One of the things I’ve disliked about the WEC is the fact that the promotion has continued to carry the heavier middleweight and light heavyweight weight classes. Dana White suggested in an article over at the Canadian section of Yahoo! Sports on Saturday that Zuffa may be heading toward taking those divisions out of the WEC and merging them with the UFC’s own divisions.

White says the UFC has no plans to introduce a 145-pound weight class. “That’s why we bought the WEC (World Extreme Cagefighting).”

In fact, he said they are going to take steps to make the two circuits more distinct. “We’re going to make the WEC the smaller weights and the UFC will be the heavier weights. We’ll probably take some of the guys in the higher weights, the champions over there and bring them into UFC. We’re still trying to figure that out.”

WEC features 135-(bantamweight) and 145-pound (featherweight) weight classes as well as 155, 170, 185 and 205. The UFC has 155, 170, 185, 205 and heavyweight.

I like this move by the UFC and Dana White. Not only will Paulo Filho be moving over the promotion, but he’s probably going to be pushed up to the Light Heavyweight division after having massive problems with performance after cutting weight in the Middleweight division. His grappling should be dangerous against the divisional opponents in the UFC, and he’s arguably one of the most dangerous fighters on the ground in the world.

Brian Stann could also be an addition to the Ultimate Fighter Season 8. An Iraqi war hero on the show will get tons of exposure the American public and likely grab a huge following due to his duties in the military from members of the armed services within that same demographic. I’m a bit sick of hearing his story, but we all know the UFC will exploit it.

The rest of the fighters in those weight classes would likely make cannon fodder for upcoming talent in those divisions, or possibly make their way into the mid-echelon of those divisions in the UFC. I don’t think Doug Marshall can hang in the UFC, but Chael Sonnen could effectively dominate the lower level fighters at middleweight. Regardless, I’m not too keen on seeing those fights at this point.

Paulo Filho's performance at WEC 31 was far from impressive. In fact, Chael Sonnen stuck it to Paulo Filho early in the fight with much crisper and quicker standup than the Brazilian had predicted. Sonnen dropped Filho, and began working a ground and pound game that saw Filho nearly losing the fight. The one key skill that Filho had to defend himself with was great jiu-jitsu. Filho used his overwhelming power and grappling prowess to eventually submit Sonnen in a controversial ending.

Now, Sonnen will get a rematch with Filho for the Middleweight title in March, the last fight for Filho at 185 pounds. Filho's boxing coach confirmed to Tatame.com that he will move up to the Light Heavyweight division after the fight, look out Doug Marshall.

Henderson talks about Filho

In a related story, MMANews.com did an interview with Sonnen's teammate and UFC fighter Dan Henderson. He was quoted as saying:

MMANews.com:What are your thoughts on Paulo Filho?

Dan Henderson: I don’t think he has been very impressive in his last two performances since coming to the US but I think that’s what not being able to use Steroids will do to you.

MMANews.com:Are you saying Filho may be a juicer?

Dan Henderson: Well that’s my opinion anyway. He hasn’t looked good since he left Pride.

MMANews.com: Was steroid abuse a problem in Pride?

Dan Henderson: People didn’t get tested.

First and foremost, I don't agree with his statements. Paulo Filho more than likely has used steroids, but he is using Filho's poor performances as a basis for his argument. The fact is that Filho has still been powerful in his matchup. He clipped Doerksen and sent him home, and he used his raw power and jiu-jitsu to finally catch Sonnen's arm that was more than likely going to be broken off at the joint.

Secondly, Filho's fight with Doerksen ended rather quickly, although it was fairly sloppy. Filho still managed to end the fight with striking, a skill that Filho is not well trained in. It's known throughout the MMA world that Filho is a horrible boxer, and really only has the strength to knockout opponents, not the technical prowess. If that fight had went to the floor, I think Doerksen would have been overwhelmed.

Sonnen had much better striking, and was able to keep Filho at bay for most of the fight, but the difference in the matchup was Sonnen's submission defense. It was absolutely terrible. When you get your arm caught multiple times and barely escape an appendage being tore off your body, there is a problem with recognizing danger in the guard.

Lastly, Filho won the damn fights. He won. It was sloppy, but he still managed to pull out two victories. Yeah, Sonnen isn't a top 10 middleweight, but he is an Olympic caliber wrestler with some decent standup skills. The fact that Filho cuts down from well over 200 pounds would hurt anyone's chances.

It sounds to me like Henderson is bitter about his teammate's loss. Sonnen will get another chance to prove everyone wrong. Apparently Henderson wants to make himself the Jose Canseco of mixed martial arts, when's the book coming out? Henderson may be right on the money with his assessment, but in my opinion, his argument sounds like a whole lot of crying because his teammate came out on the short end of the stick in his last matchup. Maybe this will heat up some tension for a potential matchup between the two.

Nissen Osterneck is one of the up-and-coming talents within the worldwide Middleweight talent pool. In an era in which the division is seeing a drop in talent, Osterneck stands out as a potential workhorse in the division and could see big paydays in the future. The WEC also thinks he's the future, but it looks like they may be trying to stunt his growth.

Osterneck confirmed on Tuesday that the WEC had offered him a multi-fight deal with the organization and a chance at Chael Sonnen in his first matchup.

Seems pretty damn good, right? Wrong. Fortunately for Osterneck, he seems to be taking a passive tone and commented on mulling over his other options before deciding.

So, why the animosity toward such a deal? First and foremost, Osterneck is only 5-0. With only five professional fights under his belt, the WEC wants to throw him in with an Olympic caliber wrestler who nearly put away arguably one of the best Middleweights in the world in Paulo Filho.

Secondly, Osterneck has a chance to be a real talent in any Middleweight division. Experience and gaining more practice in your skillset is definitely #1 in the priority column right now. Taking on better fighters is a good idea, but going from Freddie Espircueta to Chael Sonnen is a huge leap.

More wins, more offers... wait it out

My advice... take a few more fights in the HDNet promotion. It's a non-exclusive contract open for you to explore other options and other venues to fight, and when the time is right, move to the WEC or potentially the UFC. 5-0 is a great start, but get some tougher opponents under your belt before taking on a talent like Sonnen who is very underrated by many fans.