Grappling with Issues – 12/24/10
Did Anthony Pettis‘ performance against Ben Henderson change your mind in regards to potentially beating Frank Edgar or Gray Maynard? Will Donald Cerrone, Kamal Shalorus, or Shane Roller find the most success now that the trio of WEC 155ers has joined the UFC’s ranks?What was your favorite moment in WEC history? If Royce Gracie fights for the UFC again when the company ventures to Brazil... [Read More...]
L.C. Davis not among WEC group headed to the Octagon
WEC veteran L.C. Davis will not be joining the UFC’s featherweight division alongside his promotional peers, as it turns out he was released last month after losing a unanimous decision to Rafael Assuncao at WEC 52. Though Davis started out his WEC career with three straight wins, the November result marked his second consecutive defeat with the other coming to 145-pound title-contender Josh Grispi.... [Read More...]
WEC veteran Alex Karalexis not part of UFC expansion
When news recently broke regarding the UFC’s decision to absorb World Extreme Cagefighting the speculation on the future of WEC’s roster was almost immediate. While certain fighters were essentially guaranteed an opportunity to compete inside the Octagon, far more competitors were left on the bubble between drawing a Zuffa paycheck and seeking a new promotion to call home. It turns out at least... [Read More...]
Leonard Garcia scheduled for first featherweight bout in UFC history at TUF 12 Finale
It appears the first bout featuring soon to be former WEC fighters inside the Octagon will take place before 2011 at The Ultimate Fighter 12 Finale on December 4th. On tap for the card is striker Leonard Garcia and relative new comer to WEC Tyler Toner. The bout will serve as the first featherweight contest in UFC history. Garcia hopes to find more success in his return to the UFC, in which he previously... [Read More...]
UFC absorbs WEC divisions, announces deal with Versus
PRESS RELEASE / Las Vegas, NV (USA) – In a media conference call today, Ultimate Fighting Championship President Dana White announced the UFC is adding two new championship divisions at bantamweight and featherweight, while also announcing a new television deal with the VERSUS Network to air four UFC fights in 2011. “As the UFC continues to evolve and grow globally, we want to be able to give fans... [Read More...]
MMA on TV
Welcome to “MMA on TV”, Five Ounces of Pain’s weekly update on the upcoming MMA-broadcast schedule courtesy of Jeremy Lambert. Miss the latest episode of “MMA Live” or “UFC Unleashed”? Wondering when Strikeforce or HDNet are airing a replay of their latest offering or interested in finding out where to tune into live shows occurring over the next seven days? October 25-31 All... [Read More...]
Ben Henderson slated for title-defense at WEC 53
The word “showtime” will have a completely new meaning for WEC 155-pound champ Ben Henderson on December 16th, 2010. Rather than simply relating to a performance in front of the lights and cameras of an event, Henderson will instead be putting his belt up for grabs against “Showtime”, otherwise known as 23-year old Anthony Pettis, at WEC 53 in Glendale, Arizona. Pettis, who is 12-1 overall,... [Read More...]
Urijah Faber set to make bantamweight debut at WEC 52
Former WEC featherweight champ Urijah Faber will make his debut at 135-pounds this November after injuring his MCL in July while training. Fortunately, surgery wasn’t required to correct the problem, and as a result “The California Kid” was scheduled to be ready for a return to the cage sooner than later. Though Faber had expressed an interest in fighting as soon as September 30th, he and his... [Read More...]
Urijah Faber: “My MCL kind of peeled away from the bone.”
No one ever doubted Urijah Faber’s toughness and after hearing him casually explain the knee injury he suffered in July forcing him to sit on the sidelines until late 2010 you can see why. The former WEC featherweight champ discussed how the damage came about, how his rehabilitation has gone, and even his openness to testing 155-pounds as a recent guest on the radio with Sherdog’s Savage Dog Show.... [Read More...]
Dana White: We are ‘absolutely’ looking at UFC co-promotion to get the WEC on Pay-Per-View
It has been no secret that the UFC has had big plans for the WEC for some time now. Plans that involve the promotion making it’s way to Pay-Per-View in the near future by any means possible. Dana recently seemed as determined as ever before about the prospect of the WEC coming to Pay-Per-View in the near future during a recent media call to formally announce the partnership between the UFC and... [Read More...]
Dana White: UFC events on Versus will be similar to “Fight Night” cards
With the recent news of the UFC broadcasting two of their events live on Versus sometime in 2010, the first question on the mind of the casual fan was: What kind of UFC card am I going to get on Versus in 2010? Well according to UFC President Dana White during a recent media call to promote the announcement, the UFC has no plans of watering down the Versus events in the slightest. While they will be... [Read More...]
Fighters Convene in Las Vegas for UFC/WEC Summit
While crossing paths with a Mixed Martial Artist in Las Vegas may not be an overly infrequent occurrence, the odds are certainly up for any fans visiting Sin City this week thanks to a Zuffa summit involving numerous fighters from both the UFC and WEC. Representatives from the dual promotions included, but were not limited to, notable names such as Mauricio Rua, Yoshihiro Akiyama, “Minotauro”... [Read More...]
Highly-regarded Tyler Toner latest prospect to join WEC’s featherweight division
In light of reports in the Maui News that Brandon Visher has signed with the WEC and MMAjunkie.com’s report that Chad Mendes has also inked a deal with the promotion as well, comes word that blue chip prospect Tyler Toner will also be joining Visher and Mendes as new additions to the WEC’s 145 lbs. division. News of Toner’s signing with the WEC was first revealed publicly in the Maui... [Read More...]
Urijah Faber inks new contract with WEC
It was confirmed today that the former Featherweight Champion, Urjiah Faber, has signed a new multi-fight deal that will keep him in the WEC for quite some time. WEC general manager, Reed Harris, recently confirmed the deal as a guest on MMAJunkie.comRadio. Harris, who was promoting the upcoming WEC 43: Cerone vs Henderson, said, “I had been talking to Urijah for months. I told him six weeks... [Read More...]
Muhsin Corbbrey signs five-fight deal with WEC
Professional mixed martial artist, kickboxer and boxer Muhsin Corbbrey has signed an exclusive five-fight deal with the WEC. The announcement of the signing comes courtesy of a recent report made by the Savannah Morning News. A lightweight with an MMA record of 8-3, Corbbrey has finished seven of his eight victories on his own terms, with 6 of his wins coming by way of submission, and just one coming... [Read More...]
Spencer Fisher headed to the WEC?
It appears as though eleven fight UFC veteran Spencer Fisher may be entertaining thoughts of switching things up a bit and possibly heading over to the WEC . Thirteen days ago Fisher started a thread at the MMA Underground Forums following his most recent victory at UFC 99, a hard fought unanimous decision over the highly regarded Cao Uno, where “The King” had this to say,”I just... [Read More...]
Jamie Varner’s Hand Still Fractured; WEC Could Implement Interim Belt
After a doctor’s examination revealed that WEC lightweight champion Jamie Varner still hasn’t recovered from a broken hand, Yahoo! Sports is reporting that WEC officials are now discussing the possibility of creating an interim belt. Varner fractured his hand in a close win over Donald Cerrone back in January. The current WEC lightweight champion posted on his Twitter account that the doctor who... [Read More...]
Leonard Garcia vs. Jameel Massouh Signed for WEC 42
The featherweight division in the WEC continues to create exciting match-ups. A featherweight bout between Leonard Garcia (12-4) and Jameel Massouh (21-5) has been signed for WEC 42 on August 9th according to a recent report by MMAJunkie.com. This will be Garcia’s first fight since his loss to WEC featherweight champion Mike Brown back in March. Garcia posted back-to-back wins over Hiroyuki Takaya... [Read More...]
Jamie Varner vs. Donald Cerrone II Confirmed for WEC Lightweight Championship
After an illegal knee to the head of a downed Jamie Varner cut his previous shot at the WEC’s lightweight championship short at WEC 38, Donald Cerrone is going to have the chance to correct his mistake in the defending champion’s next return to the cage. WEC General Manager Reed Harris was able to confirm the bout to MMAJunkie.com following last evening’s WEC 41 event that was held... [Read More...]
Joseph Benavidez vs. Dominick Cruz set for WEC 42
Highly regarded bantamweights Joseph Benavidez and Dominick Cruz have recently signed to face one another at WEC 42. FiveOuncesOfPain.com was able to confirm the signing of the bout from sources close to the fight. WEC 42 is expected to take place sometime in August in Las Vegas, although no specific venue for the event has been identified at this time. The undefeated Urijah Faber protege Benavidez... [Read More...]
