WEC 25
Encyclopedia
WEC 25: McCullough vs. Cope was the first mixed martial arts
event held by the World Extreme Cagefighting
under Zuffa management. The event was held on January 20, 2007. WEC 25s main event
was a championship fight for the vacant WEC Lightweight Title, between rivals Rob McCullough
and Kit Cope
. The co-main event was a WEC Featherweight Title bout between champion, Urijah Faber
and challenger Joe Pearson
.
A WEC Light Heavyweight Title bout was originally advertised between champion Doug Marshall
and Jorge Oliveira, but the bout was later pulled from the card. Marshall would instead make his first title defense against Justin McElfresh at WEC 27
in May 2007.
Mixed martial arts
Mixed Martial Arts is a full contact combat sport that allows the use of both striking and grappling techniques, both standing and on the ground, including boxing, wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, muay Thai, kickboxing, karate, judo and other styles. The roots of modern mixed martial arts can be...
event held by the World Extreme Cagefighting
World Extreme Cagefighting
World Extreme Cagefighting was an American mixed martial arts promotion. It was purchased by Zuffa, LLC, the parent company of Ultimate Fighting Championship , in 2006. In its final incarnation, it was made up of 3 weight classes: 135, 145 and 155 lbs. To accommodate the smaller...
under Zuffa management. The event was held on January 20, 2007. WEC 25s main event
Main Event
Main Event is Australia's only pay-per-view channel. It transmits through Foxtel, Optus Television and Austar, which jointly own the channel...
was a championship fight for the vacant WEC Lightweight Title, between rivals Rob McCullough
Rob McCullough
Robert Alexander McCullough IV is an American Muay Thai kickboxer and mixed martial artist. He was a five-time World Muay Thai Champion, and is a former WEC Lightweight Champion. He currently trains out of Huntington Beach, CA at HB Ultimate Training Center...
and Kit Cope
Kit Cope
Kristopher Lee Cope is an American Muay Thai kickboxer, mixed martial artist and television personality. He is the former IPMTO Light Heavyweight Muay Thai World Champion and in mixed martial arts he has an unimpressive record of 4-7...
. The co-main event was a WEC Featherweight Title bout between champion, Urijah Faber
Urijah Faber
Urijah Christopher Faber is an American mixed martial artist currently fighting as a bantamweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship organization. Faber won the WEC featherweight championship at WEC 19 on March 17, 2006 and held the title for over two years until his loss to Mike Brown at WEC...
and challenger Joe Pearson
Joe Pearson
Joseph "Joe" Frank Pearson was a football player in the early years of professional football in England. Pearson played for Aston Villa from Aug. 1900 - May 1908. Before playing for Villa, he played for Saltley College FC....
.
A WEC Light Heavyweight Title bout was originally advertised between champion Doug Marshall
Doug Marshall
Doug Garrett Marshall is an American mixed martial artist from Visalia, California who currently competes as a middleweight. He is a former WEC World Light Heavyweight champion.-Mixed martial arts career:...
and Jorge Oliveira, but the bout was later pulled from the card. Marshall would instead make his first title defense against Justin McElfresh at WEC 27
WEC 27
WEC 27: Marshall vs. McElfresh was the third mixed martial arts event held by the World Extreme Cagefighting under Zuffa management. The event was held on May 12, 2007....
in May 2007.
Preliminary card
- Lightweight bout:
Richard CrunkiltonRichard CrunkiltonRichard Allen Crunkilton is an American mixed martial artist. He competes in the Lightweight division. He defeated Sergio Gomez on March 26, 2008 at WEC 33. He was scheduled to face Donald Cerrone at WEC 34, but was forced off the card with an injury. Crunkilton was forced to withdraw from his...
vs. Mike Joy
- Crunkilton defeated Joy via submission (anaconda choke) at 4:23 of round 3.
- Bantamweight bout: Antonio BanuelosAntonio BanuelosJuan Antonio Banuelos is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Bantamweight division.-Mixed martial arts career:...
vs. Mike French
- Bantamweight bout:
- Banuelos defeated French via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).
- Welterweight bout: Carlos ConditCarlos ConditCarlos Joseph Condit is an American mixed martial artist currently fighting for the Ultimate Fighting Championship as a welterweight.Condit initially received national attention for his run as the final WEC Welterweight Champion...
vs. Kyle Jensen
- Welterweight bout:
- Condit defeated Jensen via submission (rear naked choke) 2:10 of round 1.
- Welterweight bout: Alex KaralexisAlex KaralexisAlex Karalexis is an American mixed martial artist of Greek descent. He has a professional record of 10 wins and 6 losses...
vs.
Olaf AlfonsoOlaf AlfonsoOlaf Alfonso is a Mexican mixed martial artist. He is a former Palace Fighting Championship Welterweight Champion, a World Extreme Cagefighting veteran and has competed for PRIDE Fighting Championship....
- Welterweight bout:
- Karalexis defeated Alfonso via TKO (doctor stoppage) at 3:53 of round 2.
- Middleweight bout: Brendan SeguinBrendan SeguinBrendan Seguin is an American professional mixed martial arts fighter. He currently fights for Titan Fighting Championships.-MMA career:...
vs. Fernando GonzalezFernando González----Fernando Francisco González Ciuffardi is a professional tennis player from Chile. He is known for having one of the hardest forehands on the circuit. In Spanish he is called El Bombardero de La Reina and Mano de Piedra...
- Middleweight bout:
- Seguin defeated Gonzalez via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).
Main card
- Middleweight bout: Logan ClarkLogan ClarkLogan Thomas Clark is an American mixed martial artist.-Biography:Born in Southeastern Minnesota, Clark was raised on a farm north of Dover, MN. In 1987, at the age of 2, Clark's father died leaving his mother to raise the family. Clark has 3 siblings: Tyrel Clark, Doron Clark, and Amanda Clark...
vs. Blas AvenaBlas AvenaBlas Avena is an American professional mixed martial artist and World Extreme Cagefighting veteran.-MMA career:Blas relocated from Southern California to Las Vegas in 2004 where he got a job working as a security guard at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. He is known for his superior ground fighting...
- Clark defeats Avena by TKO (elbows) 4:23 of round 3.
- Welterweight bout:
John AlessioJohn AlessioJohn Paul Alessio is a Canadian mixed martial artist who currently competes as a Welterweight. Alessio has fought for many of the major MMA promotions, including WEC, UFC, PRIDE, KOTC, MFC and DREAM.-Ultimate Fighting Championship:...
vs. Brian Gassaway
- Welterweight bout:
- Alessio defeated Gassaway via submission (rear naked choke) at 4:50 of round 1.
- Featherweight Championship bout: Urijah FaberUrijah FaberUrijah Christopher Faber is an American mixed martial artist currently fighting as a bantamweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship organization. Faber won the WEC featherweight championship at WEC 19 on March 17, 2006 and held the title for over two years until his loss to Mike Brown at WEC...
(c) vs. Joe Pearson
- Featherweight Championship bout:
- Faber defeated Pearson via submission (strikes) at 2:31 of round 1 to retain WEC Featherweight Championship.
- Lightweight Championship bout: Rob McCulloughRob McCulloughRobert Alexander McCullough IV is an American Muay Thai kickboxer and mixed martial artist. He was a five-time World Muay Thai Champion, and is a former WEC Lightweight Champion. He currently trains out of Huntington Beach, CA at HB Ultimate Training Center...
vs. Kit CopeKit CopeKristopher Lee Cope is an American Muay Thai kickboxer, mixed martial artist and television personality. He is the former IPMTO Light Heavyweight Muay Thai World Champion and in mixed martial arts he has an unimpressive record of 4-7...
- Lightweight Championship bout:
- McCullough defeated Cope via submission (punches) at 2:52 of round 1 to win vacant WEC Lightweight Championship.
Reported Payout
The following is the reported payout to the fighters as reported to the Nevada State Athletic Commission. It does not include sponsor money or "locker room" bonuses often given by the WEC.- Rob McCullough: $20,000 (includes $10,000 win bonus) def. Kit Cope: $5,000
- Urijah Faber: $10,000 ($5,000 win bonus) def. Joe Pearson: $4,000
- John Alessio: $10,000 ($4,000 win bonus) def. Brian Gassaway: $4,000
- Logan Clark: $12,000 ($6,000 win bonus) def. Blas Avena: $2,500
- Brendan Seguin: $4,000 ($2,000 win bonus) def. Fernando Gonzalez: $3,000
- Alex Karalexis: $8,000 ($4,000 win bonus) def. Olaf Alfanso: $4,000
- Carlos Condit: $8,000 ($4,000 win bonus) def. Kyle Jensen: $3,000
- Antonio Banuelos: $6,000 ($3,000 win bonus) def. Mike French: $3,000
- Rich Crunkilton: $10,000 ($5,000 win bonus) def. Mike Joy: $2,000
Miscelleaneous
- First WEC show under Zuffa management.
- The WEC Lightweight Title was previously held by Hermes FrancaHermes FrancaHermes França Barros is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who competes as a lightweight.-Early career:França made his professional MMA debut in November 2001. He quickly earned an undefeated streak of 6-0, drawing the attention of the UFC.-First UFC run:...
, who had to vacate it in order to continue to compete in the UFC