Could a Merger Between the UFC and WEC Be on the Horizon?
by Leland Roling on Aug 7, 2009 8:58 PM EDT
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According to multiple "tweets" that I've come across in which MMAWeekly is talking to Dana White and MMAFanhouse, White stated that the promotion is currently "talking about that right now" in regards to a potential merger between the UFC and the WEC:
MMAWeekly.com WOW >> Dana on possibly merging UFC & WEC: "We're talking about that right now"
This once again brings up the interesting discussion revolving around a potential merger between the WEC and UFC. Many fans have talked about it in the past as being a great possibility because of the unbelievable fights that have occurred in the WEC, but without the huge exposure that the UFC offers via their television deal with Spike and their PPV popularity. Versus isn't exactly a channel that gives the WEC a lot of exposure, and most post-fight interviews a week or so after a WEC event feature quotes from fighters complaining about their pay in relation to the poor exposure.
Enter the idea of a merger. What are the major advantages here? Current WEC champions and fighters will get the exposure they deserve. WEC fighters will see an increase to a UFC pay structure along with the potential to grab the bonuses that UFC fighters now have an opportunity to obtain. More than likely, an increase in sponsorship dollars. The full force of the UFC marketing machine coupled with, as pointed out in my first point, the exposure from SpikeTV and PPVs along with free events.
There are some downsides to the merger though. Most notably, the UFC would suddenly be increasing their roster size to include Featherweight and Bantamweight divisions. The WEC Lightweight division would likely be merged into the UFC lightweight division, and we're more than likely to see half that roster dropped. The big problem here is trying to put these fighters on television or pay-per-views with some sort of exposure to warrant the merger.
Right now, we do have some UFC events pushing 13 fights with the Affliction demise and movement of some of those match-ups to the UFC. With the addition of the WEC roster to the UFC roster, this truly becomes a behemoth roster of fighters that needs either more events or a cut across the board. The UFC could begin to create more events for fans, but that would likely need an increase in staff and could become a logistics nightmare. If Zuffa simply moved the WEC staff over to the UFC, it's possible... and it's pretty great for MMA fans everywhere with more events.
The other angle would be to begin cutting down each division's roster at the backend. A cut across the board would leave room for all of the mid to upper-echelon fighters in each division, which would make some room to add BW and FW battles to PPV undercards. Championship or contender bouts could happen on main cards with a few fights on UFN and Finale cards like any other division.
The only major problem with dumping fighters is giving other promotions a chance to use their limited fame from being in the UFC to their advantage. I don't see that really as a problem though. I would just love to see the UFC put on shows on a 2 or 3 shows monthly basis. Furthermore, this could be an excellent move to push a weekly MMA show for a network like ESPN.
The bigger points still revolve around getting these fighters paid the big bucks that they deserve. Guys like Torres, Brown, and Faber deserve some major dollars for the dominance they've displayed, and it'll only begin to lure some of the Japanese fighters this way as well. Is this a good move for the UFC, or should they keep it separate? I'm more inclined to merge the two promotions and put on more shows, but that may come at a price.
The FanPosts are solely the subjective opinions of Bloody Elbow readers and do not necessarily reflect the views of Bloody Elbow editors or staff.
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The TV deal with Versus has something to do with this not already happening, as does the pending ESPN/ABC deal, and the necessitation of more programming/talent.
I STILL poop rainbows.
They’ll probably just fold the LW fighters into the UFC and start bringing in the 125 pound weight class to the WEC. It’s not realistic for the UFC to have 7 weight classes in what’s an already overstacked roster of 5 weight classes.
Um...
I think they already folded the lightweight division.
Unless you mean dump the bantamweight and featherweight to the UFC and you mean “lighter weight”.
"And Joe for Matt Hughes, dislike may not be a strong enough adjective!" - Mike Goldberg
Both WEC and UFC still have lightweight divisions.
Disintegration -- I'm taking it in stride.
by Eugene Schelfaut on Aug 7, 2009 4:30 PM EDT up reply actions
Nah, LW exists. WW was dumped, hence why Carlos Condit is in the UFC.
Follow me on Twitter @lelandroling
"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I’m not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
by Leland Roling on Aug 7, 2009 4:30 PM EDT up reply actions
Nooo! but he sounded so sure! ;)
by Anton Tabuena on Aug 7, 2009 8:53 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Get a new phone weo?
I don’t think they’re actually going to let him kill me... And if he does kills me, book sales will really go up. Boom…win-win, bitch.- Forrest Griffin on Anderson Silva
by ufc4 on Aug 7, 2009 10:39 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
nah, i use an itouch when i'm in bed and im too lazy to walk to the computer..
(yeah i know, there’s no rehab for this.. i need help.. haha)
by Anton Tabuena on Aug 8, 2009 12:14 AM EDT up reply actions
This would be an excellent move for the long term. In the short term it would be confusing and present some scheduling issues trying to get all the fighters enough fights. Basically, this doesn’t go through until the ESPN/ABC deal is done. With the Ultimate Fighter tied up with Spike, and wanting to keep their PPV’s in place, the best option is to offer some Fight Night cards for ABC with the occasional PPV caliber event. The WEC guys bring in exciting, fast fights that will hold a TV audience and gain the fighters the exposure and therefore $ they deserve.
Something else to note. The lighter weights make a good case for acceptance by the tv audience. They are less then average size guys that have more normal looking bodies. This is important because they will appear less intimidating to the average viewer and therefore more quickly accepted. In my opinion that is.
Well, that and the fights have been phenomenal in the WEC. Excitement for the casual fanbase.
Follow me on Twitter @lelandroling
"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I’m not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
by Leland Roling on Aug 7, 2009 4:41 PM EDT up reply actions
the fact that they're talking about it...
..indicates to me that a network deal is coming, and they’re going to put on a regular free show as a result.
If you see Mark Coleman in person, drop $5 on the floor and watch the fun as he tries in vain to bend down and pick it up.
I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a shitty WEC event, the lighter fighters always put on an interesting exciting fight.
Anything that gets WEC off of Versus (which is not available here) is a good thing IMO.
I think some fighters may lose their job in the process but to be honest it could make for some interesting content.
155 ultra tournament anyone?
I expect that like was mentioned, this is announced if/when a major TV deal goes through to give a new place for all the fights that will have to take place to keep people busy/employed.
i like the wec
i voted no on the merger..i think the wec can stand alone as a promotion, they just need to get off of VS and get to a better network. i like the light weight fights wec events to me are more actioned packed..so i wouldnt want to see that get watered down with heavy fights in between
"The most used phrase in my administration if I were to be President would be "What the hell you mean we're out of missiles?"
The Glenn Beck Program, January 12 2009 lp.org
None of the WEC fighters make any money fighting on Versus.
Keep firing Assholes!
Thanks to Bisping's reenactment of the Battle of Cowpens, walla walla walla I'm an idiot.
Guys like Torres and Brown will get paid better in the UFC, but what about the half of the roster that gets cut? Zuffa will have to slash and burn the WEC roster in order to ensure that the guys they do keep can get enough fights. There is no way in hell they will run regular WEC schedule of eight FW/BW fights per event. They’ll keep the champions and maybe four or five contenders. Every one else will get a pink slip.
A merger will be good for the cream of the crop, but it will put everybody else in the WEC on on the unemployment line.
by Steve4192 on Aug 7, 2009 8:31 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Zuffa is not an employment program, fighters get cut all the time.
Keep firing Assholes!
Thanks to Bisping's reenactment of the Battle of Cowpens, walla walla walla I'm an idiot.
by Ubernoober on Aug 7, 2009 8:58 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
I agree.
I’m just saying that the notion that a merger will be good for the fighters is short sighted.
Good for Torres, Faber, & Brown? Absolutely.
Good for everybody else? Not so much.
A lot of guys are going to get canned, and a lot of contenders who are main card mainstays in the WEC are going to be stuck fighting in UFC prelims.
I think that the UFC will be putting on more shows with a larger roster that will keep more of the lighter guys employed.
Hopefully they end up on CBS and get bajillions of dollars in sponsorship money.
Another option would be to bring the big guys over to the UFC and use the WEC as a farm team.
Keep firing Assholes!
Thanks to Bisping's reenactment of the Battle of Cowpens, walla walla walla I'm an idiot.
The WEC schedule is also one event every two months or something, so they have to put on eight bantam/featherweight fights every card. The UFC has like four events every two months and can spread the majority of their talent over those cards if they add an extra fight or two to the card.
There’s also the option of weekly live fight nights that gets occasionally mentioned by the UFC and Spike.
I doubt the UFC would assimilate the WEC just to pay their champions more. They wouldn’t do it unless they were going to keep a full and healthy division so I think the only people that will get cut are the ones that can’t hack it.
"Japan panics about the rise of "grass-eating men," who shun sex, don’t spend money, and like taking walks."
Did they all get married?
- Ubernoober
I think if the UFC were to absorb the WEC the smart thing would be to extend the UFC PPVs to 4 hours, and put 7 fights (as opposed to 5) on the main card. Then you could have another 7-8 on the preliminary card. Instead of doing just 3-4 fight nights a year on spike they could up that to 8. That would provide plenty of opportunity without massive fighter cuts. Of course a network deal would only sweeten the pot.
I think that a merger is 3 to 5 years off, as the WEC was purchased and brought to Versus to prevent another MMA promotion from getting a TV home, and that deal was recently renewed.
However, what I wonder is this: Part of UFC’s appeal to casual fans is its simplicity. With 7 or 8 weight classes, would the company have difficulty marketing the concept of “World Champion,” when they themselves have pushed the idea that too many champions dilute the idea?
I think the idea is that too many “world champions” in a single weight class is the problem. One champion in each weight class is a different thing altogether.
by JRN on Aug 7, 2009 9:14 PM EDT up reply actions
I think this would be very helpful if (when?) the UFC needs to make a move towards a weekly or biweekly fight show. If TUF runs it’s course or if a network requests it.
Adding those fighters into the fold would be very helpful to get some known people fighting more often at UFC branded events, because the fights that make up the bottom of the undercard would not make for great weekly TV shows, and it would be silly to put big PPV draws on free TV too often.
I like this
Those little guys deserve to be on the big stage. I loves me my free MMA, but guys like Torres are never going to get really paid until they go to PPV, and the best way to do that is under the UFC banner.
When a true genius appears in the world, you may know him by this sign, that the dunces are in a confederacy against him. - Jonathan Swift
Right on. I’m tired of having to explain who the badass named Miguel Torres is.
Also, if WEC 41 had been on Spike, every casual fan would have shit themselves and swallowed their own heads over how great that show was.
I don’t get Versus either, so if the WEC gets on Spike, bonus.
Keep firing Assholes!
Thanks to Bisping's reenactment of the Battle of Cowpens, walla walla walla I'm an idiot.
Has to happen..
once the UFC is able to do a weekly show or starts increasing the number of shows they put on. Guys such as Torres, Faber, and Brown all need more exposure and only the UFC brand will be able to provide that. A lot of my MMA friends still think of the WEC as a minor league brand and become surprised when I explain that the WEC and UFC are owned by the same entity. In my mind, this merger is inevitable.
Make it happen!
The problems people said about fighters being cut will probably be mostly for their LW decision only.. The WEC has most of the top guys in FW and BW, so there is no reason to cut most of them..
If the UFC gets another TV deal, then putting off more cards won’t be a problem too..
by Anton Tabuena on Aug 7, 2009 8:59 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
I say merge as well… there have been alot of complaints on the UG about the main card of WEC 43
Main Card:
Donald Cerrone (10-1) vs. Ben Henderson (9-1)
Rich Crunkilton (16-2) vs. Dave Jansen (12-0)
Damacio Page (11-4) and Akitoshi Tamura (14-7-2)
Anthony Pettis (7-0) vs. Alex Karalexis (10-4)
The WEC only has 3 weight classes, one of the champs is out indefinitely.
The WEC also produces some of the most utterly kick ass cards for free, I don’t get why they complain when the odd card comes up that isn’t fantastic. They should be thankful for what they get.
Keep firing Assholes!
Thanks to Bisping's reenactment of the Battle of Cowpens, walla walla walla I'm an idiot.
Rafael Assuncao vs. Yves Jabouin
Scott Jorgensen vs. Rafael Rebello
Wagnney Fabiano vs. Erik Koch
Manny Tapia vs. Eddie Wineland
Muhsin Corbbrey vs. Anthony Njokuani
Charlie Valencia vs. Coty Wheeler
Mark Hominick vs. Deividas Taurosevicius
While i’m not crazy about 2 of the fights on the main card, overall this is another damn good card from the WEC.
This would be awesome!
“The WEC Lightweight division would likely be merged into the UFC lightweight division, and we’re more than likely to see half that roster dropped.” Or they could be kept on the roster and become the free fights we see on Spike or ESPN/ABC (eventually) on a monthly basis. This would get them the exposure they are looking for and could pave the way to big PPV events.
from what i have heard
Take this with a grain of salt but my training partner here down at Jacksons who also teachef bjj at another gym has been telling me that the wec and ufc are trying to do a tuf type thing for the wec.
"What do you want from me?..... A Slap?"
by xtremecouture on Aug 7, 2009 9:54 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
I'm for this
as much as I live free WEC on versus, having Miguel get PPV exposure would be great.
Plus, we get to see the cowboy int he UFC!
Dana had some interesting things to say at the Q&A today where he discussed this. he also said they are running a “Best of Pride” on Spike in January which sounds pretty sweet. He said some other interesting things too, if you could weed your way through all of the dopes in the crowd telling everybody their life story, and where they are from, and if they can get a picture with Dana
I think it'd be great
The PPVs could have a title fight every time instead of the every 3 cards it seems like it’s turned into. The PPVs would all have higher quality fights with even more high caliber fighters and the UFC could use the gatekeepers and lower tier fighters to put on something like bi-weekly free shows on ESPN or some other network. These lower tier guys don’t make a ton anyway and if they put on a show, everyone wins. We get good fights and it’ll only increase the fanbase and therefor revenue for Zuffa. Plus the obvious fighter pay benefits that come along with the UFC for guys like Torres who deserve soooooooo much more than they’re making.
The increase in fights per card make me think the UFC is planning on increasing the stable of fighters enough to put on more shows. Right now according to websites, there are 211 UFC fighters, 95 WEC fighters, and Dana mentioned they got about 17 fighters from Affliction.
323 fighters, I think they are planning something pretty big.
A man should never waste an opportunity to keep his mouth shut.
plus dana said..
The reality is they would love that right now. I could make that deal with a network in two seconds. The problem is that there’s definitely not enough talent for a ‘Tuesday Night Fights’ type show.
Although, i wouldn’t want a weekly show.. It would kinda make fights lose some luster IMO.. maybe twice a month at the most.. Plus the normal numbered PPV, and i would be a happy happy fan by then…
too many fights would seem like boxing, where people wouldn’t pay attention to the undercard fighters anymore..
by Anton Tabuena on Aug 7, 2009 10:18 PM EDT up reply actions
too many fights would seem like boxing, where people wouldn’t pay attention to the undercard fighters anymore.
Casual fans don’t really care about the undercard fighters NOW. Or by “undercard,” do you mean main card fighters not in the main events?
And why so anti-boxing?
Wish people would standardize terms about fight cards. To me it has always been:
Main event = obvious
Co-main event = obvious
Undercard = fights on the televised portion of the card but not main or co-main
Prelims = fights on the untelevised portion of the card
A man should never waste an opportunity to keep his mouth shut.
I think that the term “undercard” was used historically to refer to non-main event fights generally, so really, the non-televised undercard bouts should be called Prelims, and the televised undercard bouts should have a different name…“midcard” perhaps?
No and I've seen this discussion before
To MMA fans, Main Card = guaranteed to be on the PPV, Undercard = fights they might try to squeeze in.
When a true genius appears in the world, you may know him by this sign, that the dunces are in a confederacy against him. - Jonathan Swift
by Derek Suboticki on Aug 8, 2009 3:40 PM EDT up reply actions
ONLY A THOUSAND TIMES FROM THE TOP OF A TALL HILL
You’re just a poser that covers his ignorance by loving Machida :p
When a true genius appears in the world, you may know him by this sign, that the dunces are in a confederacy against him. - Jonathan Swift
by Derek Suboticki on Aug 8, 2009 3:49 PM EDT up reply actions
How does it feel to be on the eve of being a Chief’s fan?
A man should never waste an opportunity to keep his mouth shut.
by iiowyn on Aug 8, 2009 4:45 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Like I’m waiting for some kind of anal surgery.
When a true genius appears in the world, you may know him by this sign, that the dunces are in a confederacy against him. - Jonathan Swift
by Derek Suboticki on Aug 8, 2009 5:00 PM EDT up reply actions
hahaha
Bolts from the Blue // "Game over." - Jamal Williams
Bloody Elbow // "Every normal man must be tempted at times to spit upon his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats." - H.L. Mencken
Since Zuffa owns it anyway, I’d be fine with a merger provided the UFC puts on more shows.
I specializes in grammar fail.
Yea but if they merge won’t they lose their Versus deal? The UFC deal with Spike is cable exclusive, they can’t put UFC shows on Versus. Versus sucks but the idea of have merged companies and fewer free shows (not to mention having to now pay to see the WEC champions fight) just makes me a sad panda. I would just really hate to see a merger that cost me 6 to 8 excellent WEC free events a year in exchange for having to now pay to see Faber or Brown or Torres on a UFC PPV and no noticable increase in free shows on SpikeTV (or anywhere else for that matter). Perhaps if there was an actual tv deal in place where we know we would see more shows then it would be different but saying they will put on more shows is just pure speculation at this point.
I agree.
The amount of UFC shows would have to increase by around 10 or so. Keeping everyone in the WEC busy, while also factoring in that there would be fights from heavier divisions on those cards, would take a lot. I can’t imagine the UFC would be all that into putting on an entire card of just featherweights or bantamweights.
A network deal sure would be nice.
I specializes in grammar fail.
by a tommy point on Aug 8, 2009 1:09 AM EDT up reply actions
A network deal sure would be nice.
I’ve always been against new/more divisions (including the argument about women in the UFC), but with the pending ESPN/ABC deal (I discussed this up top), there will be room for more programming. The WEC has always had poor brand recognition and their fighters have been underpaid. I’d love a merger with increased programming, as well as more educational productions that introduce/acclimate casual viewers to some of these new fighters.
I STILL poop rainbows.
A new/better tv deal would make this a lot more interesting, of course if they’d just got a new deal for the WEC instead of leaving them on Versus then they may of been able to grow to a point where merger wasn’t neccessary too. Having all the smaller guys on the same show was part of the reason that the WEC shows are normally so darn good too, those guys really go at it.
The increase in fights per PPV makes me think Zuffa wants to bulk up it’s roster for something. The only reason I can see for that is to increase the number of cards. You only need 10 fights per 3 hour event, they have shown that often.
A man should never waste an opportunity to keep his mouth shut.
everyone likes free shows but in this case stop thinking about yourself and think about the guys like faber, torres, aldo, cerrone, and many more who for many years have deserved this type of recognition and pay raise.
Why should I stop thinking about myself? It’s the fighter’s responsibility to take care of themselves and it’s my responsibility to look out for my own wants and needs. Any more than one UFC ppv a month and I won’t be able to afford it (nor will a significant number of fans), unless they are planning on lowering the PPV cost (not going to happen) or are getting a deal on another network to show more events this means I will see less MMA and that just happens to be a issue for me. Sorry if the fact that I actually want to watch fights sounds selfish but honestly isn’t having fans watch the fights the whole point of them existing to start with?
by who me on Aug 8, 2009 11:29 AM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
The WEC gets no exposure
I think this would be good. The WEC even on the biggest events draws about the same amount of viewers as an episode of TUF.
Also do realize if some of these fighters dont start getting better money and fame it could lead to them leaving for Strikeforce a guy like Miguel Torres should be as well known as GSP but because he fights in the WEC he is not known as well.
Look the UFC needs to fold the WEC and just find a way to put on more cards for free.
Sign a big network tv deal and also either put more free shows on Spike or get a deal with ESPN and then do it that way. It will work out.
The UFC is the dominant mma organization like NFL to football, NBA to basketball, and so on. There are a good majority of fans that dont know mma outside the UFC and so to get exposure to the guys like Torres, Brown, Aldo, Faber, Bowles, etc…
Finally maybe doing this will improve some of the PPV’s. Most are great but could you imagine if Brown/Faber 2 was headling 99 and Torres/Bowles headling 102 that would be sick. And events like 99 outside of Wand/Franklin I was a little bit pissed I even ordered the event.
More cards under the UFC name, More Free cards under the UFC name, better cards under the UFC brand. Tell me why this is a bad idea agin. Oh yeah fighters will have to be cut? Not if you host more cards
If Torres or Faber want to go to SF let them, these guys have been turned into stars overnight thanks to the WEC which without the would be fighting for pennies in b league orgs. The WEC is fine right where it is right now they are growing and are building up their divisions to become the place where the best 145, 135, and 125 fighters fight. Guys want to bitch about money, i’ll say to them the same thing I said about AA be very carefull about chasing short term money and making dumb business decisions because they could lead you to want to play russian roulette with your mma career.
Even if they have been made into “stars,” they certainly aren’t paid like it. Manny Gamburyan earns more than either of them. MMA is not a career you can do until you are 60. It’s a little ridiculous that Mike Brown, the world’s #1 Featherweight, does not have enough financial security to ensure that he won’t have to get a regular job to support himself and his family should his MMA career take sharp nose dive. Almost all of the top 30 HWs or top 30 LHWs make more per fight than him. BJ Penn makes more than five or six times what Mike Brown or Miguel Torres make. Meanwhile the WEC actually makes back it’s fighters’ salaries on the ticket gates alone, and Versus is almost certainly paying them several times that. Yeah, obviously there’s staffing, overhead and production costs, but a lot of WEC fighters are definitely underpaid. More exposure for these guys would be great.
I’m all in favor of putting them all under one roof and just running more shows.
by Chromium on Aug 8, 2009 3:29 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Well couple of things:
First 125 lb fights havent even happened in the WEC yet
Second without Faber and Torres the WEC would have folded a long time ago.
As for AA unlike Tim Sylvia he fought four times for Affliction and made 3 million dollars total in 4 fights in his previous 4 fights with the ufc he made 565k total and i doubt he is done. In his last fight with the ufc at 82 he got paid 170k which i wouldnt be suprised if strikeforce signs him to a deal with similar money.
Why would they go to Strikeforce? Strikeforce can’t even fill out the larger divisions and they don’t pay much better than the WEC does. No guys like Faber would lean towards going to Japan not Strikeforce, the lighter divisions are much more established and popular in Japan.
Finally maybe doing this will improve some of the PPV’s. Most are great but could you imagine if Brown/Faber 2 was headling 99 and Torres/Bowles headling 102 that would be sick. And events like 99 outside of Wand/Franklin I was a little bit pissed I even ordered the event.
Are you actually trying to make a point that having to pay for those fights would of been better than getting to see them for free? Yes having those fights on a PPV would be good for the UFC but sorry I just can’t get very excited about paying for them instead of getting them for free.
by who me on Aug 8, 2009 11:50 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Fighters like Torres, Brown, Aldo, Faber, especially Torres though would become instant megastars in the UFC. Torres deserves a large chunk of money for fighting the way he does. Dude talks the talk and walks the walk. The fact that he is Mexican and walks out to friggin Chente (aka Mariachi GOD) makes him a goldmine for the Latino market.
GSP: I pulled my groin.
Greg Jackson: I don't care Georges! HIT HIM WITH YOUR GROIN!
GSP: I pulled my groin.
Greg Jackson: I don't care Georges! HIT HIM WITH YOUR GROIN!
by xFenixKnightx on Aug 7, 2009 11:23 PM EDT up reply actions
this
torres, faber, aldo, etc just flat out deserve to be headlining UFC ppv’s. bring more attention to the little guys.
While I agree 100% with this (the WEC shows are better than the UFC shows in a large part because the smaller fighters are just amazing) I’m not sure it would translate to the casual fans in that manner. In North America there is a tendancy to think bigger is better, the casual fans just might not be that interested in the little guys.
I think this is a great idea. No point confusing new fans with two brands.
Also TUF can’t last forever and they will need a new free TV product of some kind.
With that many fighters a weekly show might be possible.
I dislike Matt Hughes.
I agree with your sig 100%
and I honestly hope they don’t kill TUF off the air. It’s the only entertainment value I find on TV. I say they go with idea of taking WEC fighters and make them go through a TUF type show and keep the best.
"I will knock your hair black!"- Ken Shamrock to Tito Ortiz
They should keep the WEC
Zuffa is going to need somewhere for their 2nd tier talent once they put Strikeforce under.
The discussion is NOT about the WEC merging with the UFC…
The discussion is about adding the 145lb and 135lb division into the UFC and then using the WEC as the official “B” league with all weight classes – new prospects and ufc washouts.
The idea is to have more weight classes for the UFC deals coming up and to cultivate a solution(wec) for developing new talent and recycling old talent.
The Alternative is keeping the wec as it is with its plans and just adding the 195lb division to the UFC and some other changes.
There are cons and benefits to both scenarios. Really the deals that are on the table and how they turn out will decide which scenario becomes reality.
by mmalogic on Aug 8, 2009 7:08 AM EDT reply actions 2 recs
It’s the same thing….
Merging is really bringing in the 145 and 135 divisions. That’s the ultimate question. I figured the WEC would stick around, but ultimately… it comes down to pushing the 145 and 135 divisions into the UFC.
Follow me on Twitter @lelandroling
"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I’m not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
by Leland Roling on Aug 8, 2009 7:30 AM EDT up reply actions
But it’s not, really, because right now WEC is SPECIALIZING on putting on a particular brand of lightweight-centric MMA. Shifting their top-tier fighters to the UFC, while receiving second-tier fighters in all divisions in return, would represent a departure from that strategy, and transform WEC into a second-tier organization, not in terms of casual fans’ perception, but in reality. And that has been something that Zuffa, since the purchase of the WEC, as been reluctant to make happen — it’s one of the reasons that they put Paulo Filho there when he was a Top 5 fighter, and why they attempted to sell is Carlos Condit as a top fighter at welterweight.
But that being said, it does seem like this scenario is more likely than WEC just being dissolved. With Strikeforce, Bellator and DREAM as unaffiliated high-level second-tier organizations, a bulked-up WEC can compete directly with them, and crystallize the perception that these organizations are sub-UFC. Furthermore, as competitors for talent, fighters might accept “reassignment” to the WEC before being released into the MMA wilderness (even in the face of lucrative deals by Strikeforce, Bellator and DREAM) if they think that impressive performances there will get them back to the UFC faster.
Again, though, it hinges on fight card volume and capacity. Weekly or biweekly fight shows are likely necessary, with some fighters likely marginalized as “Fight Night Fighters,” while other are viewed as “PPV Fighters” (although the risks and opportunities of being a main card fighter vs. a prelim fighter in both those scenarios would differ). Casual fans would have to be sold on the idea of all fights mattering, and they’d need to be better educated about the champions and contenders in each weight class, which might lead to sensory overload. Stars would still sell, but it might become harder to make stars…particularly if TUF ever loses its appeal.
But it does hold promise…just not right now.
Bellator has been really quiet lately, and with rumors of UFC talking with ESPN, I am rather curious what is going to happen with them. They were fairly innovative and I think did a few things very intelligently, like using Youtube as a new way to draw in viewers.
A man should never waste an opportunity to keep his mouth shut.
Last I heard, Bellator was talking with a few cable companies, not just ESPN. I also heard that FX was trying to add tentpole sports programming around the same time. Bellator events, to the extent that they are weekly, and center around “seasons,” would be a pretty good fit for that network, in the event that ESPN wants to go after the bigger fish. If Bellator can work something out to get FX as well as FSN involved (via the Fox connection), that would be a smart move too.
I actually like that idea better, logic. Torres, Brown, Aldo, Faber etc can be in the UFC and we still get to have WEC shows building even more talent. YUS!!
GSP: I pulled my groin.
Greg Jackson: I don't care Georges! HIT HIM WITH YOUR GROIN!
by xFenixKnightx on Aug 8, 2009 11:46 AM EDT up reply actions
While that would be interesting it would seem to be the WEC taking a step back in terms of quality. I guess we would end up with Versus doing fight night level events (or even lower than that level).
yeah, the biggest pro to this scenario is that it’s easier to make the 135lb and 145lb division into ppv draws in the UFC than to make the wec a ppv draw.
And Zuffa would control its own feeder system.
by mmalogic on Aug 8, 2009 4:48 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Not going to happen.
In the post-UFC 101 press conference, Dana clarified his position.
He said he was asked if they had thought about merging them and that they had thought about it.
BUT, he said they have thought about a lot of things and that there are no plans to alter the WEC in anyway.
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