UFC and WEC Will Merge in 2011

World Extreme Cagefighting is merging with its sister organization the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Dana White confirmed that the merger will take place in January 2011. In addition, White said that four UFC events will air live on Versus in 2011.

The final two WEC cards will air on the cable network on Nov. 11 and Dec. 16, which means that starting next year, the UFC will absorb WEC's 135, 145 and 155 weight classes.



Update from MMAJunkie:
A showdown between WEC and UFC champions is on the horizon.
The winner of an upcoming WEC title fight between champion Ben Henderson (12-1 MMA, 5-0 WEC) and challenger Anthony Pettis (11-1 MMA, 4-1 WEC) will meet the winner of an upcoming UFC title fight between champion Frankie Edgar (13-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC) and challenger Gray Maynard (10-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC).
The news was shared today by UFC president Dana White on the heels of an announcement that the UFC is folding the WEC into its promotion in January 2011, though he did not provide a timeline for the meeting between the two promotions' lightweight champions.
Henderson vs. Pettis is set to take place at WEC 53, which takes place at the Jobing.com Arena in Glendale, Ariz., while Edgar vs. Maynard is set for UFC 125 on Jan. 1 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Until today's merger announcement, the WEC lightweight division was the only class which overlapped with UFC's lightweight division. That, of course, led to airy speculation on potential matchups between the promotion's champions, though both UFC and WEC officials repeatedly downplayed the possibility.
WEC 52, which takes place Nov. 11, and WEC 53 are the final events scheduled for the WEC.

And another update from MMAJunkie:
World Extreme Cagefighting's final featherweight champion, Jose Aldo (18-1 MMA, 8-0 WEC) will make his UFC debut on Jan. 1.
UFC president Dana White today announced that Aldo – who by virtue of the pending UFC and WEC merger is now the UFC's first featherweight champ – will defend his title against a yet to be named opponent at UFC 125.
Featuring a lightweight title fight between current UFC champion Frankie Edgar and top contender Gray Maynard, UFC 125 takes place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
The main card airs live on pay-per-view.
White says Aldo's opponent has yet to be determined, but he believes the Brazilian featherweight could use the new stage to become an MMA superstar.
"This kid could be a huge star," White said. "[WEC fighters] are finally on the biggest stage in the world now."
Potential opponents for Aldo include Canadian veteran Mark Hominick (19-8 MMA, 3-2 WEC), who recently picked up his third consecutive WEC win with a split-decision victory over Leonard Garcia at WEC 51, as well as Josh Grispi (14-1 MMA, 4-0 WEC), who takes a 10-fight win streak and perfect 4-0 WEC record into next month's WEC 52 meeting with Erik Koch (10-1 MMA, 2-1 WEC).