Watching a television program that’s already been cancelled can be a depressing experience. What happens to the talent -- in this case, WEC play-by-play man Todd Harris? Will the ring girl not named Brittany Palmer ever find a job as satisfying? What happens to the gaffer? (The UFC, no matter how large it grows, will never need two gaffers. In fact, I question the need for one.)
What: WEC 52: Faber vs. Mizugaki, an 11-bout card from The Pearl at the Palm in Las Vegas; UFC 122: Marquardt vs. Okami, an 11-bout card from the Konig Pilsener Arena in Oberhausen, Germany.
When: Thursday, Nov. 11 at 9 p.m. ET on Versus (WEC); Saturday, Nov. 13 at 9 p.m. ET on Spike (UFC)
Why You Should Care: Because Urijah Faber has a big opportunity to reinvent himself as a 135-pound star following consecutive defeats at 145; because Nate Marquardt might be the best 185-pound fighter not named Anderson Silva and not having allegedly recently failed a drug test; because Alessio Sakara and Jorge Rivera have the boxing technique to force an exciting stand-up fight without embarrassing themselves; and because it’s always fun to read German newspaper propaganda about the Evil Invading Bloodsport.
Fights of the Week: Rivera/Sakara in the UFC; compact serial killer Damacio Page vs. Demetrious Johnson in the WEC.