Youngstown, Ohio hosts WEC 43 on Sept. 2, Jamie Varner won't be stripped of title

Posted By MMA WW Staff on the Jun 30 2009

Wec logo As company executives hinted earlier this year, World Extreme Cagefighting will, in fact, make its Ohio debut in 2009.

WEC General Manager Reed Harris today told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that WEC 43 is set for Wednesday, Sept. 2, at the 6,000-seat Covelli Centre in Youngstown.

However, despite recent reports, injured champion Jamie Varner will not be stripped of his WEC lightweight title, and WEC 43 headliners and top contenders Donald Cerrone (10-1) and Benson Henderson (9-1) will instead fight for an interim lightweight belt, Harris said.

A number of reports, citing a Youngstown Vindicator story, stated Varner would be stripped of his belt and that it would then be contested by Cerrone and Henderson. However, Harris said that won't be the case.

Harris said his comments were taken a bit out of context and that Varner will be stripped of the belt only if his injuries prevent him from returning to the cage – something that won't be known for quite some time. In a January title defense over Cerrone (one that ended via technical split decision), Varner broke his hand and foot before an illegal knee in the fifth round brought an end to the bout. Although hopeful he could return for WEC 43 to fight Cerrone again, Varner has publicly stated that his hand did not heal correctly and that it'll keep him sidelined through the summer.

"Jamie is not stripped of the title," Harris said. "We're all hoping Jamie can come back later this year and defend his title against whoever wins the interim title.

"We just couldn't put the division on hold. We had to move it forward. ... Donald and Benson were elated."

Although the Ohio State Athletic Commission regulates more MMA events than any other state commission, including Nevada and California, the WEC has never previously ventured to the Buckeye State. However, company executives told MMAjunkie.com in April that the state's strong TV ratings and solid fanbase would likely mean a future event in Ohio.

While the choosing of Youngstown, with a population of just 75,000, may seem peculiar, keep in mind that the city has a prolific boxing history and has produced champions such as Kelly Pavlik, Greg Richardson, Ray "Boom Boom" Mancini, Harry Arroyo and Jeff Lampkin. Youngstown is also just 50 minutes from Akron (population 220,000), 75 minutes from Pittsburgh (320,000) and 80 minutes from Cleveland (480,000).

"A big part of our decision had to do with the (Covelli Centre) folks really wanting us to come," Harris said. "They were really, really interested in doing a (WEC) event. The venue itself has had some pretty big fights in the past."