Is the WEC Done?
by Kid Nate on Oct 5, 2009 12:09 PM EDT
in MMA News
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Jake Rossen argues that it's irrelevant:
There are purists who would argue that the WEC provides an invaluable service: By highlighting the talents of smaller fighters, gifted athletes can be acknowledged regardless of lat width. And there are few complaints against fight footage with no surcharge.
Others see the promotion as an extraneous appendage to Zuffa’s primary body of Ultimate Fighting, a vanity project that languishes well into the upper tier of cable lineups and forces those same great athletes to fight for insulting purses. There’s no business model for the WEC in place to pay Faber -- or his conqueror, Mike Thomas Brown -- on the level of any of the UFC champions, the least profitable of which still commands a six-figure base salary....
If the UFC devours it, the benefits for talent are obvious: 135- and 145-pound fighters can benefit from the UFC’s lucrative bonus system and pay scale. Their marketability from Spike appearances will boost sponsorship dollars. Some, like Faber and Torres, could conceivably see a pay-per-view percentage take, which would be nominal even if they draw flies. (The UFC brand is good for a minimum amount of business, regardless of the card.) And the lighter weights would clearly help boost Spike’s aging "Ultimate Fighter," now planning an 11th season and incapable of milking Kimbo Slice indefinitely. With this season’s batch of sluggish heavyweights, the action of 16 determined featherweights would be an adrenaline shot.
The argument for the current structure: With some fighters making as little as $2,000 a bout, they’re probably poor enough to qualify for Medicaid.
The WEC has its own independent agenda. Plans for a pay-per-view, floated for years, might finally transpire in 2010; the show is scheduling monthly events from now until next summer; and Versus, which is unlikely to remain off of DirecTV forever, is plotting a reality series of its own.
With increasing buzz (some coming from Zuffa-friendly writers like Kevin Iole) for the idea that the WEC should merge with the UFC and cryptic comments from Dana White, I had begun to hope that the right thing would be done here very soon. And by "the right thing" I mean that the UFC would absorb the WEC's top talent in the 135 and 145lb classes and use the Versus deal and the WEC name as a place for fighters who can't quite make the grade in the UFC.
Make the WEC a true minor league in all the weight classes and let the best feather and bantamweights in the world make the money they deserve in the UFC. This would also give the UFC more title fights to use as co-main events.
But alas from Urijah Faber's recent comments it looks like the WEC is going to continue to struggle along on its own and will be making a foray into PPV. Recipe for disaster if you ask me.
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Even if the price is low, I hope that WEC doesn’t do PPV. I can’t imagine the WEC getting many PPV buys simply because they only have two marquee fighters in Urijah Faber and Miguel Torres, who are both more popular than the champions of their divisions. Also, we are only now starting to see the top Bantamweights really fighting each other and seeing them develop. Merging the weight classes into the UFC and using the WEC as a feeder league would probably be the best option for Zuffa.
by chrisbboy82 on Oct 5, 2009 12:14 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
Nate you nailed it for sure....
Zuffa has kept saying “The WEC isn’t the minor leagues, it’s a showcase for the lighter weightclasses.” That’s just stupid.
The UFC and WEC should encompass all weight classes and the WEC SHOULD be the minor leagues. Faber, MTB, Torres and the like deserve UFC money and exposure.
I talked to Mike Brown when he was making a local apperance in GA and he told me that he is hereing roumors that the WEC is going PPV. MTB is not even making a decent 5 figure paycheck for being the #1 fighter in the world, it sucks! and if the WEC has to go to PPV for him and others to get paid more that they should do it.
Isn't that more Mike's fault?
He signed the contract and it doesn’t help that he isn’t nearly a draw as Faber or Torres (And I like Mike. Great fighter and seems like a down-to-earth guy to boot).
Yeah your right he signed the contract so why should he conplain, I just don’t think the WEC has put as much effort into marketing Brown as they have with Faber and especially Torres. So if your not being pushed by the company the only other alternatives to becoming a draw would be to get on the mic (Brown is not great at) or keep winning fights whitch is all he has done since being apart of the WEC. In time I think he will become a draw. And at worst he will have drawing power like A. Silva.
I don't think it's a stretch
to say he’s #1 in the world at 145lbs (which I think is what he intended by it).
I am the bastard love child of Junie Browning and Diamond Dave Kaplan.
He's ranked at #1 on the USAT/SBNation rankings
and of the 20+ sites we survey to compile those rankings, no one ranked him lower than #1.
So yes definitively Mike Brown is the #1 featherweight fighter in the world.
Follow me on Twitter @KidNate
I hope the keep them separate. If i’m paying $55 for a ppv i don’t want to see a bunch of 135 and 145ers who can’t finish fights.
by detroit_fan on Oct 5, 2009 2:32 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
you must have
missed Mike Brown KTFO’ing Faber in their first fight, or doing the same to Leonard Garcia.
Or Bowles doing the same to Torrest in their title fight.
Or Leonard Garcia KTFO’ing Jens Pulver and Takaya.
Follow me on Twitter @KidNate
by Kid Nate on Oct 5, 2009 2:56 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
an even then, i’d taken an “unfinished” 135 or 145 fight over a heavyweight gas-fest any day.
with that said, i do hope the price tag for potential wec ppvs is lower than the ufc version.
With faber he wants UFC pay scale money the only problem is if they do put off WEC ppvs and the price is lower it will still nnot garner the paycheck of a top level UFC fighter. First off if they charge 30 or 40 for the PPV thats 10 dollars gone off the top alreayd and pair that with the fact that a WEC ppv probably wont do super numbers to make up that 10 dollar difference. The other advantage of having the WEC as the minor leagues is it would keep competing promotions from getting quality talent. The guys like j mac, lutter, tandom(sp?) etc all could just drop to the WEC and build back up insted of leaving the Zuffa fold. I mean some of them will never be world beaters but if you take any chance of another promotion adding some depth to their rosters makes it that much harder for them to compete. With the WEC as a minor leagues you could even add the womens division if they wanted to.
How come whenever I read a WEC post it’s always incredibly misguided or flat out wrong?. The WEC is fine aside from the debacle of post poning WEC 43 for no good reason. It’s without a question the top mma org when it comes to lighterweight fighter and they put on great shows on versus with top fighters.
The idea that these guys aren’t getting paid is also wrong and ridiculous, these guys are making alot more than they would at these lower shows or Japan which is were they would be fighting without the WEC. They have a good deal with Versus that delivers quality mma fights on a prety regular basis and does well for them ratings wise for the channel. People really need to stop acting like this is Affliction, the WEC is in a good place and will continue to do so with Zuffa/Versus backing so please stop the nonsense it’s getting ridiculous.
Do you have a rooting interest or are you just a WEC shill? The WEC is in horrible shape, especially now that DirecTV dropped Versus. Versus is now shown in appox 1/2 of the households that it used to be, how is that considered a strength?
The WEC has had issues with athletic commissions and weigh-ins, they’ve had issues with promotion (and still do), and their biggest problem is the lack of pay for their fighters. How can you justify a fighter not receiving equal pay at regional shows or overseas as reason enough to not make more? The only people who ever brought eyes to the WEC are Torres and Faber, and both of them make as much, if not less than low-to-mid level UFC fighters. I guarantee you Stann and Condit make equal to or more per fight than both of them.
Is not fair to say that the WEC fighters would be much better served with Zuffa/Spike backing them as opposed to Zuffa/Versus? They are getting nowhere with a channel that is losing households as opposed to gaining them, the WEC will never have the UFC’s marketability or knowledge, and Zuffa knows what it’s moneymaker is, and it isn’t being shown on Versus.
Don't argue for the sake of arguing....
by Screwface on Oct 5, 2009 10:46 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
I think a TUF with Torres and Faber as coaches would be sweet!!
Everyone has a game plan, untell they get hit.
Do you have a rooting interest or are you just a WEC shill? The WEC is in horrible shape, especially now that DirecTV dropped Versus. Versus is now shown in appox 1/2 of the households that it used to be, how is that considered a strength?
The WEC has had issues with athletic commissions and weigh-ins, they’ve had issues with promotion (and still do), and their biggest problem is the lack of pay for their fighters. How can you justify a fighter not receiving equal pay at regional shows or overseas as reason enough to not make more? The only people who ever brought eyes to the WEC are Torres and Faber, and both of them make as much, if not less than low-to-mid level UFC fighters. I guarantee you Stann and Condit make equal to or more per fight than both of them.
Is not fair to say that the WEC fighters would be much better served with Zuffa/Spike backing them as opposed to Zuffa/Versus? They are getting nowhere with a channel that is losing households as opposed to gaining them, the WEC will never have the UFC’s marketability or knowledge, and Zuffa knows what it’s moneymaker is, and it isn’t being shown on Versus.
1. I’ve been called many things but a WEC shill that is hillarious, also if you think that losing Direct tv is going to be the end of Versus or the WEC you are simply wrong. It sucks but both will be just fine and sooner or later things will work itself out and they’ll be back either way this is far from the end of the world as some try and make it.
2. WEC has been running shows without problems since they were bought over by Zuffa, what happened with WEC 43 was a hiccup trying to make that into Affliction type problems is ridiculous. Also there is no problem with pay aside from some crybabies who really would be fighting for pennies before the WEC was around complaining. These guys are making more now than they ever woud have and just like Faber showed talk is just that when it comes to re-signing with the only company that gives him a shot at making any real money.
3. The WEC has been doing great since going on Versus, people really need to take a step back off the ledge and stop with the overdramatic bs it’s tired.
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