World Extreme Cagefighting
From Mixed Martial Arts Wiki
World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) is an American MMA promotion. It is the sister promotion to the Ultimate Fighting Championship, both owned and produced by Zuffa, with a focus on lighter weight classes. The WEC uses the same rules as its older and much larger sibling, but holds its matches in a smaller octagonal cage.
History
The organization was started in 2001 by Scott Adams and Reed Harris. Between 2001 and 2006, most of their events were held in Lemoore, California and aired on HDNet.
In December 2006, Zuffa purchased the WEC. With the purchase, the WEC continues as a separate promotion with its own roster of fighters. Adams has been retained after the purchase as the organization's matchmaker. Harris and Adams were named co-General Managers and are both active in the new WEC.
Zuffa made several changes to the promotion after the purchase. It discontinued its pentagonal cage for a modified version of the UFC's octagonal arena. The championships of fighters who were contracted UFC fighters were vacated. The promotion moved to focus on lighter weight classes, abandoning their heavyweight and super heavyweight divisions and championships, and retaining their bantamweight and featherweight divisions—two divisions not currently present in the UFC. Since the purchase, most of the WEC events have been held in Zuffa's hometown of Las Vegas, Nevada.
The WEC currently airs their events live on Versus, formerly known as the Outdoor Life Network and on The Sports Network in Canada. WEC's first live event was broadcast on June 3, 2007 on Versus from The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.
Current champions
| Division | Weight Limit | Champion | Since | Title Defenses | Previous Champion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lightweight | 155 lb |  Jamie Varner
| February 13, 2008 (WEC 32) | 2 | Rob McCullough
|
| Featherweight | 145 lb | Mike Brown
| March 17, 2006 (WEC 36) | 2 | Urijah Faber
|
| Bantamweight | 135 lb | Brian Bowles
| February 13, 2008 (WEC 32) | 0 | Miguel Torres
|
