VERSUS TV

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It's starting to look like 2010 is going to be a great year in MMA.  With news of possible dream matches, fighters returning from injuries, and new states allowing MMA, things seem like they couldn't get any better.  Well they just did. 

During a conference call Wednesday, UFC president Dana White and Marc Fein, Executive Vice President of Programming, Production and Business Operations for VERSUS, announced that two live UFC events will be broadcast on the VERSUS channel in 2010.  No dates or venues have yet to be announced as for when these events will happen, but White wants to come out with a bang.  "It will be like a Fight Night card," White said. "But we got some plans right now ... The fight that we're talking about putting on the first fight on VERSUS. It's going to be a good one." 

The network expects to have a date and venue announced after the New Year.  "The relationship has been outstanding and having the opportunity to take that relationship up to the next level and have two UFC fights on the network next year makes us very excited," Fein said. "[It's] the first time that a live UFC event will be on a national all sports cable network. So it's a great day for us." 

This comes after WEC signed a renewal deal with the network which includes seven live WEC events, the two UFC events, and renewal of VERSUS.com digital media rights, which allow the site to air prelim matches and behind the scenes footage.  With the renewal deal for WEC and the addition of UFC to VERSUS, fans were worried that they may see the end of WEC and that it will just be eaten up by UFC.  Both White and WEC co-founder Reed Harris have reiterated that they are two separate companies and intend to keep it that way. 

"No one at (the) WEC would ... make an announcement that we will merge in January when we have a show scheduled in Ohio in March," Harris wrote on the popular MMA forum, The Underground.  So with all this love in the works, it's seems that MMA is starting to become one big happy family.  Let's just hope it stays that way. 

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