''WEC 25: McCullough vs. Cope'' was the first
mixed martial arts
Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, inc ...
event held by the
World Extreme Cagefighting
World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) was an American mixed martial arts, mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion founded in 2001. It was purchased by Zuffa, LLC, the parent company of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC ...
under
Zuffa
Zuffa, LLC () is an American sports promotion company specializing in mixed martial arts. It was founded in January 2001 in Las Vegas, Nevada, by Station Casinos executives Frank Fertitta III and Lorenzo Fertitta to be the parent entity of the ...
management. The event was held on January 20, 2007. ''WEC 25s
main event
In sports, a card lists the matches taking place in a title match combat-sport event. Cards include a main event match and the undercard listing the rest of the matches. The undercard may be divided into a midcard and a lower card, according to ...
was a championship fight for the vacant WEC Lightweight Title, between rivals
Rob McCullough
Robert Alexander McCullough IV (born May 26, 1977) is an American former Muay Thai kickboxer and professional mixed martial artist. A professional from 2001-2011 in MMA, McCullough has formerly competed for the WEC, Bellator, DREAM, the Wor ...
and
Kit Cope
Kristopher Lee "Kit" Cope (born March 17, 1977) is an American Muay Thai kickboxer and mixed martial artist who competes in the Featherweight, Lightweight, and Welterweight divisions. A four-time professional Muay Thai World Champion, Cope also ...
. The co-main event was a WEC Featherweight Title bout between champion,
Urijah Faber
Urijah Faber (born May 14, 1979) is an American mixed martial artist and actor who is signed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He competed as a bantamweight and formerly competed as a featherweight. He is also the founder of Team Alpha Male, ...
and challenger Joe Pearson.
A WEC Light Heavyweight Title bout was originally advertised between champion
Doug Marshall
Douglas Garrett Marshall (born February 3, 1977) is an American former professional mixed martial artist. A professional competitor from 2003 until 2014, Marshall has fought in Bellator, Tachi Palace Fights, the Super Fight League, and the Pala ...
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.
Results
Reported Payout
The following is the reported payout to the fighters as reported to the
Nevada State Athletic Commission
The Nevada State Athletic Commission (also known as the Nevada Athletic Commission or NSAC) regulates all contests and exhibitions of unarmed combat within the state of Nevada, including licensure and supervision of promoters, boxers, kickboxers, ...
. 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 Franca
Hermes (; grc-gre, Ἑρμῆς) is an Olympian deity in ancient Greek religion and mythology. Hermes is considered the herald of the gods. He is also considered the protector of human heralds, travellers, thieves, merchants, and orators ...
, who had to vacate it in order to continue to compete in the
UFC
The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...
See also
*
World Extreme Cagefighting
World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) was an American mixed martial arts, mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion founded in 2001. It was purchased by Zuffa, LLC, the parent company of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC ...
*
List of WEC champions
This is a list of World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) champions at each weight class.
In December 2006 World Extreme Cagefighting was bought by Zuffa, LLC, the parent company of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, UFC, to concentrate on the four ...
*
List of WEC events
This is a list of is of mixed martial arts events held by World Extreme Cagefighting. The first event, WEC 1, took place on June 30, 2001. The first event held under Zuffa management, WEC 25, took place on January 20, 2007. The final event, WEC 53 ...
*
2007 in WEC
References
External links
Event Results on SherdogWEC Las Vegas debüt a Success
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wec 25
World Extreme Cagefighting events
2007 in mixed martial arts
Mixed martial arts in Las Vegas
2007 in sports in Nevada
Hard Rock Hotel and Casino (Las Vegas)