The WEC on Thursday officially announced its debut card in Canada, which will be held June 20 in Edmonton. Three Canadians will take part in the main card, including Thamesford, Ont.’s Mark (The Machine) Hominick and Yves Jabouin of Montreal, who will face off in a featherweight matchup.
“We are really excited to bring WEC to Canada for the first time on June 20,” WEC general manager Reed Harris said in a release. “We’ve learned that Canada is home to some of the most passionate mixed martial arts fans in the world. With that said, we can’t wait to get to Edmonton and put the best lighter weight fighters in the world on display.”
Former lightweight champion Jamie Varner will headline the card, which will be held at Rexall Place, taking on the heavy-handed Kamal Shalorus. In the co-main event, rising featherweight Josh Grispi will face L.C. Davis in a fight that will put the winner in position for a potential title shot.
Hominick and London, Ont., teammate Chris Horodecki were also confirmed for the event. Horodecki, one of the sport’s most electric strikers, will take on Taekwondo expert Ed Ratcliff in a lightweight contest. Horodecki is coming off a loss to Anthony Njokuani in his WEC debut last December.
Meanwhile, Hominick will battle Jabouin in a featherweight matchup that was originally scheduled for Jan. 10 before Jabouin had to pull out with injury. Hominick instead faced Bryan Caraway, whom he beat by first-round submission.
The WEC had originally looked at holding the show at the Stampede Corral in Calgary, but instead settled on Edmonton. The UFC, whose parent company Zuffa, LLC, also owns the WEC, will hold its first show in Western Canada a week prior — UFC 115 will take place at the GM Place in Vancouver on June 12.
NOTES: Spike TV announced Thursday it will air two undercard fights for its upcoming debut on pay-per-view. WEC 48: Aldo vs. Faber, which takes place April 24 in the Arco Arena in Sacramento, will feature former The Ultimate Fighter Season 1 contestant Alex Karalexis against Anthony Pettis and Leonard Garcia vs. Chan Sung Jung.
