WEC lightens up

September 26, 7:59 PMMixed Martial Arts ExaminerEddie Graveline

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The WEC announced earlier today plans to dissolve the Light Heavyweight (205 pounds) and Middleweight (185 pounds) divisions in 2009. The plan is to focus more on the lighter Welterweight (170), Lightweight (155), Featherweight (145) and Bantamweight (135) divisions.

It's being assumed that under-contract WEC Light Heavyweights and Middleweights will move into the UFC talent pool, since both organizations are owned by Zuffa, LLC. That may or may not be good news for the fighters, as the depth and level of competition they face will be significantly greater, but it's a home run for fans.

Personally, I've been wishing for a long time that the UFC would drop the Heavyweight division and introduce the Featherweight class. While the Heavyweight division lacks depth and more than about three fighters most fans would really want to see, the lighter weight classes are loaded with fighters and the action is always fast and furious. In that one aspect, MMA mirrors boxing.

Current WEC champs Paulo Filho (Middleweight) and Steve Cantwell (Light Heavyweight) might not enjoy moving from the top of the heap into a large pool of contenders in their respective classes, but ultimately, the UFC is where every aspiring fighter wants to be, right?

What I'm most excited about is what this does for an already solid WEC package. With great action and lighter weight classes than the UFC, some of the WEC's live events have rivaled the best UFC pay-per-view shows. Think of the best fights of 2008 and I guarantee you that Uriah Faber vs. Jens Pulver is in the top three. Their Featherweight class isn't even included in the UFC. It makes good sense for Zuffa to build increasingly different identities for their two organizations and it gives fans the chance to see more fights in the classes that most organizations don't focus on. I guess you could say it's win-win for everybody.

The WEC announces new weight classes