Western Canada will be treated to a pair of major mixed martial arts events within an eight-day span in June. The Canadian Press has confirmed that World Extreme Cagefighting 49 will take place on June 20th at Rexall Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. UFC 115 will be held eight days earlier at General Motors Place in Vancouver, British Columbia.
WEC 49 was originally targeted for the city of Calgary, but the promotion has altered its plans and will now come to the provincial capital. The card is expected to feature at least three well-known Canadian fighters.
Citing issues with scheduling and venue availability, WEC officials confirmed the switch from Calgary to Edmonton and stated that Alberta, already a rich market for MMA, would serve as an excellent addition as the promotion makes its first trip to Canada. Among those expected to compete on the card are Canadians Chris Horodecki, Mark Hominick and Yves Jabouin. Both Horodecki (IFL) and Hominick (TKO) have previously held major titles.
WEC 49 will take place at Rexall Place, which serves as the home for the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers. Depending on the nature of the events inside, the arena has a seating capacity of between 10,000 and 17,000. The show will likely use a more compact seating arrangement, but mixed martial arts events in Alberta have drawn large crowds at times in the past and the WEC will look to follow up on that success on June 20th.
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