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Opinion & Analysis
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Staff Editorials
PELKEY COLUMN: How to improve WEC
By Matt Pelkey, MMATorch Columnist
Mar 26, 2008, 04:00
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Forgive me if the title is a bit misleading. If you're reading this
because you think I have some elaborate business to help the UFC
minors, you're going to be disappointed. There's one quick, easy way to
improve the WEC: bring in more fighters to create a deeper talent pool.
Well, there just so happens to be another organization under the same
ownership who has a plethora of fighters under contract, and a limited
amount of spots to put them in.
I'm not sure of how the contracts work between the two groups, but it seems like it couldn't be that hard to work around. After all, we've seen plenty of fighters with UFC experience come over to fight in WEC. Brock Larson, John Alessio, Jens Pulver, Alex Karalexis, Chael Sonnen, Jamie Varner, and Leonard Garcia are just some of the fighters that have spent time in both organizations. They also happen to be some of the biggest stars in WEC, at least in part just because they were first seen in the UFC.
So, wouldn't it behoove them to bring over some fighters that have actually gained a little notoriety prior to coming aboard? Unfortunately, the UFC doesn't have a featherweight or bantamweight division, but those also happen to be the deepest divisions in WEC, so no harm there. Also, WEC doesn't yet even have a heavyweight division, but that's ok too, because the UFC can't really afford to lose any fighters from their already thin heavyweight division. The lightweight, welterweight, middleweight, and light-heavyweight divisions could all use a drastic upgrade in depth, talent, and name value, and there just so happens to be a wealth of talent in the UFC in those divisions just waiting to break through the glass ceiling, and WEC could be just the place for them to do it.
Let's start small and work our way up, shall we? The WEC lightweight division consists of champion Jamie Varner, former champ "Razor" Rob McCullough, and....? That's pretty much it. Marcus Hicks and Ed Ratcliff will square off tonight to determine the new number one contender. Ratcliff is an exciting striker, and should have a place in the WEC in the future, but after Varner fights the winner of that fight, and McCullough gets his rematch, then what? There's no more viable contenders on the roster.
On the UFC side of things, I can understand them not wanting to give away any of their fighters near the top of the divisions. So that means Sean Sherk, BJ Penn, Kenny Florian, Roger Huerta, Tyson Griffin, and the recent TUF fighters (Joe Lauzon, Manny Gamburyan, Mac Danzig, and Nate Diaz) are all firmly secure in their spots in the UFC. But what about Clay Guida, Frank Edgar, Spencer Fisher, and Sam Stout? They're not gonna be in the title picture for at least three years. WEC has TWO title fights to look forward to. That's it. Send these guys over and let them become the stars they deserve to be. Sure we could watch these guys fight each other on the undercard of a pay-per-view, and be excited to do so. But what would they be fighting for? Our enjoyment? That's plenty good enough for you and me, but I'm guessing they want a little bit more. Give it to them.
It's the same story in the welterweight division. Carlos Condit is a top ten welterweight in the world, and he's laid waste to the WEC's welterweight division in his short time with the company (think Anderson Silva without the pub), but there's nothing left for him. It's rumored that the fight tonight between Brock Larson and John Alessio is also a number one contender fight. The only problem is, we've already seen Condit submit BOTH fighters. Why would I want to see the rematch.
Similarly to the lightweight division, the UFC welterweight division is ridiculously deep, and there's a couple guys who come to mind who might like a change of scenery: Diego Sanchez and Marcus Davis. Marcus Davis is being brought along slowly, but where is it leading. At the top of the division is Georges St. Pierre and Matt Serra. They'll fight on April 19th for the Undisputed Title. After that, Jon Fitch looks to be next in line. Then Karo Parisyan. Then Josh Koscheck. No matter how much Davis and Sanchez keep winning, they're a long way from a title shot. Ship them over to WEC and Condit has two fresh, exciting opponents who can immediately step in and challenge for the belt.
The common belief is that the UFC middleweight division is embarrassingly thin. Well, it is, and it isn't. Anderson Silva is the dominant champ, but he has a few challengers waiting in the wings. Yushin Okami appears to be next. Martin Kampmann was supposed to fight Rich Franklin to determine the number one contender last year, but he pulled out and that's when Okami stepped in. Logical thinking says he can't be more than a couple wins away from his title shot. Two returning fighters have also energized the possibilities for the division. Ricardo Almeida recently returned from a four year hiatus and looked impressive. Nate Quarry also returned from a two year break due to a devastating neck injury, and KO'd Pete Sell. These are two fighters the UFC will be looking to build up as potential challengers to Silva's throne.
So that leaves Paulo Filho; WEC's reigning (and depressed, get well soon Paulo) middleweight champ. He was supposed to defend his belt against Chael Sonnen for the second straight time before pulling out due to the aforementioned personal reasons. Rich Franklin, Matt Hughes and Tim Sylvia didn't get immediate rematches, but Chael Sonnen did?!? Unfortunately, there's literally NO ONE left for Filho to fight. Well I have a few guys in mind. None of them are within ten miles of a title shot in the UFC, but all could step in and be legitimate challengers in WEC. They're also all similar fighters. They're all brawlers with good chins who could create a fun styles clash when matched up against Filho. How about Chris Leben, Terry Martin, and Patrick Cote? All are big enough names to get immediate title shots and it would set up a whole year of title defenses for Filho, not to mention the rematch possibilities if one were to win.
Last, but not least (or is it?), is the light-heavyweight division. The WEC's is flat out embarrassing. The champ, Doug Marshall, is okay. He's reasonably exciting and has a good personality, but he's not exactly what I would call a polished fighter. He defends his title tonight in the main event of WEC 33 against former marine Brian Stann. Stann was being brought along slowly, and has a good back story, but if he's the best choice to challenge for the belt, then it's clearly time for some new blood. The UFC can keep Liddell, Rua, Evans, Griffin, Wandy, Rampage, and Hendo, but what are their plans for Houston Alexander, Keith Jardine, and Wilson Gouveia? Those three are all very talented, and all seem to have the right look, styles, and personalities to become stars in WEC. I say give them the chance.
The other positive about these scenarios is that it allows the UFC to send over some of their fighters to become stars, build up some wins, gain some confidence, and then they can be brought back over when it's time for them to make the jump to the next level. It's a win-win situation for both organizations. What's stopping them?
Agree? Not so much agree? Think you have some other fighters in mind to bolster the WEC ranks? Well let's hear it. Feel free to email me at matt6buckeye@hotmail.com or come on over to the message boards and let's chat it up. Also don't forget to watch WEC 33 tonight on Versus and StrikeForce/EliteXC: Shamrock vs. Le Saturday on Showtime.
Stay tuned to the Torch in the coming weeks as we work on getting the kinks sorted out, and we'll see if we can get the famed contests back for UFC's Canadian debut on April 19th. Til next time....
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