Money issues heating up with Faber and WEC
WEC is growing by leaps and bounds. All one needs to do is look at WEC 41 in Sacramento where the event pulled in 13,027 fans and around an $815,415 gate. Two of the biggest stars with organization, seeing that growth, are starting to grumble about their pay.
Last week with Cagewriter, WEC bantamweight champ Miguel Torres, 28, made mention of his salary and said he may only have a shelf life 3-4 years if the money doesn't improve. Torres also joked at the WEC 41 fan Q & A that he would only wage a superfight against Urijah Faber if "they made it worth his while."
Faber has been just as vocal. He's in a tough position. WEC helped Faber get out there on a big level. On the flip side, Faber has been a willing front man for the promotion over the last two years. But now with only one fight left on his contract, he's lost 2-of-3 fights and is coming off a broken hand. Faber wants to make sure he's taken of and sounds bothered by his pay versus what he sees the UFC's elite stars pulling in (3:40 mark):
"I definitely don't think it's a fair scale," Faber told RawVegas' Dave Farra. "They say that WEC is a different company than UFC."
Zuffa, headed up Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta along with Dana White, owns both fight organizations. When he's been told by Lorenzo Fertitta and White that WEC and UFC are different, Faber joked, "well then can you talk to the owners and see if you can pull some strings?"
Faber's only real option is in Japan unless Affliction and Strikeforce show more interest in promoting 145 pound fights in the U.S. He's hoping it doesn't come to that:
"Things will be fine as long as they're looking at me as an investment and not an expense. I've done my part, countless interviews and gone above and beyond with the PR."
Faber has been dynamite over the years with the media and fans. He's one of the top 15 fighters in the world so let's hope he sticks around after his next fight in WEC.
