UFC, WEC Merge: Look Who's Coming to the UFC
by Nick Thomas on Oct 29, 2010 9:35 AM EDT
in UFC News
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The Lightweights:Check out the Featherweights and Bantamweights after the jump.
Ben Henderson (12-1), Anthony Pettis (13-1), Ricardo Lamas (9-1), Donald Cerrone (12-3), Bart Palaszewski (35-13), Shane Roller (8-3), Kamal Shalorus (6-0-2), Maciej Jewtuszko (8-0), Jamie Varner (16-4-1), Danny Castillo (9-3), Dave Jansen (14-2), Tie Quan Zhang (12-0), Anthony Njokuani (13-4), Chris Horodecki (15-2), Will Kerr (9-2), Ed Ratcliff (7-3)
The Featherweights:
Jose Aldo (18-1), Manny Gamburyan (11-5), Urijah Faber (23-4), Mike Thomas Brown (24-6), Chad Mendes (8-0), Josh Grispi (14-1), Mark Hominick (19-8), Erik Koch (10-1), Leonard Garcia (13-6-1), Diego Nunes (15-1), Javier Vazquez (15-4) L.C. Davis (16-3), Renan Barao (23-1), George Roop (11-6-1), Cub Swanson (14-4), Raphael Assuncao (15-3), Mackens Semerzier (5-2), Fredson Paixao (10-3), Tyler Toner (6-2), Bryan Caraway (12-5), Chan Sung Jung (10-3), Brandon Visher (13-1), Yves Jabouin (14-6), Cole Province (6-2), John Franchi (5-2)
The Bantamweights:
Dominick Cruz (16-1), Joseph Benavidez (12-2), Brian Bowles (8-1), Miguel Torres (38-3), Wagnney Fabiano (14-2), Scott Jorgensen (11-3), Takeya Mizugaki (13-4-2), Eddie Wineland (17-6-1), Rani Yahya (15-6), Antonio Banuelos (18-6), Charlie Valencia (12-6), Clint Godfrey (11-2), Damacio Page (15-4), Brad Pickett (19-5), Frank Gomez (8-2), Chris Cariaso (10-2), Demetrious Johnson (6-1), Chad George (11-6), Seth Dikun (7-4), Noah Thomas (13-7), Rafael Rebello (6-4)
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Not great news for everyone...
A lot of those lightweights are going to get cut.
by judonerd on Oct 29, 2010 10:05 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Yeah, but...
…the LWs from the WEC will likely get snapped up by Bellator or SF and not make significantly less money, as my understanding is that the WEC just didn’t pay guys not named Faber. The real losers are the current UFC LWs who lose out to the new WEC guys.
I just can't understand this view.
Of course they may get cut, they might have been cut if it didn’t happen. It isn’t about having a right to be a fighter in a certain promotion, it is about skill level, success, etc.
I mean, I wanted to be a pro baseball player, I loved the sport, I worked harder than other guys, but it just wasn’t to be.
Now, this doesn’t mean I couldn’t play at another level, but I was never going to be a big leaguer.
Same goes for these guys. We know most of the WEC LWs are not UFC caliber and they are getting a shot they may not have gotten otherwise. There will be a couple that surprise and make a name for themselves and the others can go cash in on their experience in smaller promotions, where they may even make more money.
by BJJDenver on Oct 29, 2010 11:10 AM EDT up reply actions 7 recs
AND
I spoke with Tyler Toner yesterday and he is super excited about this. I would say he is one of those guys that is right on the fence at this time, where his next fight or two will determine his long term future. If guys like him are good with it, we probably should be as well.
by BJJDenver on Oct 29, 2010 11:13 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
I fully expect Faber to win his next fight and then either main event or co main event a UFC PPV in Sacramento very soon against Cruz/Jorgensen.
Could happen, I think they go co main though.
They need to get the top of the division a little exposure before they headline. The pop Faber would get in front of the Sacramento fans would add a pile of legitimacy to him and the division in the eyes of lay fans.
I’d say it is a pretty safe bet that a lot of those lightweights are going to be booked in ‘win or go home’ fights immediately.
The really interesting part for me is whether they are going to be able to build up Tie Quan Zhang now that he is playing in the deep end. Obviously, they will do everything they can to ensure he is successful, but finding guys who he can beat is going to get tougher and tougher as they thin out the herd.
I hope they cut leonard garcia immediately
by alterbridge on Oct 29, 2010 8:38 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs
But he's exciting.
And now with the merger they’ll only look at his overall record (which isn’t terrible) and his UFC record (which I believe is 0-1). He’ll need to lose twice in a row to get cut.
I like using semi-colons; they make me feel smart.
Garcia has been a staple of the WEC since it started. Cutting him with the merger would be horrible regardless of his record. Especially considering he always brings in the fans even if it does mean a losing streak.
by Empty Thoughts on Oct 29, 2010 12:42 PM EDT up reply actions
Holy shit at the noggin on Maciej Jewtuszko.
by Steve4192 on Oct 29, 2010 8:44 AM EDT reply actions 10 recs
I was thinking the exact same thing.....
Glad someone else caught that too…..
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That aint right. But I lol’d
Mike Goldberg: "You know Joe, When Matt and his brother Mark Hughes were growing up, they would pound each other behind the barn."
by xFenixKnightx on Oct 29, 2010 8:56 AM EDT up reply actions
I imagine most of those lightweights will be gone in short order. TUF 12 is lightweights, and a bunch of those guys will be put on the UFC roster – not gonna be room for all these fighters.
Most of those TUF 12 guys will probably go down to FW
a life: it's the shit that happens while you're waiting for moments that never come -Lester Freamon
by eastcoastatlas on Oct 29, 2010 9:04 AM EDT up reply actions
Either way, a lot of guys will be looking for new homes. The desperation could make for more interesting fights.
I think Ben Henderson, Anthony Pettis , Donald Cerrone (12-3), and Tie Quan Zhang (12-0), Kamal Shalorus (6-0-2) stick around for a while sure.
The others will probably get a fight or two. I also think we will probably get a couple cards featuring a number of these guys on Spike, just so the Spike audience can be familiarized with the names.
Sooooo
Excited
Akfjskdowkd
Fuck!
"Don't be scared homie!" Mayhem Miller
by We All Hate Caleb on Oct 29, 2010 9:27 AM EDT via mobile reply actions
so many great potential matchups:
pettis vs oliviera
cerrone vs cole miller
varner vs jim miller
njokuani vs sam stout
palascewski vs jeremy stephens
henderson vs maynard
Shouldn't Faber be at bantamweight?
I’m anxious to see which LWs drop down – would any stand a chance against Aldo?
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better. -Samuel Beckett
Reasoning will never make a man correct an ill opinion, which by reasoning he never acquired. -Jonathan Swift
by Scott C. Broussard on Oct 29, 2010 9:42 AM EDT reply actions
Edgar could probably drop down.
Off the top of my head I can’t think of a top of small UFC LW’s, anyone come to mind people?
Ready for some light Japanese fighters to be in the UFC.
Mike Goldberg: "You know Joe, When Matt and his brother Mark Hughes were growing up, they would pound each other behind the barn."
YUP
I would like to see Bibilano and Omigawa in wec UFC for sure
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by Thats It For you! on Oct 29, 2010 11:01 AM EDT up reply actions
After seeing what Cole Miller said on twitter about dropping down to 145, especially after a win, I think were gonna see a few bigger named ufc LW’s move down and fight at those lower weight classes.
Guys like Tyson Griffen, Spencer Fischer (who’s talked about it in the past), Jim Miller, Caol Uno (i know, he’s not in the UFC anymore) could all probably easily make the cut.
Guys like Sherk, Ruediger, Joe Daddy and Aaron Riley are big enough to make the cut, I just don’t know if they’d be able to or not.
Idk
I know aaron personaly. He walks around in the 180s. Hes great at cutting, but I dont know if he could make it and maintain his performance.
"I’m anti-stalling, not anti-wrestling." - lowellthehammer
by JaeeJaee on Oct 29, 2010 10:32 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Mmmhmm
I personally think this season has some pretty promising prospects too, unlike some of the more recent seasons (TUF 9 I’m looking at you)
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by sitnam90 on Oct 29, 2010 6:46 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
One thing that struck me, is how many short UFC LW’s that carry a lot of bulk, will now let the muscle go a bit and drop down. I think the names you mentioned are very good examples. LW is a tough class, because there has been no place for these guys to go in the UFC.
I nate diaz comes back to 155 i would love to see him vs the cowboy
by mlzybaby on Oct 29, 2010 10:45 AM EDT via mobile reply actions 1 recs
Faber.
Dropped down to Bantamweight, didn’t he? Why is he still listed as a Featherweight? Did I miss something?
Just about all of the WEC lightweights are fighting on the final two WEC cards. The likes of Njokuani and Castillo need to win to make it into the UFC.
There’s not many fighters left in the UFC from the WEC’s WW/MW/LHW divisions. As far as I can tell, there’s only seven – Condit, Pierce, Sonnen, Munoz, Simpson, Stann and Cantwell. I’m expecting there to be no more than half a dozen WEC 155ers still in the UFC by the end of next year.
Looking forward to gamburyan, brown and faber all getting beaten by mid-level LWs who decide to drop down. i’ve said it before nad ill say it again 145 and 135 are very shallow.
Those weight classes are absolutly shallow, but that doesn’t mean those specific guys are gonna get beat.
Brown and Faber are both very good fighters. Brown has concrete hands and very good wrestling. Faber is very well rounded, and can give anyone trouble.
Gamburyan, on the other hand, was/is overrated at 145. I think Brown would beat him 9 out of 10 times.
true but
With all these extra fighters it may seem like even the higher pound fighters might get cut easier since the roster is alot bigger now. cote and gonzaga were cut who knows who else will get cut from a loss too, to me it just feels like if someone loses they might feel threatened that they would get cut or every fight could mean their job is on the line. IMO that’s how it feels, but maybe since they are sucking up all the people working for WEC they have more of a force to get even more cards a year and maybe keep all the fighters active as possible and won’t have to cut alot of people at least im hoping.
by Michael Murdaugh on Oct 29, 2010 4:09 PM EDT reply actions
I dont think the cuts are gonna be that bad
Dana White has made his dreams of world domination pretty clear. As his dream unfolds its gonna require a bigger roster for more cards
Dear audio diary: Today I may have accidentally registered myself as a sex offender! WHAT IS WRONG WITH MY LIFE
- T-Rex
by sitnam90 on Oct 29, 2010 6:51 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
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