WEC 25


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 25's 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.

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 def. Kit Cope: $5,000
  • Urijah Faber: $10,000 def. Joe Pearson: $4,000
  • John Alessio: $10,000 def. Brian Gassaway: $4,000
  • Logan Clark: $12,000 def. Blas Avena: $2,500
  • Brendan Seguin: $4,000 def. Fernando Gonzalez: $3,000
  • Alex Karalexis: $8,000 def. Olaf Alfanso: $4,000
  • Carlos Condit: $8,000 def. Kyle Jensen: $3,000
  • Antonio Banuelos: $6,000 def. Mike French: $3,000
  • Rich Crunkilton: $10,000 def. Mike Joy: $2,000

Miscelleaneous

  • First WEC show under Zuffa management.
  • The WEC Lightweight Title was previously held by Hermes Franca, who had to vacate it in order to continue to compete in the UFC