WEC to be folded into UFC
It was long-anticipated news that still came as a bit of a surprise. Ultimate Fighting Championships president Dana White announced on Thursday 28 October that World Extreme Cagefighting would be folded into
the UFC. The UFC and WEC are both mixed martial arts owned by the same parent company, Zuffa, but they traditionally have focused on different weight classes.
The WEC has three divisions, the 135, 145 and 155lb weight classes. The UFC on the other hand has five, with 155, 170, 185, 205 and 265lb. The move will mean the UFC will now have seven divisions, with the
two 155lb lightweight divisions being merged into one.
"The timing was right," White said. "The reality is we purchased the WEC, (and) we started getting these lighter-weight guys exposure on television... Now, as the UFC continues to grow globally, and we're
doing more and more fights, now we're bringing in those lighter weight classes."
Though White had announced a press conference promising a major announcement, it was met with skepticism, as in the past such conferences usually resulted in minor announcements. Indeed, it was such a surprise
that it took some fighters and their managers by surprise, unsure of what will happen to their current WEC contracts.
The move is part of the UFC’s aggressive global expansion. They’ve cemented their place as the world’s largest mixed martial arts promotion, putting on increasing amounts of events every year. Some fans have
complained though that their cards have become more watered down, with fewer title bouts per card. The addition of two new weight classes and their titles will allow the UFC to put on more and better cards.
White at the press conference noted that it would mean a pay raise and more exposure for the lighter weight classes, who have typically earned much lower pay and garnered poor ratings while being aired on
the Versus network. The WEC has only managed one pay-per-view to date, while the UFC puts on over a dozen a year.
Four UFC events per year will be aired on Versus, and the UFC will also keep airing events on Spike TV, its long-time home on cable.
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