In Focus: The WEC

The WEC is live on Versus tonight from Albuquerque, New Mexico in the brand's first venture outside of the friendly confines of Las Vegas since being acquired by Zuffa. The card is strong from top to bottom with three title fights. The only thing missing is star power, specifically the brand's golden boy Urjah Faber. Our friend Sam Caplan has a full rundown of the card at ProElite.com.

In a familiar situation, Spike is counter programming with UFC Unleashed at 9 & 11PM. I recently had the opportunity to speak with Brian Diamond, Vice President of Sports at Spike, for an upcoming FIGHT! magazine piece on the relationship between the UFC and Spike. Diamond indicated that he stays in touch with his counterpart at Versus to make sure they don't get in each others way. However, it appears that cooperation doesn't go much deeper than not going live head-to-head, something Zuffa wouldn't allow anyway, as both have chosen Wednesday night as the home of their respective MMA brands and consistently go head-to-head.

Despite the fact that it produces an entertaining product and is arguably the second best brand/promotion in the industry, the WEC's future is not entirely clear. The stated goal, at least for public consumption, is to build a brand on par with the UFC, something that I don't believe will ever be allowed to happen. It is possible to envision the brand becoming, if it isn't already, the premier 145 pound and below promotion in the world, but what that's really worth remains to be seen. I could see a future in Japan and Latin America for the brand given the lighter weight focus.

The WEC is scheduled for six shows in 2008 with plans to take the brand on the road with California, Texas, Okalohoma, New Jersey, and Florida mentioned as possible destinations by Vice President Peter Dropick. The brand is also eying its first pay-per-view event, most likely built around Faber v. Jens Pulver.

It is hard to see the financial payoff for Zuffa of promoting a second pay-per-view brand. WWE, with a legitimately equal second brand, ultimately found diminishing returns in its experience with multiple pay-per-view brands. WWE currently maintains three television brands, but has shifted from separately branded pay-per-views to tri-branded pay-per-views.

Furthermore, as the UFC continues to expand its live event schedule, the pressure will become greater to use the WEC as a farm system for the UFC, plucking the top talent for "the big show," or to merge the brands outright.

For now, it seems the only practical reason for the brand's existence is ultimately its television deal with Versus. The brand was explicitly purchased by Zuffa in order to allow it to enter into an agreement with Versus, thus blocking a competitor from a relatively strong television clearance. Until that contract expires and the network loses interest in UFC-lite, the WEC appears set to wander on producing some of the most exciting shows in MMA, but ultimately facing the glass ceiling of being Zuffa's B-brand.