Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com
On the precipice of WEC 47 this Saturday, several news items reported this week that give a glimpse of World Extreme Cagefighting’s short-term future.
The promotion looks set to make its debut in Canada on June 20. Shirley Stunzi of the Calgary Combative Sports Commission told TopMMANews.com that the WEC has booked WEC 49 for the city on that date. Other reports said the WEC had not yet settled on the date or a venue, though WEC officials have been talking up a debut in Canada in recent weeks.
A fight on the WEC 48 pay-per-view on April 24 fell through when lightweight Kamal Shalorus could not obtain needed medical clearance for his fight with Jamie Varner. MMAJunkie.com reported Shalorus’ injury was a lingering issue from his Jan. 10 fight with Dave Jansen. Varner is said to be off the WEC’s first pay-per-view event altogether as a result. Another lightweight on the card, Zach Micklewright, is also out of his fight against Alex Karalexis due to a broken ankle.
The promotion’s American television outlet, Versus, still has not reached an agreement with Direct TV to broadcast WEC fights after they were pulled over contractual disputes in September. Heavy.com reported that a deal could be reached next week bringing channel back to the satellite provider, but later updated the report to say a deal is not expected by April. The first UFC card on the network is set for March 21.
All fighters for WEC 47, headlined by Brian Bowles vs. Dominick Cruz for the bantamweight title in Columbus, Ohio, made weight on Friday.