WEC Announces Flyweight Division - Drops Welterweights

[iandean]

WORLD EXTREME CAGEFIGHTING® ANNOUNCES ADDITION OF FLYWEIGHT CLASS
Feb-3-2009

Las Vegas, NV (USA) – World Extreme Cagefighting® (WEC®) today announced that WEC will add a flyweight division to the WEC championship divisions. The organization will no longer actively promote the welterweight division, continuing its focus on the lighter weight classes including lightweight (155 pounds), featherweight (145 pounds), bantamweight (135 pounds) and flyweight (125 pounds).

Carlos Condit, reigning champion of the WEC welterweight division, and Brock Larson, as well as other top 170 pound WEC fighters will transition to the Ultimate Fighting Championship® organization to continue their athletic careers as UFC® welterweight fighters.

“With the addition of the flyweight division, the WEC has cemented its status as the home of the greatest lighter weight fighters in the world,” said Peter Dropick WEC Vice President of Operations and Production. “We are excited to launch the 125 pound championship division, and look forward to giving our fans the best
and most action-packed flyweight fights in the sport.”

More information about the WEC flyweight division will be announced at a later date.

www.wec.tv

Flyweight = 125lbs = 56.7kg !!

[Nak-Muay]

Brent Crawley, James Saville, Paul Hartly... The baby weights of CW to WEC one day? :P

Reckon Pulver will try for it?

[boxingbrit]

Good to see them creating their own niche

[Waterboy]

Do you reckon they'll always have the LW division as a 'crossover', ie keep both UFC and WEC LW divisions alive?

This is great news, imo the last few WEC cards have been better than anything else worldwide.

[Levo]

I love the fights on WEC but have no idea what the aims of the promotion are, this past few months they seem to be making so many changes.

The show last month was awesome but the worst thing about WEC is the production values. Get some decent commentators and switch some bloody lights on!

Nathan

[TMMA_Mikey]

Seems foolish right now to kill a good division. Sure, Condit and Larson deserve to be bumped up but the division's not to blame but the way Zuffa have misused it. They get the cream of the crop at welterweight and so why not have some of the guys who are low-end of the top 50 fight in WEC rather than get dropped? They have it as a developmental division and then don't use it correctly.

Besides, flyweight is a wasteland. You've got guys who would make a top 10 ranking that have 50-50 records and a handful of fights. Most of these guys are 56kg Shooto guys. Dropping a decent division whilst adding a poor one doesn't make much sense. Opening up 125 is a noble cause but it's going to take an age to get it going.

[F.C.C.]

Condit should go against gsp to unifiy the ww belt. Havnt watched all of Condit's fights but just watched a highlight clip on youtube of him, looks very good.

[CraigA]

I love the fights on WEC but have no idea what the aims of the promotion are, this past few months they seem to be making so many changes.

The show last month was awesome but the worst thing about WEC is the production values. Get some decent commentators and switch some bloody lights on!

Nathan

I think Frank Mir is a pretty good commentator who is quite insightful, although i can do without the other bloke and im sure they could get Mike Goldberg to do both UFC and WEC although that could end up being worse haha.

[moogie101]

Stunned at the WEC in a short time dropping the LHW, MW & now the WW divisions.
Fair enough for the two heavier divisions as seriously lacking in credible fighters to warrant a division/ championship but can't say the same of the Welters.

I can understand why they haven't dropped a few lower teir UFC guys in to bolster the divisions as makes them look even lower than the UFC if their bottom rung guys come in as contenders.
Hopefully Condit holds his own, got a hell of a first first going up against Kampmann though!