Date January 25, 2009 Attendance 10,201 Total gate 486,324 USD | Venue San Diego Sports Arena City San Diego Cast Jens Pulver | |
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WEC 38 Varner vs. Cerrone WEC 39 Brown vs. Garcia Promotion World Extreme Cagefighting Similar WEC 34, WEC 36, UFC 63, UFC Fight Night: Co, UFC 68 | ||
WEC 38: Varner vs. Cerrone was a mixed martial arts event held by World Extreme Cagefighting on January 25, 2009. It aired live on the Versus Network. In the main event, WEC Lightweight Champion Jamie Varner defended his title against undefeated top contender Donald Cerrone.
Contents
Wec 38 donald cerrone and jamie varner post fight press conference
Background
Featured on the card was a rematch between former WEC Featherweight Champion Urijah Faber and Jens Pulver. Faber was originally lined up to face Jose Aldo at this event, but Aldo was replaced by Pulver. Aldo was instead moved to a bout with the debuting Fredson Paixao at this event, though Paixao was later replaced by WEC newcomer Rolando Perez due to an injury. The Faber/Aldo matchup would eventually take place at WEC 48 the following year, where Aldo defended his then-WEC Featherweight Championship in a unanimous decision victory.
Ed Ratcliff was originally slated to face WEC newcomer Anthony Njokuani at this event, but was forced from the bout with an injury and replaced by the debuting Ben Henderson.
The event drew an estimated 702,000 viewers on Versus.
Bonus Awards
Fighters were awarded $7,500 bonuses.
Reported Payouts
The following is the reported payout to the fighters as reported to the California State Athletic Commission. It does not include sponsor money or "locker room" bonuses often given by the WEC and also do not include the WEC's traditional "fight night" bonuses.