Thoughts on the UFC-WEC Merger: Will World Extreme Cagefighting be MMA's 'Dreamcast'?

The benefits of an UFC-WEC merger have been discussed ad nausem so we won't rehash them here except to say that two of the roadblocks that impeded the merger --the Versus and Spike television contracts and limited card space to take on two new divisions-- appear to have been overcome

That being said one topic that desperately needs reporting is how Versus' broadcast extension with the WEC was overcome in this merger. I suspect that once Zuffa, Spike and Versus came to an earlier agreement to show UFC programming on Versus without offending Spike's "exclusive" status it was only a matter of time before the merger became final.

Available card space will still be an issue as the WEC ran eight events a year and the new arrangement adds only two events on the back end (four if you count the two earlier UFC events on Versus that were previously negotiated). Some WEC lightweight fighters will be lost in the shuffle and some UFC lightweights can now become featherweights without the fear of a cut in salary. But a healthy equilibrium will be established in short order.

One question that jumped out was whether or not World Extreme Cagefighting was a success? I put the question out on Twitter and the immediate feedback from fans was an emphatic, "YES!"

The promotion did an excellent job of blocking rival promotions from obtaining a deal with Versus so in that sense it was a success. It also consistently put on great events with memorable fights. On the other hand it should be noted that the WEC ultimately failed to become a viable promotion. The ratings consistently dropped over the last eighteen months and none of the fighters could generate interest without major UFC cross promotion.

I suspect that the WEC will ultimately be known as MMA's Dreamcast: simultaneously loved and innovative while commercially unsustainable.