which featured two championship fights. The main event featured WEC Featherweight Champion José Aldo
defending his title against former champion Urijah Faber
.
On October 28, 2010, UFC President Dana White
announced that the WEC would merge with the UFC.
On October 28, Dana White announced that the WEC would be merging with the UFC in early 2011.
beginning with WEC 28
. Prior to this the WEC had broadcast most of their events on HDNet
.
While on Versus
, the WEC drew good ratings that averaged around 575,000 average viewers per event. However ratings ranged from 245,000 to 1,500,000.
The biggest ratings draw for the WEC was clearly, Urijah Faber
. When Faber was featured in a main event he drew an average of 840,000 viewers. Faber was also featured in both main events (34
and 41
) that drew over a million viewers for the WEC.
The following table shows the international broadcasting of the WEC events:
World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) was an American mixed martial arts (MMA)
promotion. It was purchased by Zuffa, LLC
, the parent company of Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)
, in 2006. In its final incarnation, it was made up of 3 weight classes: 135, 145 and 155 lbs. To accommodate the smaller fighters, the WEC's cage was 25 ft. in diameter—5 ft. smaller than the standard UFC cage.
.
In December 2006, Zuffa purchased the WEC. With the purchase, the WEC continued as a separate promotion with its own roster of fighters. Adams was retained after the purchase as the organization's matchmaker. Harris and Adams were named co-General Managers and were both active in the new WEC. In 2008, Sean Shelby was named the new match-maker for the promotion by Zuffa.
Zuffa made several changes to the promotion after the purchase. It discontinued its pentagonal cage for a modified version of the UFC's octagonal cage. The championships of fighters who were contracted UFC fighters were vacated. The promotion moved to focus on lighter weight classes, abandoning their heavyweight
and super heavyweight
divisions and championships, and retaining their bantamweight
and featherweight
divisions—two divisions not then present in the UFC. After the purchase, several of the WEC events were held in Zuffa's hometown of Las Vegas, Nevada
, much like the UFC.
The WEC aired their events live on Versus
(formerly known as the Outdoor Life Network) in the United States and on TSN
(and later The Score) in Canada. WEC's first live event was broadcast on June 3, 2007 on Versus from The Joint
at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.
Todd Harris
was the play by play announcer on every televised WEC event on Versus, and was joined by former UFC Heavyweight Champion Frank Mir
on color commentary until the spring of 2010, when Mir was replaced by UFC light heavyweight Stephan Bonnar
. Fellow Zuffa fighters Kenny Florian
& Jens Pulver
have also filled in on color commentary due to Mir or Bonnar's absences. UFC announcers Mike Goldberg
and Joe Rogan
called the WEC's only pay-per-view event, WEC 48
in April 2010. Postfight interviews on the Versus-televised cards were typically done by either Harris or Versus sportscaster Craig Hummer
.
Joe Martinez
served as the announcer for Zuffa-promoted WEC events until April 2010, when he left the organization and was replaced by UFC announcer Bruce Buffer
. However, Martinez made a one-off return at WEC 52
that November when Buffer was overseas for a UFC event
.
The WEC announced that it would dissolve their light heavyweight and middleweight divisions after their December 3, 2008 event to further their concentration on lighter classes. Fighters from the light heavyweight and middleweight divisions started fighting in the UFC after the dissolution of their divisions. Also, on February 3, 2009, the WEC officially announced the creation of a 125 lb. flyweight
division and the dissolution of its welterweight division (flyweight would have been the last division under the "Unified Rules of MMA" to be activated under Zuffa, excluding Super Heavyweight
). Fighters from the welterweight division started fighting in the UFC after the dissolution of their division. The only weight class that still crossed over between the WEC and the UFC prior to the merger was the 155 lb lightweight division.
On January 8, 2010, World Extreme Cagefighting announced that AMP Energy would be the official energy drink of WEC. Amp Energy also sponsored three of the WEC's top stars - featherweight
Urijah Faber
, featherweight Chad Mendes
, and bantamweight
Joseph Benavidez
.
On April 24, 2010, the WEC held its only pay-per-view
event, WEC 48
, which featured two championship fights. The main event featured WEC Featherweight Champion José Aldo
defending his title against former champion Urijah Faber
.
On October 28, 2010, UFC President Dana White
announced that the WEC would merge with the UFC.
On October 28, Dana White announced that the WEC would be merging with the UFC in early 2011.
beginning with WEC 28
. Prior to this the WEC had broadcast most of their events on HDNet
.
While on Versus
, the WEC drew good ratings that averaged around 575,000 average viewers per event. However ratings ranged from 245,000 to 1,500,000.
The biggest ratings draw for the WEC was clearly, Urijah Faber
. When Faber was featured in a main event he drew an average of 840,000 viewers. Faber was also featured in both main events (34
and 41
) that drew over a million viewers for the WEC.
The following table shows the international broadcasting of the WEC events:
World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) was an American mixed martial arts (MMA)
promotion. It was purchased by Zuffa, LLC
, the parent company of Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)
, in 2006. In its final incarnation, it was made up of 3 weight classes: 135, 145 and 155 lbs. To accommodate the smaller fighters, the WEC's cage was 25 ft. in diameter—5 ft. smaller than the standard UFC cage.
.
In December 2006, Zuffa purchased the WEC. With the purchase, the WEC continued as a separate promotion with its own roster of fighters. Adams was retained after the purchase as the organization's matchmaker. Harris and Adams were named co-General Managers and were both active in the new WEC. In 2008, Sean Shelby was named the new match-maker for the promotion by Zuffa.
Zuffa made several changes to the promotion after the purchase. It discontinued its pentagonal cage for a modified version of the UFC's octagonal cage. The championships of fighters who were contracted UFC fighters were vacated. The promotion moved to focus on lighter weight classes, abandoning their heavyweight
and super heavyweight
divisions and championships, and retaining their bantamweight
and featherweight
divisions—two divisions not then present in the UFC. After the purchase, several of the WEC events were held in Zuffa's hometown of Las Vegas, Nevada
, much like the UFC.
The WEC aired their events live on Versus
(formerly known as the Outdoor Life Network) in the United States and on TSN
(and later The Score) in Canada. WEC's first live event was broadcast on June 3, 2007 on Versus from The Joint
at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.
Todd Harris
was the play by play announcer on every televised WEC event on Versus, and was joined by former UFC Heavyweight Champion Frank Mir
on color commentary until the spring of 2010, when Mir was replaced by UFC light heavyweight Stephan Bonnar
. Fellow Zuffa fighters Kenny Florian
& Jens Pulver
have also filled in on color commentary due to Mir or Bonnar's absences. UFC announcers Mike Goldberg
and Joe Rogan
called the WEC's only pay-per-view event, WEC 48
in April 2010. Postfight interviews on the Versus-televised cards were typically done by either Harris or Versus sportscaster Craig Hummer
.
Joe Martinez
served as the announcer for Zuffa-promoted WEC events until April 2010, when he left the organization and was replaced by UFC announcer Bruce Buffer
. However, Martinez made a one-off return at WEC 52
that November when Buffer was overseas for a UFC event
.
The WEC announced that it would dissolve their light heavyweight and middleweight divisions after their December 3, 2008 event to further their concentration on lighter classes. Fighters from the light heavyweight and middleweight divisions started fighting in the UFC after the dissolution of their divisions. Also, on February 3, 2009, the WEC officially announced the creation of a 125 lb. flyweight
division and the dissolution of its welterweight division (flyweight would have been the last division under the "Unified Rules of MMA" to be activated under Zuffa, excluding Super Heavyweight
). Fighters from the welterweight division started fighting in the UFC after the dissolution of their division. The only weight class that still crossed over between the WEC and the UFC prior to the merger was the 155 lb lightweight division.
On January 8, 2010, World Extreme Cagefighting announced that AMP Energy would be the official energy drink of WEC. Amp Energy also sponsored three of the WEC's top stars - featherweight
Urijah Faber
, featherweight Chad Mendes
, and bantamweight
Joseph Benavidez
.
On April 24, 2010, the WEC held its only pay-per-view
event, WEC 48
, which featured two championship fights. The main event featured WEC Featherweight Champion José Aldo
defending his title against former champion Urijah Faber
.
On October 28, 2010, UFC President Dana White
announced that the WEC would merge with the UFC.
On October 28, Dana White announced that the WEC would be merging with the UFC in early 2011.
beginning with WEC 28
. Prior to this the WEC had broadcast most of their events on HDNet
.
While on Versus
, the WEC drew good ratings that averaged around 575,000 average viewers per event. However ratings ranged from 245,000 to 1,500,000.
The biggest ratings draw for the WEC was clearly, Urijah Faber
. When Faber was featured in a main event he drew an average of 840,000 viewers. Faber was also featured in both main events (34
and 41
) that drew over a million viewers for the WEC.
The following table shows the international broadcasting of the WEC events:
{| class="toccolours" width=80% style="clear:both; margin:1; text-align:centre;"
|-
{|class="wikitable" width="100%"
!width=14%|
!width=19%|
!width=14%|
!width=19%|
!width=14%|
!width=19%|
|-
||
Australia || Setanta Sports
||
Canada || The Score || 
Brazil || Sportv
|-
||
Denmark || Canal 9
||
Israel || EgoTotal || 
Mexico || Canal 28
|-
||
USA || Versus
||
United Kingdom || Extreme Sports
|-
|}
Mixed martial arts
Mixed Martial Arts is a full contact combat sport that allows the use of both striking and grappling techniques, both standing and on the ground, including boxing, wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, muay Thai, kickboxing, karate, judo and other styles. The roots of modern mixed martial arts can be...
promotion. It was purchased by Zuffa, LLC
Zuffa, LLC
Zuffa, LLC is an American sports promotion company specializing in mixed martial arts. It was founded in January 2001 in Las Vegas, Nevada by Station Casinos executives Frank Fertitta III and Lorenzo Fertitta to be the parent entity of the Ultimate Fighting Championship after they purchased it...
, the parent company of Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)
Ultimate Fighting Championship
The Ultimate Fighting Championship is the largest mixed martial arts promotion company in the world that hosts most of the top-ranked fighters in the sport...
, in 2006. In its final incarnation, it was made up of 3 weight classes: 135, 145 and 155 lbs. To accommodate the smaller fighters, the WEC's cage was 25 ft. in diameter—5 ft. smaller than the standard UFC cage.
History
The organization was started in 2001, by Scott Adams and Reed Harris. Between 2001 and 2006, most of their events were held in Lemoore, California and aired on HDNetHDNet
HDNet is a men's interest television channel in the United States, broadcasting exclusively in high-definition format and available via cable and satellite television...
.
In December 2006, Zuffa purchased the WEC. With the purchase, the WEC continued as a separate promotion with its own roster of fighters. Adams was retained after the purchase as the organization's matchmaker. Harris and Adams were named co-General Managers and were both active in the new WEC. In 2008, Sean Shelby was named the new match-maker for the promotion by Zuffa.
Zuffa made several changes to the promotion after the purchase. It discontinued its pentagonal cage for a modified version of the UFC's octagonal cage. The championships of fighters who were contracted UFC fighters were vacated. The promotion moved to focus on lighter weight classes, abandoning their heavyweight
Heavyweight (MMA)
The heavyweight division in mixed martial arts generally groups fighters between .Although many ambiguities exist within the lower weight classes regarding division naming and weight limits, the Heavyweight division is, for the most part, uniform...
and super heavyweight
Super Heavyweight (MMA)
The super heavyweight division in mixed martial arts has no weight limit but generally refers to competitors weighing above 265 lb .Across Europe and Asia, there are numerous promotions that feature open-weight competitions that can qualify as super heavyweight bouts.One such example is in Japan,...
divisions and championships, and retaining their bantamweight
Bantamweight (MMA)
The bantamweight division in mixed martial arts can refer to a number of different weight classes:*The King of the Cage bantamweight class with upper limit at 145 lb...
and featherweight
Featherweight (MMA)
The featherweight division in mixed martial arts can refer to a number of different weight classes:*UFC's & Pancrase's featherweight division, which groups competitors within 136 to 145 lb...
divisions—two divisions not then present in the UFC. After the purchase, several of the WEC events were held in Zuffa's hometown of Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
, much like the UFC.
The WEC aired their events live on Versus
Versus (TV channel)
Versus is a sports-oriented cable television channel in the United States. It was previously known as Outdoor Life Network and was launched on July 1, 1995, focusing on fishing, hunting, and other outdoor sports...
(formerly known as the Outdoor Life Network) in the United States and on TSN
The Sports Network
The Sports Network, commonly abbreviated as TSN, is a Canadian English language Category C specialty channel and is Canada's leading English language sports TV channel. TSN premiered in 1984, in the first group of Canadian specialty cable channels...
(and later The Score) in Canada. WEC's first live event was broadcast on June 3, 2007 on Versus from The Joint
The Joint (music venue)
The Joint is a 4,000 seat showroom located inside the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Paradise, Nevada. This is a common venue for classic rock and modern rock bands in the Las Vegas metropolitan area....
at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.
Todd Harris
Todd Harris
Todd Harris is a play-by-play announcer for ESPNU college football coverage and Ultimate Fighting Championship airing on Versus.Prior to those duties, he was the lead play-by-play announcer for ABC and ESPN's coverage of the Indy Racing League's IndyCar Series...
was the play by play announcer on every televised WEC event on Versus, and was joined by former UFC Heavyweight Champion Frank Mir
Frank Mir
Francisco Santos Miranda is an American mixed martial artist, as well as a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Kenpō Karate, who competes in the heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He is a former UFC Heavyweight Champion and a former UFC Interim Heavyweight Champion...
on color commentary until the spring of 2010, when Mir was replaced by UFC light heavyweight Stephan Bonnar
Stephan Bonnar
Stephan Patrick Bonnar is an American mixed martial artist who currently competes for the Ultimate Fighting Championship...
. Fellow Zuffa fighters Kenny Florian
Kenny Florian
Kenneth Alan Florian is a Peruvian-American mixed martial artist who competes as a featherweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He has a background in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Muay Thai, and is known for his cerebral approach to the sport based on his meticulous game plans and...
& Jens Pulver
Jens Pulver
Jens Johnnie Pulver is an American mixed martial artist . He was the first Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight champion and was a coach on the The Ultimate Fighter 5 reality show, which aired on Spike TV. He was formerly signed as a featherweight with World Extreme Cagefighting , which is...
have also filled in on color commentary due to Mir or Bonnar's absences. UFC announcers Mike Goldberg
Mike Goldberg
Mike Goldberg is an American play-by-play commentator, mainly known for his work with the Ultimate Fighting Championship.-Broadcasting career:...
and Joe Rogan
Joe Rogan
Joseph James "Joe" Rogan is an American comedian, video blogger, actor, writer, podcaster, and martial artist. He is best known for his work on NewsRadio, his work as color commentator for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, and his hosting work on Fear Factor.-Acting:In 1994, Rogan co-starred on...
called the WEC's only pay-per-view event, WEC 48
WEC 48
UFC Presents: Aldo vs. Faber, also referred to as WEC 48: Aldo vs. Faber was a mixed martial arts event held by World Extreme Cagefighting that took place on April 24, 2010 at ARCO Arena in Sacramento, California...
in April 2010. Postfight interviews on the Versus-televised cards were typically done by either Harris or Versus sportscaster Craig Hummer
Craig Hummer
Craig B. Hummer is an American sportscaster known for his work on Versus . He has covered the Tour de France since 2005, first as an interviewer and then in 2008 as an anchor alongside Bob Roll...
.
Joe Martinez
Joe A. Martinez
Joseph Anthony Martinez is the ring announcer for Golden Boy Promotions, "Solo Boxeo-Tecate" on Telefutura. Joe A. Martinez is a Communications graduate of California State University, Fullerton....
served as the announcer for Zuffa-promoted WEC events until April 2010, when he left the organization and was replaced by UFC announcer Bruce Buffer
Bruce Buffer
Bruce Anthony Buffer is the main octagon announcer for Zuffa main events. On UFC broadcasts, he is introduced as the "Veteran Voice of the Octagon." He is the half brother of the well-known boxing and wrestling ring announcer Michael Buffer, and is President and CEO of their company "The Buffer...
. However, Martinez made a one-off return at WEC 52
WEC 52
WEC 52: Faber vs. Mizugaki was a mixed martial arts event held by World Extreme Cagefighting on November 11, 2010 at The Pearl at The Palms in Las Vegas, Nevada.-Background:...
that November when Buffer was overseas for a UFC event
UFC 122
UFC 122: Marquardt vs. Okami was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on November 13, 2010 at König Pilsener Arena in Oberhausen, Germany. This event aired on the same day, via tape delay, on Spike TV in the U.S....
.
The WEC announced that it would dissolve their light heavyweight and middleweight divisions after their December 3, 2008 event to further their concentration on lighter classes. Fighters from the light heavyweight and middleweight divisions started fighting in the UFC after the dissolution of their divisions. Also, on February 3, 2009, the WEC officially announced the creation of a 125 lb. flyweight
Flyweight (MMA)
The flyweight division in mixed martial arts – as defined by the Nevada State Athletic Commission combat sports doctrine – groups together all competitors 125 lb and below...
division and the dissolution of its welterweight division (flyweight would have been the last division under the "Unified Rules of MMA" to be activated under Zuffa, excluding Super Heavyweight
Super Heavyweight (MMA)
The super heavyweight division in mixed martial arts has no weight limit but generally refers to competitors weighing above 265 lb .Across Europe and Asia, there are numerous promotions that feature open-weight competitions that can qualify as super heavyweight bouts.One such example is in Japan,...
). Fighters from the welterweight division started fighting in the UFC after the dissolution of their division. The only weight class that still crossed over between the WEC and the UFC prior to the merger was the 155 lb lightweight division.
On January 8, 2010, World Extreme Cagefighting announced that AMP Energy would be the official energy drink of WEC. Amp Energy also sponsored three of the WEC's top stars - featherweight
Featherweight (MMA)
The featherweight division in mixed martial arts can refer to a number of different weight classes:*UFC's & Pancrase's featherweight division, which groups competitors within 136 to 145 lb...
Urijah Faber
Urijah Faber
Urijah Christopher Faber is an American mixed martial artist currently fighting as a bantamweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship organization. Faber won the WEC featherweight championship at WEC 19 on March 17, 2006 and held the title for over two years until his loss to Mike Brown at WEC...
, featherweight Chad Mendes
Chad Mendes
Chad Edward Mendes is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.-High school:Mendes finished 8th in the state of California , wrestling for Hanford High School. In 2002, he finished 5th at 114 lbs. and in 2003, he finished third at 121 lbs...
, and bantamweight
Bantamweight (MMA)
The bantamweight division in mixed martial arts can refer to a number of different weight classes:*The King of the Cage bantamweight class with upper limit at 145 lb...
Joseph Benavidez
Joseph Benavidez
Joseph Rolando Benavidez is an American mixed martial artist. After fighting in smaller shows while working as a screen printer in Las Cruces, New Mexico, he joined up with Urijah Faber's Team Alpha Male in 2007. He has since fought in Dream and most recently the World Extreme Cagefighting promotion...
.
On April 24, 2010, the WEC held its only pay-per-view
Pay-per-view
Pay-per-view provides a service by which a television audience can purchase events to view via private telecast. The broadcaster shows the event at the same time to everyone ordering it...
event, WEC 48
WEC 48
UFC Presents: Aldo vs. Faber, also referred to as WEC 48: Aldo vs. Faber was a mixed martial arts event held by World Extreme Cagefighting that took place on April 24, 2010 at ARCO Arena in Sacramento, California...
, which featured two championship fights. The main event featured WEC Featherweight Champion José Aldo
Jose Aldo
José Aldo is a Brazilian mixed martial artist, who competes as a featherweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship where he is the first and current UFC Featherweight Champion...
defending his title against former champion Urijah Faber
Urijah Faber
Urijah Christopher Faber is an American mixed martial artist currently fighting as a bantamweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship organization. Faber won the WEC featherweight championship at WEC 19 on March 17, 2006 and held the title for over two years until his loss to Mike Brown at WEC...
.
On October 28, 2010, UFC President Dana White
Dana White
Dana White is the current President of the Ultimate Fighting Championship , a mixed martial arts organization based in the United States.- Biography :...
announced that the WEC would merge with the UFC.
Relationship with UFC
Due to its shared ownership under Zuffa, fans and commentators had continually speculated about a unification between the WEC and the UFC, particularly the lower weight classes. The 125-145 classes were of particular interest because the WEC's champions at those weight-classes are competitive with the best MMA fighters in the world, whereas the 155-pound class (and prior, heavier weight-classes) were effectively minor-league caliber compared to their UFC counterparts. The relationship between the WEC and UFC had also been complicated by their respective primary partnerships with cable television channels, Versus and Spike. Fight Magazine reports:
[Keeping the WEC] made a certain kind of sense in that it allowed Zuffa to extend its reach without overextending the UFC staff while squatting on Versus, a cable channel interested in broadcasting MMA. Why Zuffa decided to retain a 155-pound division in the WEC remains a mystery, but discussions about a 125-pound flyweight division and a contract extension with Versus despite the fact that the channel was dropped by DirectTV pointed to at least a couple more years of promotional independence... But then... the UFC announced that it would air events on Versus in 2010. On its face, the deal further jumbles an already confusing relationship between the UFC, WEC, the UFC’s basic cable partner Spike TV, and Versus...No one is kidding themselves about the WEC staying independent forever – the promotion will be folded into the UFC eventually, if for no other reason than trying to promote an MMA fighter who isn’t in the UFC is a Sisyphean task... But by keeping the WEC independent for as long as they have, and maintaining a presence on Versus, the UFC has positioned itself beautifully for future TV deals and given Versus a major bargaining chip in future negotiations with DirectTV....Versus is owned by Comcast, which just acquired NBC Universal. NBC flirted with MMA through its late-night Strikeforce show but a UFC card in primetime would deliver NFL-playoff like ratings and ad revenues for a network that is struggling to retain what few young viewers it has left.
On October 28, Dana White announced that the WEC would be merging with the UFC in early 2011.
Media coverage
On December 11, 2006 UFC parent-company, Zuffa formalized plans to buy World Extreme Cagefighting, to be run as a separate promotion from the UFC. Following the purchase of the WEC, Zuffa made several changes to the promotion. One of the most note worthy changes included added media exposure when WEC signed a deal to air events on VersusVersus (TV channel)
Versus is a sports-oriented cable television channel in the United States. It was previously known as Outdoor Life Network and was launched on July 1, 1995, focusing on fishing, hunting, and other outdoor sports...
beginning with WEC 28
WEC 28
WEC 28: Faber vs. Farrar was the fourth mixed martial arts event held by the World Extreme Cagefighting under Zuffa management. The event was held on June 3, 2007. WEC 28 was the first WEC to be aired live on the Versus Network. The main event was a Featherweight title defense by WEC Featherweight...
. Prior to this the WEC had broadcast most of their events on HDNet
HDNet
HDNet is a men's interest television channel in the United States, broadcasting exclusively in high-definition format and available via cable and satellite television...
.
While on Versus
Versus (TV channel)
Versus is a sports-oriented cable television channel in the United States. It was previously known as Outdoor Life Network and was launched on July 1, 1995, focusing on fishing, hunting, and other outdoor sports...
, the WEC drew good ratings that averaged around 575,000 average viewers per event. However ratings ranged from 245,000 to 1,500,000.
The biggest ratings draw for the WEC was clearly, Urijah Faber
Urijah Faber
Urijah Christopher Faber is an American mixed martial artist currently fighting as a bantamweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship organization. Faber won the WEC featherweight championship at WEC 19 on March 17, 2006 and held the title for over two years until his loss to Mike Brown at WEC...
. When Faber was featured in a main event he drew an average of 840,000 viewers. Faber was also featured in both main events (34
WEC 34
WEC 34: Faber vs. Pulver was a mixed martial arts event held by World Extreme Cagefighting that took place on June 1, 2008 at the ARCO Arena in Sacramento, California. The main event, announced on WEC 33, was a bout between Jens Pulver and Urijah Faber for the WEC Featherweight Championship. WEC 34...
and 41
WEC 41
WEC 41: Brown vs. Faber 2 was a mixed martial arts event held by World Extreme Cagefighting on June 7, 2009 at the Arco Arena in Sacramento, California. It was the most successful show in the WEC's history....
) that drew over a million viewers for the WEC.
The following table shows the international broadcasting of the WEC events:
World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) was an American mixed martial arts (MMA)
Mixed martial arts
Mixed Martial Arts is a full contact combat sport that allows the use of both striking and grappling techniques, both standing and on the ground, including boxing, wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, muay Thai, kickboxing, karate, judo and other styles. The roots of modern mixed martial arts can be...
promotion. It was purchased by Zuffa, LLC
Zuffa, LLC
Zuffa, LLC is an American sports promotion company specializing in mixed martial arts. It was founded in January 2001 in Las Vegas, Nevada by Station Casinos executives Frank Fertitta III and Lorenzo Fertitta to be the parent entity of the Ultimate Fighting Championship after they purchased it...
, the parent company of Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)
Ultimate Fighting Championship
The Ultimate Fighting Championship is the largest mixed martial arts promotion company in the world that hosts most of the top-ranked fighters in the sport...
, in 2006. In its final incarnation, it was made up of 3 weight classes: 135, 145 and 155 lbs. To accommodate the smaller fighters, the WEC's cage was 25 ft. in diameter—5 ft. smaller than the standard UFC cage.
History
The organization was started in 2001, by Scott Adams and Reed Harris. Between 2001 and 2006, most of their events were held in Lemoore, California and aired on HDNetHDNet
HDNet is a men's interest television channel in the United States, broadcasting exclusively in high-definition format and available via cable and satellite television...
.
In December 2006, Zuffa purchased the WEC. With the purchase, the WEC continued as a separate promotion with its own roster of fighters. Adams was retained after the purchase as the organization's matchmaker. Harris and Adams were named co-General Managers and were both active in the new WEC. In 2008, Sean Shelby was named the new match-maker for the promotion by Zuffa.
Zuffa made several changes to the promotion after the purchase. It discontinued its pentagonal cage for a modified version of the UFC's octagonal cage. The championships of fighters who were contracted UFC fighters were vacated. The promotion moved to focus on lighter weight classes, abandoning their heavyweight
Heavyweight (MMA)
The heavyweight division in mixed martial arts generally groups fighters between .Although many ambiguities exist within the lower weight classes regarding division naming and weight limits, the Heavyweight division is, for the most part, uniform...
and super heavyweight
Super Heavyweight (MMA)
The super heavyweight division in mixed martial arts has no weight limit but generally refers to competitors weighing above 265 lb .Across Europe and Asia, there are numerous promotions that feature open-weight competitions that can qualify as super heavyweight bouts.One such example is in Japan,...
divisions and championships, and retaining their bantamweight
Bantamweight (MMA)
The bantamweight division in mixed martial arts can refer to a number of different weight classes:*The King of the Cage bantamweight class with upper limit at 145 lb...
and featherweight
Featherweight (MMA)
The featherweight division in mixed martial arts can refer to a number of different weight classes:*UFC's & Pancrase's featherweight division, which groups competitors within 136 to 145 lb...
divisions—two divisions not then present in the UFC. After the purchase, several of the WEC events were held in Zuffa's hometown of Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
, much like the UFC.
The WEC aired their events live on Versus
Versus (TV channel)
Versus is a sports-oriented cable television channel in the United States. It was previously known as Outdoor Life Network and was launched on July 1, 1995, focusing on fishing, hunting, and other outdoor sports...
(formerly known as the Outdoor Life Network) in the United States and on TSN
The Sports Network
The Sports Network, commonly abbreviated as TSN, is a Canadian English language Category C specialty channel and is Canada's leading English language sports TV channel. TSN premiered in 1984, in the first group of Canadian specialty cable channels...
(and later The Score) in Canada. WEC's first live event was broadcast on June 3, 2007 on Versus from The Joint
The Joint (music venue)
The Joint is a 4,000 seat showroom located inside the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Paradise, Nevada. This is a common venue for classic rock and modern rock bands in the Las Vegas metropolitan area....
at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.
Todd Harris
Todd Harris
Todd Harris is a play-by-play announcer for ESPNU college football coverage and Ultimate Fighting Championship airing on Versus.Prior to those duties, he was the lead play-by-play announcer for ABC and ESPN's coverage of the Indy Racing League's IndyCar Series...
was the play by play announcer on every televised WEC event on Versus, and was joined by former UFC Heavyweight Champion Frank Mir
Frank Mir
Francisco Santos Miranda is an American mixed martial artist, as well as a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Kenpō Karate, who competes in the heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He is a former UFC Heavyweight Champion and a former UFC Interim Heavyweight Champion...
on color commentary until the spring of 2010, when Mir was replaced by UFC light heavyweight Stephan Bonnar
Stephan Bonnar
Stephan Patrick Bonnar is an American mixed martial artist who currently competes for the Ultimate Fighting Championship...
. Fellow Zuffa fighters Kenny Florian
Kenny Florian
Kenneth Alan Florian is a Peruvian-American mixed martial artist who competes as a featherweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He has a background in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Muay Thai, and is known for his cerebral approach to the sport based on his meticulous game plans and...
& Jens Pulver
Jens Pulver
Jens Johnnie Pulver is an American mixed martial artist . He was the first Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight champion and was a coach on the The Ultimate Fighter 5 reality show, which aired on Spike TV. He was formerly signed as a featherweight with World Extreme Cagefighting , which is...
have also filled in on color commentary due to Mir or Bonnar's absences. UFC announcers Mike Goldberg
Mike Goldberg
Mike Goldberg is an American play-by-play commentator, mainly known for his work with the Ultimate Fighting Championship.-Broadcasting career:...
and Joe Rogan
Joe Rogan
Joseph James "Joe" Rogan is an American comedian, video blogger, actor, writer, podcaster, and martial artist. He is best known for his work on NewsRadio, his work as color commentator for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, and his hosting work on Fear Factor.-Acting:In 1994, Rogan co-starred on...
called the WEC's only pay-per-view event, WEC 48
WEC 48
UFC Presents: Aldo vs. Faber, also referred to as WEC 48: Aldo vs. Faber was a mixed martial arts event held by World Extreme Cagefighting that took place on April 24, 2010 at ARCO Arena in Sacramento, California...
in April 2010. Postfight interviews on the Versus-televised cards were typically done by either Harris or Versus sportscaster Craig Hummer
Craig Hummer
Craig B. Hummer is an American sportscaster known for his work on Versus . He has covered the Tour de France since 2005, first as an interviewer and then in 2008 as an anchor alongside Bob Roll...
.
Joe Martinez
Joe A. Martinez
Joseph Anthony Martinez is the ring announcer for Golden Boy Promotions, "Solo Boxeo-Tecate" on Telefutura. Joe A. Martinez is a Communications graduate of California State University, Fullerton....
served as the announcer for Zuffa-promoted WEC events until April 2010, when he left the organization and was replaced by UFC announcer Bruce Buffer
Bruce Buffer
Bruce Anthony Buffer is the main octagon announcer for Zuffa main events. On UFC broadcasts, he is introduced as the "Veteran Voice of the Octagon." He is the half brother of the well-known boxing and wrestling ring announcer Michael Buffer, and is President and CEO of their company "The Buffer...
. However, Martinez made a one-off return at WEC 52
WEC 52
WEC 52: Faber vs. Mizugaki was a mixed martial arts event held by World Extreme Cagefighting on November 11, 2010 at The Pearl at The Palms in Las Vegas, Nevada.-Background:...
that November when Buffer was overseas for a UFC event
UFC 122
UFC 122: Marquardt vs. Okami was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on November 13, 2010 at König Pilsener Arena in Oberhausen, Germany. This event aired on the same day, via tape delay, on Spike TV in the U.S....
.
The WEC announced that it would dissolve their light heavyweight and middleweight divisions after their December 3, 2008 event to further their concentration on lighter classes. Fighters from the light heavyweight and middleweight divisions started fighting in the UFC after the dissolution of their divisions. Also, on February 3, 2009, the WEC officially announced the creation of a 125 lb. flyweight
Flyweight (MMA)
The flyweight division in mixed martial arts – as defined by the Nevada State Athletic Commission combat sports doctrine – groups together all competitors 125 lb and below...
division and the dissolution of its welterweight division (flyweight would have been the last division under the "Unified Rules of MMA" to be activated under Zuffa, excluding Super Heavyweight
Super Heavyweight (MMA)
The super heavyweight division in mixed martial arts has no weight limit but generally refers to competitors weighing above 265 lb .Across Europe and Asia, there are numerous promotions that feature open-weight competitions that can qualify as super heavyweight bouts.One such example is in Japan,...
). Fighters from the welterweight division started fighting in the UFC after the dissolution of their division. The only weight class that still crossed over between the WEC and the UFC prior to the merger was the 155 lb lightweight division.
On January 8, 2010, World Extreme Cagefighting announced that AMP Energy would be the official energy drink of WEC. Amp Energy also sponsored three of the WEC's top stars - featherweight
Featherweight (MMA)
The featherweight division in mixed martial arts can refer to a number of different weight classes:*UFC's & Pancrase's featherweight division, which groups competitors within 136 to 145 lb...
Urijah Faber
Urijah Faber
Urijah Christopher Faber is an American mixed martial artist currently fighting as a bantamweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship organization. Faber won the WEC featherweight championship at WEC 19 on March 17, 2006 and held the title for over two years until his loss to Mike Brown at WEC...
, featherweight Chad Mendes
Chad Mendes
Chad Edward Mendes is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.-High school:Mendes finished 8th in the state of California , wrestling for Hanford High School. In 2002, he finished 5th at 114 lbs. and in 2003, he finished third at 121 lbs...
, and bantamweight
Bantamweight (MMA)
The bantamweight division in mixed martial arts can refer to a number of different weight classes:*The King of the Cage bantamweight class with upper limit at 145 lb...
Joseph Benavidez
Joseph Benavidez
Joseph Rolando Benavidez is an American mixed martial artist. After fighting in smaller shows while working as a screen printer in Las Cruces, New Mexico, he joined up with Urijah Faber's Team Alpha Male in 2007. He has since fought in Dream and most recently the World Extreme Cagefighting promotion...
.
On April 24, 2010, the WEC held its only pay-per-view
Pay-per-view
Pay-per-view provides a service by which a television audience can purchase events to view via private telecast. The broadcaster shows the event at the same time to everyone ordering it...
event, WEC 48
WEC 48
UFC Presents: Aldo vs. Faber, also referred to as WEC 48: Aldo vs. Faber was a mixed martial arts event held by World Extreme Cagefighting that took place on April 24, 2010 at ARCO Arena in Sacramento, California...
, which featured two championship fights. The main event featured WEC Featherweight Champion José Aldo
Jose Aldo
José Aldo is a Brazilian mixed martial artist, who competes as a featherweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship where he is the first and current UFC Featherweight Champion...
defending his title against former champion Urijah Faber
Urijah Faber
Urijah Christopher Faber is an American mixed martial artist currently fighting as a bantamweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship organization. Faber won the WEC featherweight championship at WEC 19 on March 17, 2006 and held the title for over two years until his loss to Mike Brown at WEC...
.
On October 28, 2010, UFC President Dana White
Dana White
Dana White is the current President of the Ultimate Fighting Championship , a mixed martial arts organization based in the United States.- Biography :...
announced that the WEC would merge with the UFC.
Relationship with UFC
Due to its shared ownership under Zuffa, fans and commentators had continually speculated about a unification between the WEC and the UFC, particularly the lower weight classes. The 125-145 classes were of particular interest because the WEC's champions at those weight-classes are competitive with the best MMA fighters in the world, whereas the 155-pound class (and prior, heavier weight-classes) were effectively minor-league caliber compared to their UFC counterparts. The relationship between the WEC and UFC had also been complicated by their respective primary partnerships with cable television channels, Versus and Spike. Fight Magazine reports:
[Keeping the WEC] made a certain kind of sense in that it allowed Zuffa to extend its reach without overextending the UFC staff while squatting on Versus, a cable channel interested in broadcasting MMA. Why Zuffa decided to retain a 155-pound division in the WEC remains a mystery, but discussions about a 125-pound flyweight division and a contract extension with Versus despite the fact that the channel was dropped by DirectTV pointed to at least a couple more years of promotional independence... But then... the UFC announced that it would air events on Versus in 2010. On its face, the deal further jumbles an already confusing relationship between the UFC, WEC, the UFC’s basic cable partner Spike TV, and Versus...No one is kidding themselves about the WEC staying independent forever – the promotion will be folded into the UFC eventually, if for no other reason than trying to promote an MMA fighter who isn’t in the UFC is a Sisyphean task... But by keeping the WEC independent for as long as they have, and maintaining a presence on Versus, the UFC has positioned itself beautifully for future TV deals and given Versus a major bargaining chip in future negotiations with DirectTV....Versus is owned by Comcast, which just acquired NBC Universal. NBC flirted with MMA through its late-night Strikeforce show but a UFC card in primetime would deliver NFL-playoff like ratings and ad revenues for a network that is struggling to retain what few young viewers it has left.
On October 28, Dana White announced that the WEC would be merging with the UFC in early 2011.
Media coverage
On December 11, 2006 UFC parent-company, Zuffa formalized plans to buy World Extreme Cagefighting, to be run as a separate promotion from the UFC. Following the purchase of the WEC, Zuffa made several changes to the promotion. One of the most note worthy changes included added media exposure when WEC signed a deal to air events on VersusVersus (TV channel)
Versus is a sports-oriented cable television channel in the United States. It was previously known as Outdoor Life Network and was launched on July 1, 1995, focusing on fishing, hunting, and other outdoor sports...
beginning with WEC 28
WEC 28
WEC 28: Faber vs. Farrar was the fourth mixed martial arts event held by the World Extreme Cagefighting under Zuffa management. The event was held on June 3, 2007. WEC 28 was the first WEC to be aired live on the Versus Network. The main event was a Featherweight title defense by WEC Featherweight...
. Prior to this the WEC had broadcast most of their events on HDNet
HDNet
HDNet is a men's interest television channel in the United States, broadcasting exclusively in high-definition format and available via cable and satellite television...
.
While on Versus
Versus (TV channel)
Versus is a sports-oriented cable television channel in the United States. It was previously known as Outdoor Life Network and was launched on July 1, 1995, focusing on fishing, hunting, and other outdoor sports...
, the WEC drew good ratings that averaged around 575,000 average viewers per event. However ratings ranged from 245,000 to 1,500,000.
The biggest ratings draw for the WEC was clearly, Urijah Faber
Urijah Faber
Urijah Christopher Faber is an American mixed martial artist currently fighting as a bantamweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship organization. Faber won the WEC featherweight championship at WEC 19 on March 17, 2006 and held the title for over two years until his loss to Mike Brown at WEC...
. When Faber was featured in a main event he drew an average of 840,000 viewers. Faber was also featured in both main events (34
WEC 34
WEC 34: Faber vs. Pulver was a mixed martial arts event held by World Extreme Cagefighting that took place on June 1, 2008 at the ARCO Arena in Sacramento, California. The main event, announced on WEC 33, was a bout between Jens Pulver and Urijah Faber for the WEC Featherweight Championship. WEC 34...
and 41
WEC 41
WEC 41: Brown vs. Faber 2 was a mixed martial arts event held by World Extreme Cagefighting on June 7, 2009 at the Arco Arena in Sacramento, California. It was the most successful show in the WEC's history....
) that drew over a million viewers for the WEC.
The following table shows the international broadcasting of the WEC events:
World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) was an American mixed martial arts (MMA)
Mixed martial arts
Mixed Martial Arts is a full contact combat sport that allows the use of both striking and grappling techniques, both standing and on the ground, including boxing, wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, muay Thai, kickboxing, karate, judo and other styles. The roots of modern mixed martial arts can be...
promotion. It was purchased by Zuffa, LLC
Zuffa, LLC
Zuffa, LLC is an American sports promotion company specializing in mixed martial arts. It was founded in January 2001 in Las Vegas, Nevada by Station Casinos executives Frank Fertitta III and Lorenzo Fertitta to be the parent entity of the Ultimate Fighting Championship after they purchased it...
, the parent company of Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)
Ultimate Fighting Championship
The Ultimate Fighting Championship is the largest mixed martial arts promotion company in the world that hosts most of the top-ranked fighters in the sport...
, in 2006. In its final incarnation, it was made up of 3 weight classes: 135, 145 and 155 lbs. To accommodate the smaller fighters, the WEC's cage was 25 ft. in diameter—5 ft. smaller than the standard UFC cage.
History
The organization was started in 2001, by Scott Adams and Reed Harris. Between 2001 and 2006, most of their events were held in Lemoore, California and aired on HDNetHDNet
HDNet is a men's interest television channel in the United States, broadcasting exclusively in high-definition format and available via cable and satellite television...
.
In December 2006, Zuffa purchased the WEC. With the purchase, the WEC continued as a separate promotion with its own roster of fighters. Adams was retained after the purchase as the organization's matchmaker. Harris and Adams were named co-General Managers and were both active in the new WEC. In 2008, Sean Shelby was named the new match-maker for the promotion by Zuffa.
Zuffa made several changes to the promotion after the purchase. It discontinued its pentagonal cage for a modified version of the UFC's octagonal cage. The championships of fighters who were contracted UFC fighters were vacated. The promotion moved to focus on lighter weight classes, abandoning their heavyweight
Heavyweight (MMA)
The heavyweight division in mixed martial arts generally groups fighters between .Although many ambiguities exist within the lower weight classes regarding division naming and weight limits, the Heavyweight division is, for the most part, uniform...
and super heavyweight
Super Heavyweight (MMA)
The super heavyweight division in mixed martial arts has no weight limit but generally refers to competitors weighing above 265 lb .Across Europe and Asia, there are numerous promotions that feature open-weight competitions that can qualify as super heavyweight bouts.One such example is in Japan,...
divisions and championships, and retaining their bantamweight
Bantamweight (MMA)
The bantamweight division in mixed martial arts can refer to a number of different weight classes:*The King of the Cage bantamweight class with upper limit at 145 lb...
and featherweight
Featherweight (MMA)
The featherweight division in mixed martial arts can refer to a number of different weight classes:*UFC's & Pancrase's featherweight division, which groups competitors within 136 to 145 lb...
divisions—two divisions not then present in the UFC. After the purchase, several of the WEC events were held in Zuffa's hometown of Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
, much like the UFC.
The WEC aired their events live on Versus
Versus (TV channel)
Versus is a sports-oriented cable television channel in the United States. It was previously known as Outdoor Life Network and was launched on July 1, 1995, focusing on fishing, hunting, and other outdoor sports...
(formerly known as the Outdoor Life Network) in the United States and on TSN
The Sports Network
The Sports Network, commonly abbreviated as TSN, is a Canadian English language Category C specialty channel and is Canada's leading English language sports TV channel. TSN premiered in 1984, in the first group of Canadian specialty cable channels...
(and later The Score) in Canada. WEC's first live event was broadcast on June 3, 2007 on Versus from The Joint
The Joint (music venue)
The Joint is a 4,000 seat showroom located inside the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Paradise, Nevada. This is a common venue for classic rock and modern rock bands in the Las Vegas metropolitan area....
at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.
Todd Harris
Todd Harris
Todd Harris is a play-by-play announcer for ESPNU college football coverage and Ultimate Fighting Championship airing on Versus.Prior to those duties, he was the lead play-by-play announcer for ABC and ESPN's coverage of the Indy Racing League's IndyCar Series...
was the play by play announcer on every televised WEC event on Versus, and was joined by former UFC Heavyweight Champion Frank Mir
Frank Mir
Francisco Santos Miranda is an American mixed martial artist, as well as a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Kenpō Karate, who competes in the heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He is a former UFC Heavyweight Champion and a former UFC Interim Heavyweight Champion...
on color commentary until the spring of 2010, when Mir was replaced by UFC light heavyweight Stephan Bonnar
Stephan Bonnar
Stephan Patrick Bonnar is an American mixed martial artist who currently competes for the Ultimate Fighting Championship...
. Fellow Zuffa fighters Kenny Florian
Kenny Florian
Kenneth Alan Florian is a Peruvian-American mixed martial artist who competes as a featherweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He has a background in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Muay Thai, and is known for his cerebral approach to the sport based on his meticulous game plans and...
& Jens Pulver
Jens Pulver
Jens Johnnie Pulver is an American mixed martial artist . He was the first Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight champion and was a coach on the The Ultimate Fighter 5 reality show, which aired on Spike TV. He was formerly signed as a featherweight with World Extreme Cagefighting , which is...
have also filled in on color commentary due to Mir or Bonnar's absences. UFC announcers Mike Goldberg
Mike Goldberg
Mike Goldberg is an American play-by-play commentator, mainly known for his work with the Ultimate Fighting Championship.-Broadcasting career:...
and Joe Rogan
Joe Rogan
Joseph James "Joe" Rogan is an American comedian, video blogger, actor, writer, podcaster, and martial artist. He is best known for his work on NewsRadio, his work as color commentator for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, and his hosting work on Fear Factor.-Acting:In 1994, Rogan co-starred on...
called the WEC's only pay-per-view event, WEC 48
WEC 48
UFC Presents: Aldo vs. Faber, also referred to as WEC 48: Aldo vs. Faber was a mixed martial arts event held by World Extreme Cagefighting that took place on April 24, 2010 at ARCO Arena in Sacramento, California...
in April 2010. Postfight interviews on the Versus-televised cards were typically done by either Harris or Versus sportscaster Craig Hummer
Craig Hummer
Craig B. Hummer is an American sportscaster known for his work on Versus . He has covered the Tour de France since 2005, first as an interviewer and then in 2008 as an anchor alongside Bob Roll...
.
Joe Martinez
Joe A. Martinez
Joseph Anthony Martinez is the ring announcer for Golden Boy Promotions, "Solo Boxeo-Tecate" on Telefutura. Joe A. Martinez is a Communications graduate of California State University, Fullerton....
served as the announcer for Zuffa-promoted WEC events until April 2010, when he left the organization and was replaced by UFC announcer Bruce Buffer
Bruce Buffer
Bruce Anthony Buffer is the main octagon announcer for Zuffa main events. On UFC broadcasts, he is introduced as the "Veteran Voice of the Octagon." He is the half brother of the well-known boxing and wrestling ring announcer Michael Buffer, and is President and CEO of their company "The Buffer...
. However, Martinez made a one-off return at WEC 52
WEC 52
WEC 52: Faber vs. Mizugaki was a mixed martial arts event held by World Extreme Cagefighting on November 11, 2010 at The Pearl at The Palms in Las Vegas, Nevada.-Background:...
that November when Buffer was overseas for a UFC event
UFC 122
UFC 122: Marquardt vs. Okami was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on November 13, 2010 at König Pilsener Arena in Oberhausen, Germany. This event aired on the same day, via tape delay, on Spike TV in the U.S....
.
The WEC announced that it would dissolve their light heavyweight and middleweight divisions after their December 3, 2008 event to further their concentration on lighter classes. Fighters from the light heavyweight and middleweight divisions started fighting in the UFC after the dissolution of their divisions. Also, on February 3, 2009, the WEC officially announced the creation of a 125 lb. flyweight
Flyweight (MMA)
The flyweight division in mixed martial arts – as defined by the Nevada State Athletic Commission combat sports doctrine – groups together all competitors 125 lb and below...
division and the dissolution of its welterweight division (flyweight would have been the last division under the "Unified Rules of MMA" to be activated under Zuffa, excluding Super Heavyweight
Super Heavyweight (MMA)
The super heavyweight division in mixed martial arts has no weight limit but generally refers to competitors weighing above 265 lb .Across Europe and Asia, there are numerous promotions that feature open-weight competitions that can qualify as super heavyweight bouts.One such example is in Japan,...
). Fighters from the welterweight division started fighting in the UFC after the dissolution of their division. The only weight class that still crossed over between the WEC and the UFC prior to the merger was the 155 lb lightweight division.
On January 8, 2010, World Extreme Cagefighting announced that AMP Energy would be the official energy drink of WEC. Amp Energy also sponsored three of the WEC's top stars - featherweight
Featherweight (MMA)
The featherweight division in mixed martial arts can refer to a number of different weight classes:*UFC's & Pancrase's featherweight division, which groups competitors within 136 to 145 lb...
Urijah Faber
Urijah Faber
Urijah Christopher Faber is an American mixed martial artist currently fighting as a bantamweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship organization. Faber won the WEC featherweight championship at WEC 19 on March 17, 2006 and held the title for over two years until his loss to Mike Brown at WEC...
, featherweight Chad Mendes
Chad Mendes
Chad Edward Mendes is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.-High school:Mendes finished 8th in the state of California , wrestling for Hanford High School. In 2002, he finished 5th at 114 lbs. and in 2003, he finished third at 121 lbs...
, and bantamweight
Bantamweight (MMA)
The bantamweight division in mixed martial arts can refer to a number of different weight classes:*The King of the Cage bantamweight class with upper limit at 145 lb...
Joseph Benavidez
Joseph Benavidez
Joseph Rolando Benavidez is an American mixed martial artist. After fighting in smaller shows while working as a screen printer in Las Cruces, New Mexico, he joined up with Urijah Faber's Team Alpha Male in 2007. He has since fought in Dream and most recently the World Extreme Cagefighting promotion...
.
On April 24, 2010, the WEC held its only pay-per-view
Pay-per-view
Pay-per-view provides a service by which a television audience can purchase events to view via private telecast. The broadcaster shows the event at the same time to everyone ordering it...
event, WEC 48
WEC 48
UFC Presents: Aldo vs. Faber, also referred to as WEC 48: Aldo vs. Faber was a mixed martial arts event held by World Extreme Cagefighting that took place on April 24, 2010 at ARCO Arena in Sacramento, California...
, which featured two championship fights. The main event featured WEC Featherweight Champion José Aldo
Jose Aldo
José Aldo is a Brazilian mixed martial artist, who competes as a featherweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship where he is the first and current UFC Featherweight Champion...
defending his title against former champion Urijah Faber
Urijah Faber
Urijah Christopher Faber is an American mixed martial artist currently fighting as a bantamweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship organization. Faber won the WEC featherweight championship at WEC 19 on March 17, 2006 and held the title for over two years until his loss to Mike Brown at WEC...
.
On October 28, 2010, UFC President Dana White
Dana White
Dana White is the current President of the Ultimate Fighting Championship , a mixed martial arts organization based in the United States.- Biography :...
announced that the WEC would merge with the UFC.
Relationship with UFC
Due to its shared ownership under Zuffa, fans and commentators had continually speculated about a unification between the WEC and the UFC, particularly the lower weight classes. The 125-145 classes were of particular interest because the WEC's champions at those weight-classes are competitive with the best MMA fighters in the world, whereas the 155-pound class (and prior, heavier weight-classes) were effectively minor-league caliber compared to their UFC counterparts. The relationship between the WEC and UFC had also been complicated by their respective primary partnerships with cable television channels, Versus and Spike. Fight Magazine reports:
[Keeping the WEC] made a certain kind of sense in that it allowed Zuffa to extend its reach without overextending the UFC staff while squatting on Versus, a cable channel interested in broadcasting MMA. Why Zuffa decided to retain a 155-pound division in the WEC remains a mystery, but discussions about a 125-pound flyweight division and a contract extension with Versus despite the fact that the channel was dropped by DirectTV pointed to at least a couple more years of promotional independence... But then... the UFC announced that it would air events on Versus in 2010. On its face, the deal further jumbles an already confusing relationship between the UFC, WEC, the UFC’s basic cable partner Spike TV, and Versus...No one is kidding themselves about the WEC staying independent forever – the promotion will be folded into the UFC eventually, if for no other reason than trying to promote an MMA fighter who isn’t in the UFC is a Sisyphean task... But by keeping the WEC independent for as long as they have, and maintaining a presence on Versus, the UFC has positioned itself beautifully for future TV deals and given Versus a major bargaining chip in future negotiations with DirectTV....Versus is owned by Comcast, which just acquired NBC Universal. NBC flirted with MMA through its late-night Strikeforce show but a UFC card in primetime would deliver NFL-playoff like ratings and ad revenues for a network that is struggling to retain what few young viewers it has left.
On October 28, Dana White announced that the WEC would be merging with the UFC in early 2011.
Media coverage
On December 11, 2006 UFC parent-company, Zuffa formalized plans to buy World Extreme Cagefighting, to be run as a separate promotion from the UFC. Following the purchase of the WEC, Zuffa made several changes to the promotion. One of the most note worthy changes included added media exposure when WEC signed a deal to air events on VersusVersus (TV channel)
Versus is a sports-oriented cable television channel in the United States. It was previously known as Outdoor Life Network and was launched on July 1, 1995, focusing on fishing, hunting, and other outdoor sports...
beginning with WEC 28
WEC 28
WEC 28: Faber vs. Farrar was the fourth mixed martial arts event held by the World Extreme Cagefighting under Zuffa management. The event was held on June 3, 2007. WEC 28 was the first WEC to be aired live on the Versus Network. The main event was a Featherweight title defense by WEC Featherweight...
. Prior to this the WEC had broadcast most of their events on HDNet
HDNet
HDNet is a men's interest television channel in the United States, broadcasting exclusively in high-definition format and available via cable and satellite television...
.
While on Versus
Versus (TV channel)
Versus is a sports-oriented cable television channel in the United States. It was previously known as Outdoor Life Network and was launched on July 1, 1995, focusing on fishing, hunting, and other outdoor sports...
, the WEC drew good ratings that averaged around 575,000 average viewers per event. However ratings ranged from 245,000 to 1,500,000.
The biggest ratings draw for the WEC was clearly, Urijah Faber
Urijah Faber
Urijah Christopher Faber is an American mixed martial artist currently fighting as a bantamweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship organization. Faber won the WEC featherweight championship at WEC 19 on March 17, 2006 and held the title for over two years until his loss to Mike Brown at WEC...
. When Faber was featured in a main event he drew an average of 840,000 viewers. Faber was also featured in both main events (34
WEC 34
WEC 34: Faber vs. Pulver was a mixed martial arts event held by World Extreme Cagefighting that took place on June 1, 2008 at the ARCO Arena in Sacramento, California. The main event, announced on WEC 33, was a bout between Jens Pulver and Urijah Faber for the WEC Featherweight Championship. WEC 34...
and 41
WEC 41
WEC 41: Brown vs. Faber 2 was a mixed martial arts event held by World Extreme Cagefighting on June 7, 2009 at the Arco Arena in Sacramento, California. It was the most successful show in the WEC's history....
) that drew over a million viewers for the WEC.
The following table shows the international broadcasting of the WEC events:
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Australia || Setanta SportsSetanta Sports Australia
Setanta Sports Australia is a sports television channel operating in Australia and is available to homes and businesses across all of Australia...
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Canada || The Score || Brazil || SportvSporTV
SporTV is a Brazilian cable television network that has its programming based on all sports, launched in 1991 by Globosat. It's the most watched sports channel in Brazil.- Auto Racing :*Formula One *Stock Car Brasil...
|-
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Denmark || Canal 9Canal 9 (Denmark)
CANAL9 is a Danish television channel owned by the TV4 Group and C More Entertainment.The channel is designed for men and was launched as a low-pay sister channel to Canal+ and share sports rights with Canal+ Sport, and is based on sports, mostly football including broadcasts from the Danish...
||
Israel || EgoTotal || Mexico || Canal 28|-
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USA || VersusVersus (TV channel)
Versus is a sports-oriented cable television channel in the United States. It was previously known as Outdoor Life Network and was launched on July 1, 1995, focusing on fishing, hunting, and other outdoor sports...
||
United Kingdom || Extreme SportsExtreme Sports Channel
The Extreme Sports Channel is a Netherlands-based extreme sports television channel available across Europe and the Middle East. Al Gosling had the idea for the channel in 1998.-History:...
|-
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See also
External links
