“WEC 43: Cerrone vs. Henderson” was originally scheduled to take place Sept. 2 at the Covelli Center in Youngstown, Ohio but was postponed due to an injury to main event fighter Ben Henderson. The event will now take place Oct. 10 at the 18,000 seat AT&T center in San Antonio, Texas WEC officials announced on Friday.
The WEC released a statement just a week before their first venture into Ohio that the show would be rescheduled due to the undisclosed injury to Henderson. Shortly afterwards, it was made public the show would take place on Oct. 10, but whether or not it would be at the same location was left for speculation.
The Versus network which carries all the WEC shows had Oct. 10 available but the arena in Youngstown was booked already, thus prompting the move to San Antonio.
Tickets for the event go on sale to the public Sept. 4 at Ticketmaster.com. WEC newsletter subscribers will have access to a pre-sale Sept. 3. Tickets are priced at $25, $45, $75 and $125.
“We are really excited to be bringing this fight card to San Antonio” said WEC General Manager Reed Harris. “They say everything’s bigger in Texas. We plan on living up to that slogan by bringing some of the most prominent mixed martial artists in the world to San Antonio.”
This will be the WEC’s second foray into Texas. “WEC 39: Brown vs. Garcia” was held at the America Bank center in Corpus Christi, Texas.
The entire 10-fight card has been kept in tact for the rescheduled show.
By: Dusty Adams
Here is the official press release concerning the new location for WEC 43:
WEC® PRESENTS: CERRONE VS. HENDERSON
From The AT&T Center in San Antonio, TX – Saturday, Oct. 10;
Tickets Go On Sale Friday, Sept. 4 at 10 a.m. CT
Fight to Air Live on VERSUS at 10 p.m. ET/ 7 p.m. PT
Las Vegas, NV (USA) – World Extreme Cagefighting® announced today that it is returning to the Lone Star state on Saturday, Oct. 10 with an action-packed night of fights. Live from the AT&T Center in beautiful San Antonio, TX, fan favorite Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone battles feared striker Ben Henderson in a bout that will crown the interim WEC lightweight champion.
The 10-fight card, which was originally slated for Sept. 2, now heads to one of the nation’s top cities. What’s more, the Oct. 10 event will be WEC’s first-ever show on a Saturday night, making it a historic night for the organization.
“We are really excited to be bringing this fight card to San Antonio,” WEC General Manager Reed Harris said, adding that the market has long been attractive to WEC. “They say everything’s bigger in Texas. We plan on living up to that slogan by bringing some of the most prominent mixed martial artists in the world to San Antonio.
“The stars have aligned for this card,” Harris continued. “As we stated earlier this week, an injury to Henderson prevented him from being ready to fight on Sept. 2, but he’s fired up and ready for ‘Cowboy’ on Oct. 10. It’s the perfect scenario. We’ve got a world title fight on a Saturday night in one of the nation’s biggest cities. It doesn’t get much better than that.”
Tickets for Cerrone vs. Henderson go on sale Friday, Sept. 4 at 10 a.m. CT and will be priced at $25, $45, $75, and $125. A special Internet ticket pre-sale will be available to WEC newsletter subscribers on Thursday, Sept. 3 starting at 10 a.m. CT. To access this presale, users must register for the WEC newsletter through wec.tv. Tickets will be available at the AT&T Center Box Office, online at ticketmaster.com, all Ticketmaster locations or charge by phone at 1-800-745-3000. Tickets also are available online through www.wec.tv.
Cerrone vs. Henderson will be televised nationally live on VERSUS beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET/7:00 p.m. PT. All of the network’s live WEC events are presented in HD and Spanish language SAP where available. For more information and how to find VERSUS in your local viewing area, visit http://www.versus.com/findversus.
With lightweight champion Jamie Varner unable to defend the title due to injury, top contenders Donald Cerrone and Ben Henderson are set to collide in what could be of the most intense championship bouts of the year.
A former professional bull rider, Cerrone (10-1, 1 NC) hopes to lasso his first world title when he meets Henderson in San Antonio. A phenomenal Muay Thai striker, the 26-year-old Albuquerque, NM resident also boasts a potent ground game. With nine of his 10 wins coming by way of submission – including his last victory via rear naked choke over James Krause on June 7 – the Greg Jackson-trained Cerrone is undoubtedly one of the most dangerous fighters in the lightweight division. With a unique blend of striking and submissions, “Cowboy” firmly believes that his versatility will guide him toward the WEC championship.
“He’s got an awesome ground game and he’s a superior wrestler,” Cerrone said of Henderson. “The only thing he lacks is his standup. I believe that I have what it takes to become champion. I know Ben well and like him, but when the cage door closes, I want to win that belt.”
A technically-sound grappler, Henderson (9-1) has lived up to his nickname “Smooth” since debuting in the WEC in January. Fighting out of Glendale, AZ, the former two-time NAIA collegiate wrestling All-American has scored WEC wins over Shane Roller and Anthony Njokuani and is unbeaten since 2006. Thanks to his wrestling prowess and black belt in Taekwondo, Henderson has the ability to finish fights both on the feet and the ground. With a complete arsenal at his disposal, the 25-year-old believes he will out-duel “Cowboy” in their October showdown.
“There are guys who get in the cage and you can see in their eyes that they’re a little bit overwhelmed by the whole thing,” Henderson said. “I don’t think I’ll be overwhelmed. I love Cerrone’s game and his ‘Terminator’ style. He just keeps coming forward. As far as standing up with him and trading some blows, I’d love to. Let’s go out there and have fun.”