WEC® PRESENTS: CERRONE VS. HENDERSON
Fight to Air Live on VERSUS at 10 p.m. ET/ 7 p.m. PT
(PRESS RELEASE) -- 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.”
About World Extreme Cagefighting®
The WEC brand is recognized as one of the premier mixed martial arts organizations in the United States. WEC, founded in 2001, is the sister organization of the Ultimate Fighting Championship® and today features the most prominent light weight fighters in the world. Owned and operated by WEC Holdings LLC., and headquartered in Las Vegas, Nev., the WEC produces live and taped events annually that are distributed through the Versus network.WEC programming is also available on Fox Sports en Espanol. In addition to its U.S distribution, WEC programming is shown on the TSN network in Canada and Cadena Tres in Mexico. For more information and current WEC fight news, visit wec.tv. World Extreme Cagefighting® and WEC® are registered trademarks, trademarks, trade dress or service marks owned exclusively by WEC Holdings, LLC in the United States and other jurisdictions and are licensed to WEC Productions, LLC.
About VERSUS
VERSUS celebrates real competition across all platforms (VERSUS.com, VERSUS on Demand and VERSUS HD). Now in more than 75 million homes, the network is the national cable home of the National Hockey League (NHL), the Stanley Cup Playoffs and the IndyCar® Series as well as best-in-class events such as The Tour de France, the Professional Bull Riders (PBR), World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) and Professional Boxing. The network also offers collegiate sports featuring nationally-ranked teams from top conferences such as the Pac-10, Big 12, Mountain West and Ivy League. VERSUS features the best field sports programming on television and is a destination for sports fans, athletes and sportsmen to find exclusive, competitive events and original programs, such as Sports Soup and The Contender that audiences can't find elsewhere. VERSUS, a wholly owned company of Comcast Corporation (NASDAQ: CMCSA, CMCSK), is distributed via cable systems and satellite operators throughout the United States.
About The AT&T Center
The AT&T Center opened in 2002 and is operated by Spurs Sports and Entertainment. The AT&T Center is home to the NBA 4-Time World Championship San Antonio Spurs, the American Hockey League San Antonio Rampage, the WNBA San Antonio Silver Stars and the annual San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo. The AT&T Center is one of the nation’s leading entertainment venues hosting acts such as George Straight, The Rolling Stones, Van Halen, Josh Groban, Shakira, Trans-Siberian Orchestra and many more. Other events held at the Center include WWE, the Harlem Globetrotters and The Wiggles.