WEC Bantamweight Champion Will Leave With Two Belts, Lightweight Winner A Front Row Seat

WEC 53 is fast approaching and for the three-hour broadcast on Versus fans will be treated to the two final title fights for the company that has showcased the lighter weight classes exclusively for the last couple of years.

Ben Henderson takes on Anthony Pettis with the winner walking out of Arizona as the last ever WEC lightweight champion, and an eventual shot at the UFC lightweight title against the winner of Frankie Edgar against Gray Maynard.

WEC General Manager and founder Reed Harris confirmed that the winner of the Henderson and Pettis fight will still be crowned the WEC lightweight champion, the last one ever as a matter of fact.

“At the end of that fight, they will end up as the WEC title holder,” Harris said about the lightweight title bout.

The winner will then likely end up with a front row seat to the Jan 1 showdown between Edgar and Maynard headlining UFC 125 in Las Vegas.

“That’s probably a safe assumption,” Harris said about Henderson or Pettis. “I hadn’t really thought about that, but I’m sure we’ll work that out.”

As for the bantamweight title fight between Dominick Cruz and Scott Jorgensen, as previously announced, the winner will be crowned as the first ever UFC bantamweight champion, but they will also get a keepsake for their time in the WEC as well.

“At the end of the Jorgensen and Cruz fight, they will end up as the UFC bantamweight title holder as well as the WEC bantamweight title holder. Whoever wins that fight will walk out of there with two belts,” Harris revealed.

Both title fights will headline the upcoming WEC show in Phoenix, Ariz., as the promotion started in Lemoore, Calif. will close up show and merge with the UFC after the doors close next Thursday night.