WEC News - Page 2

MAIN CARD •Urijah Faber (136) vs. Takeya Mizugaki (136) •Chad Mendes (145.5) vs. Javier Vazquez (146) •Erik Koch (146) vs. Francisco Rivera (146) •Joseph Benavidez (136) vs. Wagnney Fabiano (136) •Demetrious Johnson (135) vs. Damacio Page (136) PRELIMINARY CARD •Raphael Assuncao (146) vs. L.C. Davis (146) •Edward Faaloloto (154) vs. Anthony Njokuani (156) •Zack Micklewright (158)* vs. Dustin Poirier (155) •Clint Godfrey (136) vs. Michael McDonald (135) •Mackens Semerzier (145) vs. Cub Swanson (145) •Yves Jabouin (145) vs. Brandon Visher (145) * - Micklewright has been given one hour to make the 156-pound limit

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Heavy.com has learned that former WEC bantamweight champion Miguel Torres will take on Antonio Banuelos at UFC 126. The bout will serve as the UFC debut for both Torres and Banuelos. Torres will be on tonight’s edition of MMA Live

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So says Benavidez, who didn't want to spend the rest of 2010-and WEC's existence-on the sidelines. "When the fight came up with Wagnney Fabiano, it was kind of a no brainer. I was definitely looking to fight before the end of the year. You know, definitely wanted to get in that third fight of the year. I had already taken some time off, and it’s kind of hard man. I’m just a fighter and when someone offers me a fight, it’s always something I want to do. I’m always training and it always feels like the right decision for me." Benavidez also says, naturally, that if he wins this fight he'd be reluctant to fight his next potential opponent after Fabiano-Urijah Faber.

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So he says, while also noting the changes Aldo has made over his career. "I seen him before, when he first started, being a little more wild with those flying knees, doing all those crazy acrobatics he does. But then I saw him calm down a little bit in the title fights to conserve energy, it looks like, because he has five five-minute rounds. Definitely a mature fighter. Definitely he has ring awareness and [knows] what’s going on time-wise and everything like that. He’s definitely a complete package. Everyone’s human. No matter how you look at it, everyone’s human. They can be knocked out, they can be choked out. I’m going to find those weak points when I get in there."

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So he says in response to said accusations from his WEC 52 foe-to-be, Javier Vazquez. "I think that's BS. I don't think I've been spoon-fed at all. I've been wrestling since I was five years old. I've gone through the grind, probably harder than anything he's ever done his entire life. So getting into that, coming over into the MMA world, I feel I've trained hard so I don't really know what he's talking about."

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From middleeasy.com: "This past weekend, our favorite cowboy did what most men would do when put in the position to stand up for a woman, only he did it backstage at a local MMA event with the guy scheduled to fight in the main event. The end result were some cuts and bruises on both men, forcing the cancellation of the main event." Man Donald IMO is going to have to fork over some cash to fix this one.

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by MMAjunkie.com Staff on Oct 28, 2010 at 1:40 pm ET A showdown between WEC and UFC champions is on the horizon. The winner of an upcoming WEC title fight between champion Ben Henderson (12-1 MMA, 5-0 WEC) and challenger Anthony Pettis (11-1 MMA, 4-1 WEC) will meet the winner of an upcoming UFC title fight between champion Frankie Edgar (13-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC) and challenger Gray Maynard (10-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC). The news was shared today by UFC president Dana White on the heels of an announcement that the UFC is folding the WEC into its promotion in January 2011, though he did not provide a timeline for the meeting between the two promotions' lightweight champions. Henderson vs. Pettis is set to take place at WEC 53, which takes place at the Jobing.com Arena in Glendale, Ariz., while Edgar vs. Maynard is set for UFC 125 on Jan. 1 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Until today's merger announcement, the WEC lightweight division was the only class which overlapped with UFC's lightweight division. That, of course, led to airy speculation on potential matchups between the promotion's champions, though both UFC and WEC officials repeatedly downplayed the possibility. WEC 52, which takes place Nov. 11, and WEC 53 are the final events scheduled for the WEC.

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World Extreme Cagefighting is merging with its sister organization the Ultimate Fighting Championship.In the video interview below, Dana White exclusively confirmed that the merger will take place in January 2011. In addition, White said that four UFC events will air live on Versus in 2011. The final two WEC cards will air on the cable network on Nov. 11 and Dec. 16, which means that starting next year, the UFC will absorb WEC's 135, 145 and 155 weight classes.

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If there's one place Jamie Varner might not get booed in WEC, it's in his hometown of Phoenix. We might find out at WEC 53 if that's the case as Varner will likely face Shane Roller at the event. The fight should be made official shortly. Varner also will try to snap a 3-fight winless streak while Roller could earn a shot at the Benson Henderson-Anthony Pettis WEC Lightweight Title fight winner with a victory.

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Donald Cerrone will fight at December's WEC 53 event, but it won't be against rival Jamie Varner. Instead, Cerrone (12-3 MMA, 5-3 WEC) has agreed to fight fellow lightweight contender Chris Horodecki (16-2 MMA, 2-1 WEC) at the WEC's finals show if 2010. MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) confirmed the planned matchup with sources close to the event, who said verbal agreements are in place. MMAWeekly.com first reported it earlier today. WEC 53 takes place Dec. 16 at Jobing.com Arena in Glendale, Ariz., and the night's main card airs on Versus. Cerrone vs. Horodecki could make the broadcast, though WEC officials will not determine the televised lineup until closer to the show.

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Former WEC Bantamweight Champion Eddie Wineland is now off WEC 52 due to a lingering shoulder injury. He was to have faced Damacio Page. Demetrious Johnson is the short-notice replacement.

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Danny Downes (6-1 MMA, 0-1 WEC) is expected to meet Tiequan Zhang (12-0 MMA, 1-0 WEC) at WEC 53. Chicago's MMA was the first to report the pending fight, and MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) has learned from sources close to the event that verbal agreements are in place with paperwork on the way. WEC 53 takes place Dec. 16 at the Jobing.com Arena in Glendale, Ariz., and features a a pair of championship fights. It is unknown whether Downes vs. Zhang will air live on the Versus-televised fight card.

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Add another sponsor to the list of brands that UFC fighters may no longer display during events. Sports drink company Good4U Drinks today announced via its Web site that Zuffa CEO Lorenzo Fertitta informed the brand in an email that they would no longer be welcome at UFC events. Good4U's American representative, Rick DeBanks, wrote this morning: “Good4U Drinks is seen by Zuffa as a direct competitor to Xenergy (which is owned by Zuffa) and AMP Energy, which advertises heavily on both WEC events and Spike TV's “The Ultimate Fighter.” Although Good4U are sport drinks and not energy drinks, they have been taking share from these brands.”

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Although WEC Featherweight Champion Jose Aldo recently told the TATAME that Mark Hominick may be th enext challenger for his title, WEC may have other plans. WEC officials declined to comment on the possibility and simply said nothing has been decided regarding Aldo's next fight. But additional sources said other candidates are under consideration. One of those under consideration likely is a fighter who has beaten Hominick in the past, meaning Josh Grispi. Other possibilities: The Chad Mendes-Javier Vazquez winner (WEC 52), Diego Nunes and...don't laugh, it's possible albeit highly unlikely...the next possible import from Japan: Michihiro Omigawa, who could debut as soon as WEC 53.

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That's what he suggested to the TATAME in Brazil. "Whoever it may be, I always respect everybody. We may already have a title defense in January with Mark Hominick, a Canadian very good in kickboxing." No confirmation yet from WEC.

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LONDON – Jose Aldo vs. Frankie Edgar? Benson Henderson vs. B.J. Penn? For more than a year, Zuffa officials have been adamant with decries that the Ultimate Fighting Championship and its sister promotion, World Extreme Cagefighting, will operate as independent organizations. But for the first time, a company executive has suggested the WEC may get a promotional push by the UFC, and it could result in superfights between the two organizations' biggest stars. Today during a UFC Fan Expo London 2010 Q&A session at the Earls Court Exhibition Centre in London, UFC co-owner and CEO Lorenzo Fertitta admitted the time likely has come for the UFC to help its smaller partner. After all, while the WEC has produced some of the best and most competitive events of the past few years, ratings have sunk, attendance figures have flat-lined (when WEC star Urijah Faber isn't on the card), and yet the company continues producing some of the sport's top lighter-weight fighters, including featherweight champ Aldo, lightweight title-holder Henderson, and a host of other notables in the 135-, 145- and 155-pound divisions.

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LONDON – WEC featherweight champion Jose Aldo may agree with observers who think he's running out of credible threats. During a Q&A session with UFC Fight Club members at the Earls Court Exhibition Centre in London, UFC president Dana White said Aldo has expressed interest in moving up to the lightweight division. "From what I'm hearing, Aldo's interested in testing himself," White said. The UFC president did not present a timeline for a possible move other than to say it could happen "very soon." Aldo, a member of powerhouse MMA team Blackhouse, decimated the most recent challenger to his WEC crown when he took out former UFC lightweight and "The Ultimate Fighter 5" runner-up Manny Gamburyan by second-round TKO at WEC 51. It was his eighth consecutive victory in the promotion.

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It would seem that while WEC might've hoped otherwise, the response to if their seemingly unstoppable Featherweight Champion can draw is "No Way, Jose"-pun intended. The Colorado Office of Boxing today announced WEC 51 last week drew only 3791 fans for a live gate of $190,620. WEC originally estimated a crowd of around 5100. The event was headlined by Jose Aldo vs. Manny Gamburyan. In fact, 51 will rank among the worst WEC events in terms of attendance.

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With Brian Bowles now off WEC 52 due to injury, Joseph Benavidez has been tapped as the replacement and will face Wagnney Fabiano. Bowles is off due to a foot injury. The Bowles-Fabiano fight is expected to remain as one of the night's TV fights.

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Featherweights fights of Anthony Njokuani (12-4 MMA, 3-3 WEC) vs. Edward Faaloloto (2-0 MMA, 0-0 WEC) and Yves Jabouin (14-6 MMA, 0-2 WEC) vs. Brandon Visher (13-1 MMA, 1-1 WEC) are set for next month's WEC 52 event. WEC 52 takes place Nov. 11 at The Pearl at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, and the night's main card airs on Versus. Njokuani vs. Faaloloto and Jabouin vs. Visher both are tentatively slotted for the unaired preliminary card.

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