Managers caught by surprise with WEC merger
“That’s part of the unknown that we’ve got to sort through here,” Mike Roberts, who represents WEC athletes such as…
“That’s part of the unknown that we’ve got to sort through here,” Mike Roberts, who represents WEC athletes such as former featherweight champion Urijah Faber, told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com).
UFC president Dana White announced today that the merger will take place in January 2011. WEC 52 and 53, scheduled for Nov. 11 and Dec. 16, respectively, will be the final events under the existing promotion.
He touted the merger as an opportunity for UFC fans to see the excitement that lighter-weight fighters bring to the cage, as well as a chance for those fighters to fight on the world’s biggest MMA stage.
“Our goal is to build this sport worldwide and continue to add weight divisions until we have every single weight division in the UFC,” White said.
There are approximately 70 athletes from the WEC’s roster that will join the 200-plus already with the UFC, according to White.
Fighters from both promotions are under contract with Zuffa, LLC, which owns both the UFC and WEC.
White said WEC fighters should get a bump in pay when they cross over to the bigger promotion. When that takes place is up in the air.
It’s assumed that fighters currently assigned to the WEC will fulfill their existing deals rather than renegotiate when the cross over to the UFC, according to the managers MMAjunkie.com spoke with.
“Nothing has been presented to us to the contrary,” said manager Brian Hamper, who represents WEC athletes Donald Cerrone and Leonard Garcia, among others. “We have an agreement, and we’re business as usual.”