UFC-WEC Merger Gives Lighter Weight Fighters Chance on Big League Stage

Filed under: UFC, WECOver a year ago, I sat in a Dallas hotel lobby with Ben Henderson telling me of his goal to be considered the best pound-for-pound mixed martial artist on the planet. He is a polite, well-spoken young man, and he said this in the m…

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Over a year ago, I sat in a Dallas hotel lobby with Ben Henderson telling me of his goal to be considered the best pound-for-pound mixed martial artist on the planet. He is a polite, well-spoken young man, and he said this in the most humble way you could imagine.

I smiled at his ambition but I also quietly wondered to myself, How would this talented young athlete accomplish such a goal in the WEC when everybody knew it was, well, not the UFC. Henderson went on to capture the WEC lightweight championship but he’s made barely a dent in the lightweight world top 10.

Henderson’s not the only guy to have big dreams in a small company. The same can be said for Jose Aldo, Urijah Faber, Dominick Cruz and more. But with the news of the the UFC-WEC merger, opportunity abounds for everyone.

A simple change of three letters and a logo will tilt the MMA landscape further in Zuffa’s favor and change the fortunes of lower weight-class fighters across the world.

Jose Aldo to Defend UFC Featherweight Title at UFC 125

Filed under: UFC, NewsThe announcement of the merger between the UFC and WEC was less than an hour old when the news came down that Jose Aldo will be the first of the newly renamed UFC champions to put his belt on the line.

During a conference call to…

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Jose AldoThe announcement of the merger between the UFC and WEC was less than an hour old when the news came down that Jose Aldo will be the first of the newly renamed UFC champions to put his belt on the line.

During a conference call to formally announce the merger, UFC president Dana White confirmed that Aldo would defend the featherweight championship at UFC 125 on January 1.

The Big Announcement: UFC Absorbs WEC, Featherweights/Bantamweights Debut in January

(Props: MMAFighting)
The cat’s out of the bag, and the "major announcement" turned out to be pretty damn major after all. Dana White announced during a media call today that the UFC is absorbing the WEC beginning in January 2011; the UFC…

(Props: MMAFighting)

The cat’s out of the bag, and the "major announcement" turned out to be pretty damn major after all. Dana White announced during a media call today that the UFC is absorbing the WEC beginning in January 2011; the UFC will now feature seven championship weight classes. Here’s how it’ll work…

Jose Aldo is automatically the UFC Featherweight Champion; he’ll defend his UFC featherweight title at UFC 125 on January 1st against a yet-to-be-determined opponent.

WEC 53 (December 16th; Glendale, Arizona) will be the final WEC event. The winner of the bantamweight title fight between Dominick Cruz and Scott Jorgensen will become the UFC Bantamweight Champion. The winner of the lightweight title fight between Ben Henderson and Anthony Pettis will automatically face the winner of Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard at UFC 125.

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Slow Down Expectations for Jose Aldo, Jon Jones

Filed under: UFC, WEC, NewsThe two hottest young fighters in MMA are the 24-year-old WEC featherweight champion Jose Aldo and the 23-year-old UFC light heavyweight Jon Jones. UFC President Dana White knows that, but he also wants fans to know that Aldo…

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Urijah Faber, Jose AldoThe two hottest young fighters in MMA are the 24-year-old WEC featherweight champion Jose Aldo and the 23-year-old UFC light heavyweight Jon Jones. UFC President Dana White knows that, but he also wants fans to know that Aldo won’t be rushed into fighting as a UFC lightweight until he wants to, and Jones won’t be rushed into a light heavyweight title fight before he’s ready.

And so if you’re hoping to see Aldo in the Octagon or Jones fighting for a belt, don’t hold your breath.

White said on The Fight Fix on CSN Washington that Aldo had a chance to move into the UFC lightweight division and fight Kenny Florian, but Aldo chose instead to keep defending his featherweight belt. And he said Jones won’t fight for the light heavyweight title for at least a year.

Horodecki to Face Cerrone at WEC 53

(Chances are this one isn’t going to decision.)
It looks like Mark Hominick won’t be the only Team Tompkins product who will get a step up in competition for his next WEC fight.
Chris Horodecki is slated to take on former WEC number one light…


(Chances are this one isn’t going to decision.)

It looks like Mark Hominick won’t be the only Team Tompkins product who will get a step up in competition for his next WEC fight.

Chris Horodecki is slated to take on former WEC number one lightweight contender Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone at WEC 53 on December 16 in Phoenix, AZ.

The news was first reported by MMAWeekly, and CagePotato.com has since been able to confirm the bout with a source close to the fight.

16-2 in his five-year MMA career, "The Polish Hammer" was knocked out in dramatic fashion in his WEC debut by Anthony Njokuani, but rebounded with a pair of wins over Danny Downes and Ed Ratcliffe. Cerrone will arguably provide the 23-year-old London, Ontario native, who was the face of thew now-defunct International Fight League with his toughest test to date.

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WEC Official: November Fights Could Determine Jose Aldo’s Next Challenger

Filed under: UFC, FanHouse Exclusive, NewsIn the last few days, rumors have cropped up suggesting that Canadian Mark Hominick will be the next man to challenge WEC featherweight champion Jose Aldo.

The rumor seemingly began on Brazilian website Tatame…

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In the last few days, rumors have cropped up suggesting that Canadian Mark Hominick will be the next man to challenge WEC featherweight champion Jose Aldo.

The rumor seemingly began on Brazilian website Tatame.com, which suggested the fight would happen in January.

Not so fast, says WEC president Reed Harris, who told MMA Fighting that nothing has yet to be decided for the 145-pound superstar.