What say you?
http://fiveouncesofpain.com/2009/02/05/caplan-has-the-wecs-time-come-and-gone/
Aside from Miguel Torres and Urijah Faber, the WEC doesn’t have any legitimate draws. And without a reality television vehicle such as The Ultimate Fighter or the benefit of a television partner as strong as Spike TV, the promotion’s ability of building mainstream stars is severely hindered.
The strength of VERSUS, or lack thereof, is an issue that could also be too much to overcome. If you talk to the WEC they will tell you that the channel is backed by cable leader Comcast and available in over 85 million homes. That is indeed correct. However, many cable and satellite providers place VERSUS on a premium sports tier and the channel is not anywhere near as accessible as Spike. Not to mention, just how many people who have VERSUS available to them actually take the time to watch it?
VERSUS remains a lowly rated network that has not succeeded in developing new properties that will allow it to experience an exponential increase in ratings. And as such, the WEC is suffering as a result. One look at a WEC ratings growth chart on Bloody Elbow shows limited growth.
http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2009/2/5/750209/wec-in-numbers-with-38-fut
Zuffa doesn’t like to do anything small so how long will it remain satisfied with the modest growth being generated by the WEC? Before you accuse me of committing blasphemy, I am not suggesting that Zuffa abandon the featherweight and bantamweight classes. Quite the contrary, as I believe fighters such as Faber, Torres, Aldo, Fabiano, Brian Bowles, Leonard Garcia, Jeff Curran, Mike Brown, and a host of others have proven that 135 and 145 are perhaps the two most exciting weight divisions in the sport.
I believe that fighters such as Faber and Torres deserve the opportunity to be featured on PPV and given the chance to earn higher paydays. With the UFC promoting more and more shows it could easily accommodate the addition of two new divisions. And I can’t help but wonder how much more the bantamweight and featherweight divisions would grow if the UFC adopted them. Certain fighters currently in the UFC lightweight division would no doubt likely be more open to dropping down since it wouldn’t no longer mean dropping out of the organization.
As great as the WEC has been, I think it’s a concept whose time has passed. It’s time for the UFC to usher in the bantamweight and featherweight movement and put their full promotional muscle behind it. As the WEC eliminates more and more weight classes, I get the feeling that Zuffa is already moving in that direction.