| MAIN EVENT | LOCATION | RATINGS | SALARY | GATE | BONUSES | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
June 3, 2007 |
Faber vs. Farrar | Las Vegas,Nevada | $134,000 | |||
|
Aug. 5, 2007 |
Filho vs. Doerksen Condit vs. Larson |
Las Vegas,Nevada | $199,500 | |||
|
Sep. 5, 2007 |
McCullough vs.Crunkilton Beebe vs. Yahya |
Las Vegas,Nevada | $154,000 | |||
| WEC 31
Dec. 12, 2007 |
Faber vs. Curran Filho vs. Sonnen |
Las Vegas,Nevada | $295,000 | |||
| WEC 32
Feb. 13, 2008 |
Condit vs. Prater Varner vs. McCullough Torres vs. Beebe |
Rio Rancho,New Mexico | ||||
| WEC 33
March 26, 2008 |
Marshall vs. Stann | Las Vegas,Nevada | $213,000 | |||
| WEC 34
June 1, 2008 |
Faber vs. Pulver Torres vs. Maeda |
Sacromento,California | 1.4 HH1.54 mil viewers | $260,000 | $738,855 | |
| WEC 35
Aug. 3, 2008 |
Condit vs. Miura Stann vs. Cantwell Varner vs. Hicks |
Las Vegas,Nevada | .5 HH423,000 viewers | $230,000 | $116,900 |
$45,000 total |
| WEC 36
Nov. 5, 2008 |
Faber vs. Brown Filho vs. Sonnen |
Hollywood,Florida | .5 HH497,000 | $287,000 | $563,578 |
$37,500 total |
| WEC 37
Dec. 3, 2008 |
Torres vs. Tapia | Las Vegas,Nevada | .5 HH671,000 viewers | $219,000 | $90,125 |
$30,000 total |
| WEC 38
Jan. 25, 2009 |
Varner vs. CerroneFaber vs. Pulver | San Diego,California | .65 HH700,000 viewers | $217,000 | $486,324 |
$30,000 total |
| WEC 39
March 1, 2009 |
Brown vs. Garcia | Corpus Christi,Texas | .6 HH531,229 | $297,990 | $7,500 each$30,000 total | |
| WEC 40
April 5, 2009 |
Torres vs. Mizugaki | Chicago,Illinois | $10,000 each$40,000 total |
Comment:
The wake of WEC 38 brings forth a mixed bag for the organization. With regards to ratings, we have a steady, albeit in absolute terms marginal, growth with each succeeding event from WEC 35-38. The Varner vs. Cerrone event on January 25th is actually the second highest rated show in the history of the WEC. The outlier in this set of data is WEC 34; reaching such a number without a marketing push commensurate with that given to Faber vs. Pulver I will require a match-up of greater import or involving greater draws. There is a dearth of material, however, to plug into those two requirements. As such, a steady but small progression in ratings is a suitable mode of growth.
What is not suitable is staying in Vegas. WEC 35 and 37 were both at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino and both did not cover their disclosed payroll. Financially and aesthetically a small venue offers nothing. Whatever benefit is gained from having one’s production crew based close to an event is mitigated and collapsed by seeing Miguel Torres, a champion, the holder of the title, fighting in front of a thousand people. A third of which, by the way, were comp’ed.
Accordingly, the WEC is branching out of Nevada, at least for the next two events. WEC 39 will be in Corpus Christi, Texas on March 1st with the headliner of Mike Brown vs. Leonard Garcia. Brown last fought Urijah Faber at WEC 36 on November 11th, 2008 where he took the belt from the face of the WEC in 2:23 of the first round. The fight had an average rating and a strong gate.
In April, Miguel Torres will look to flex his muscle as a draw and show he can bring in a gate of more than 100k on his own when he defends his title in the as-of-yet unconfirmed fight with Brian Bowles in Chicago, IL. Torres fights out of East Chicago, which is, of course, in Indiana — but close enough to get people in seats. Coming south-east from Crystal Lake, Jeff Curran is also slated to face Faber teammate Joseph Benavidez.
Final note: the payroll is remarkable in its consistancy. I would look for the disclosed portion to remain at the current level or perhaps decline. With the removal of the welterweight class and the addition of the flyweights, established fighters off their initial contracts and into those renegotiated will be substituted for pure prospects and relative unknowns.
