Does the UFC need to bring the 145ers into the mix? Many would say its about time they do.
All due respect to the WEC, but they have what most consider the pound-for-pound fighter at 145 in Urijah Faber, and as much as I love watching him fight for free, he belongs in the UFC.
Faber is an impressive 20-1, with his only loss coming at the hands of Tyson Griffin. He was eventually overcome in that fight, but he was not out of his league. Tyson has since moved up to 155 and is fighting in the UFC.
Faber coming off of an amazing five-round fight with another great featherweight in Jens "Lil' Evil" Pulver, who has also fought at 155 in the UFC and is a legend in the world of MMA.
The Faber/Pulver battle made VERSUS the most-watched among key male demos. The fight garnered a 1.4 HH rating and averaged 1,535,705 viewers (P2+) for its June 1 WEC telecast. People want to see this kid fight.
It seems that if you're a solid fighter in the WEC at 155 and up, there are opportunities to move on over to the UFC. James Irvin is one example.
So why do they not have a featherweight division for a guy like Faber? Is there a lack of talent? Generally the featherweight fights are faster and more exciting. Why wouldn't you want this guy on a PPV fight card?
Not to mention, that this is a business not unlike any other sport today. Most of these fighters are underpaid. In a sport where any second could be the end of a career, these guys should be getting what they deserve. Faber has so much PPV potential, it is ridiculous.
I hear plenty of criticism on how the WEC is full of B-level fighters compared to the UFC. I would say they are quite similar in the talent realm.
If you examine the current title holders of the WEC vs. those of the UFC, you may be surprised. For instance, "All American" Brian Stann is on a meteoric rise and recently knocked off Doug "The Rhino" Marshall to become WEC champ at 205.
He matches up well among the LHW contenders in the UFC. Who wouldn't want to see him battle Forrest Griffin.
At 185, you have WEC Champ Paulo Filho vs. Anderson Silva in the UFC. Unfortunately every experiment has a control, and this is just that. I can't honestly say he is on Silva's level.
However, I would love to see WEC Welterweight Champ Carlos "The Natural Born Killer" Condit fight GSP at 170. I'd also like to see Jamie Varner vs. "The Prodigy" BJ Penn. All are great match ups.
That's a great idea for a PPV event: WEC VS UFC: TOTAL DOMINATION! It would be a unbelievable night, and though it would most likely never happen. It's much like talking about Brett Favre playing in Minnesota; it just sounds good.
Some of these fights will need to happen soon. For example, if you look at the hollow nature of the 185-pound division in the UFC, after Silva dismantles Cote he will have no one left to fight.
This will force him up to 205 for awhile, which is not a bad thing in my opinion. I would love to see him fight a handful of guys at LHW, possibly even for a title shot.
The 185-pound division is not the only one with problems like this. Something needs to be done and fast.
9 comments Last one added 11 months ago — Leave a Comment
Jeff D Gorman 11 months ago
I think UFC should not have a 145-pound division. Since UFC owns WEC, they should keep the featherweight division as a special reason for WEC to exist. If there is a great WEC match (like Faber-Pulver) they could always make it a special featured WEC fight on a UFC pay-per-view. That would benefit both leagues.
Edit Comment Cancel
Ryan Wales 11 months ago
Like Jeff said Zuffa owns both companies.
There has been talk of the WEC focusing on the lighter weight classes while the UFC absorbs the little talent the WEC has in their higher ones.
Paulo Filho won't fight Silva because of their personally friendship and sharing of the same manager.
The only fighters worth absorbing would be Filho,Sonnen, Condit, Stann, and Brock Larson.
Jaime Varner would get killed by Penn. Varner had a fight in the UFC and it was a submission loss to Hermes Franca. If he isn't good enough to get around Franca's jits there is no way in hell he can survive BJ's.
After Silva beats Cote he will fight again at 205 and after that he could face either Damian Maia or Palhares at 185.
Edit Comment Cancel
Robert DesRoche 11 months ago
I haven't read this whole article yet -- I stopped at your first mistake. You said that Tyson Griffin moved up in weight since his fight with Faber, but I'm fairly certain that's incorrect. Faber's fight with Griffin was at 155. That would mean that Faber has never been beaten at 145. I'll read and comment on the rest of the article later.
Edit Comment Cancel
casey mancini 11 months ago
theyre fight was a Bantamweight championship fight at GC 42 . I did look at the fighter profiles and they have Faber listed at 140 and Griffin at 155. I tried to find an official weigh in for GC 42 and was unsuccessful. So you may be right that Griffin was always at 155 but I know Faber didnt fight at 155. If thats the case and Griffin didnt cut to Fabers weight then he was 15 lbs heavier than Faber when they fought, which would be very interesting. If you have any other info or find a weigh in let me know bro.
Edit Comment Cancel
Tyson Harris 11 months ago
My opinion is put on 10 lbs and fight LW division UFC doesn't need another division, also WEC is a good secondary league for the UFC to pull new fighters from. As for faber if he can not compete 10lbs heavier then hes really more hype then anything and doesnt deserve to fight in the ufc.
Edit Comment Cancel
Frank Sanchez 11 months ago
Keep WEC seperated, put up and comers there, and leave the divisions as is. WEC should keep its Light Heavyweight Division as well, because that division is just so STACKED in the UFC. Lightweight is proving to be the same. Actually, the UFC should consider moving some of the lesser known fighters down to WEC and give them some experience before being further demolished by UFC elite.
Edit Comment Cancel
david wills 11 months ago
I think the draw of big $$$ will be strong and some of the WEC guys will eat a few cheeseburgers and knock on the UFC door. Also guys who keep losing close decisions in the UFC could go down in weight and they could try their luck in the WEC.
Edit Comment Cancel
Dorothy Willis 11 months ago
Since Zuffa owns both the UFC and WEC it can do whatever it wants and could have a joint fight if it made sense market-wise. You know, supply and demand? If fans wanted it, I think it could be ar, anged, unlike promotions between rival organizations.
Edit Comment Cancel
Dominick DeBonis 11 months ago
I have to disagree about Filho. I think Filho is the worst style matchup for Anderson. Filho is 16-0 with wins over some of Japan's best 185ers in the PRIDE Bushidos. Unfortunately due to their friendship, this fight is an impossibility.
Edit Comment Cancel
Leave a Comment
You must register to post a comment.