(photo courtesy of Reed Harris’ Twitter page via Yahoo! Cagewriter)

During Thursday’s UFC pre-fight press conference for “UFC 116: Lesnar vs. Carwin” the promotions president Dana White stated yet again that former UFC champion Chuck Liddell was done fighting in the UFC.

“He won’t do it again. He cannot do it again. It will not happen again. This guy is somebody that I care about and respect and consider a friend of mine.

“My problem isn’t with Chuck Liddell getting in shape or any of that stuff. My problem is with Chuck’s chin. Anybody who’s been in the sport long enough knows you used to be able to hit him in the face with a crowbar and you couldn’t even wobble him. And that’s not the case anymore. It’s not worth it to me.”

Liddell was at the Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum in Las Vegas at the unveiling of a wax figure in his image and spoke to MMAWeekly.com about his future.

“We’ll talk to Dana today and go in there and try to make some more ideas about what I want to do. I’m not sure. Isn’t anything decided yet. I’m gonna have to talk to him about it.”

Video of Chuck Liddell and his wax figure after the jump

Click here to view the embedded video.

HT: MMAWeekly.com

During last night’s “WEC 49: Varner vs. Shalorus” post-fight press conference, WEC official Reed Harris announced the “Fight Night” bonuses for the event.

Walking away with a $10,000 bonus were Mark Hominick and Yves Jabouin for “Fight of the Night,” while Eddie Wineland earned the “Knockout of the Night,” and “Submission of the Night” was warded to Josh Grispi.

Hominick and Jabouin fought in the co-main event and saw both men push the pace. Near the middle of the second frame, Hominick put Jabouin into the fence and presses the attack. Jabouin climbs back to his feet and responds with a right hand that put’s Hominick on the mat. As Jabouin jumps in to finish he’s caught in Hominick’s guard who rolls him over to gain mount and finishes the fight.

Wineland was awarded the “Knockout of the Night” after stopping opponent Will Campuzano in the second round at 4:44. Wineland used a couple of tough body shots to Campuzano to put him to the mat and finishes with a good shot to the jaw to win the fight.

Grispi won the “Submission of the Night” after submitting opponent L.C. Davis in the middle of the first round. He beat out four other fighters who also earned submission victories on the evening. Davis refused to tap out and was put into unconsciousness by the choke.

Press Release
Las Vegas, NV (USA) – Redemption. It’s a word that bantamweight Joseph Benavidez has had etched in his brain since last August. You see, when the 25-year-old first locked horns with Dominick Cruz last summer, the two engaged in three of the most action-packed rounds in World Extreme Cagefighting® history. Unfortunately for Benavidez, he came up just short on that sizzling August night and was handed the first and only loss of his professional career.

On Wednesday, August 18 from The Pearl at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Benavidez gets another crack at Cruz. WEC officials announced today that Benavidez will challenge Dominick Cruz for the bantamweight title in a hotly-anticipated summer showdown. Plus, former featherweight champion Urijah Faber makes his 135-pound debut as he takes on Japanese striking sensation Takeya Mizugaki.

This epic summer event will be held in conjunction with the MAGIC trade show, the men’s fashion industry’s premier convention – held at The Las Vegas Convention Center and The Mandalay Bay Convention Center, August 17-19.

“When Dominick and Joseph fought last August, it was one of those fights that kept you on the edge of your seat,” WEC General Manager Reed Harris said. “Now we get to see the Cruz-Benavidez rematch with even more at stake – the world title. If that wasn’t enough, we’ll get to see Urijah Faber take on Takeya Mizugaki in a fight that has the potential to be one of the best of the summer.”

Tickets for WEC: Cruz vs. Benavidez go on sale Thursday, June 17 at 10 a.m. PT and will be priced at $246, $171, and $96. A special Internet ticket pre-sale will be available to WEC newsletter subscribers on Wednesday, June 16 starting at 10 a.m. PT. To access this presale, users must register for the WEC newsletter through wec.tv. Tickets will be available at The Pearl box office, online at ticketmaster.com, all Ticketmaster locations, or charge by phone at 1-800-745-3000. Ticket prices do not include service charges.

Cruz vs. Benavidez will be televised nationally live on VERSUS beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT. All of the network’s live WEC events are presented in HD and Spanish language SAP where available. For more information and how to find VERSUS in your local viewing area, visit http://www.versus.com/findversus.

Arguably the most dynamic striker in the 135-pound division, San Diego, Calif.’s Dominick Cruz (15-1) prides himself on his unorthodox standup and aggressive wrestling. After defeating Benavidez last August, the 25-year-old scored a second-round TKO stoppage over previously-unbeaten Brian Bowles in March to secure the bantamweight championship. Undefeated at 5-0 since dropping to 135 pounds three years ago, Cruz expects to put on a similar performance as he did when he clashed with Benavidez last year.

“Let’s keep it real: styles make fights and both of the last two guys he has fought stood right in front of him,” Cruz said. “You can’t stand in front of him, you have to use footwork and move. Joseph can’t match my footwork and I have a reach advantage on him. That doesn’t guarantee me the win, but it allows me to dictate a lot of the fight. I fought him once and not a lot of his game has changed. He has definitely improved, as I have, every single day. But there are a lot of tricks up my sleeve that I will use against Joseph for this fight.”

Training out of the same camp as WEC stars Urijah Faber and Chad Mendes, Sacramento, Calif.’s Joseph Benavidez is coming off two of the most impressive feats in recent memory. Last December, the 25-year-old scored a phenomenal knockout victory over jiu-jitsu ace Rani Yahya. Then, just three months later, Benavidez became the first man to ever submit former bantamweight champion Miguel Angel Torres. Now, with Cruz in his crosshairs, Benavidez plans to avenge his only loss and capture the world title.

“Those are two of the main goals in my career, to win the title and avenge that loss on the same night,” Benavidez said. “He’s a tough fighter, but I’m a different fighter since I fought him last. I think he had a great night and I had a bad night, and it was still really close, so if I fight like I’m capable of I have no doubt I will come out with the victory.”

One of the top lighter weight fighters of all-time, former featherweight champion Urijah Faber has defeated some of the sport’s best names. From Jeff Curran to Jens Pulver to Raphael Assuncao, the 31-year-old served as the 145-pound kingpin for over two years. Now, “The California Kid” has his sights set on winning a championship in the loaded bantamweight division. Up first for the Sacramento, Calif. native is Takeya Mizugaki, one of the division’s most talented athletes.

“I’m excited to take this fight at 135-pounds and test myself against the best bantamweights in the world,” Faber, who owns a record of 23-4, said. “Mizugaki is really tough, but I’m ready to make an impact and work toward becoming a champion again.”

Japanese star Takeya Mizugaki burst onto the scene last year, waging a five-round war with then-champion Miguel Angel Torres. Since that time, the 26-year-old has become one of the most feared bantamweights in the world. Having defeated Rani Yahya in his last fight in January, Mizugaki (13-4-2) is prepared to rudely welcome Faber to the 135-pound weight class.

“I never shy away from tough fights, so I’m excited to fight Urijah,” Mizugaki, who holds a master’s degree in electrical engineering, said. “Urijah’s first fight in this division won’t be an easy one. I plan on beating him on Aug. 18.”

Remaining bouts for WEC: Cruz vs. Benavidez will be announced at a later date. For more information, visit www.wec.tv. Follow WEC at http://twitter.com/WEConVERSUS.

World Extreme Cagefighting General Manager Reed Harris today said that the Zuffa LLC-owned fight promotion is unlikely to hold another event on Canadian soil in 2010.

However, Tom Wright, the UFC's new director of operations in Canada, said he is targeting several cities and venues for future events.

"We're really going to be very deliberate and measured with how we grow the brand and grow the business of all Zuffa properties in Canada," Wright said.

As expected World Extreme Cagefighting will host WEC 50 on Aug. 18 with WEC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz vs. Joseph Benavidez and Urijah Faber vs. Takeya Mizugaki.

MMAjunkie.com reported the event details earlier this week, and WEC General Manager Reed Harris today confirmed the news with our friends Dave and Mahoney from the D.A.M. Show on X-107.5 X-treme Radio in Las Vegas.

WEC 50 takes place at The Pearl at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas.

Frank Curreri, WEC - From its birth, the WEC was supposed to be a "dabbling" investment for a successful realtor named Reed Harris and his business partner, former Division I wrestler Scott Adams. The co-founders, who happened to be close friends with a then 8-1 fighter named Chuck Liddell, weren't expecting to make much money in their guilty pleasure/side business, because back in 2001 hardly anyone was making a decent profit in the mixed martial arts business. It was very much a 'let's-hold-a-few-shows, say-we-did-it' kind of thing.

Although facing lethal WEC featherweight champion Jose Aldo probably isn't on the top of most fighters' to-do list, defeating the Brazilian striker is now a requirement to take the belt.

Former UFC lightweight contender Manny Gamburyan did his best to stake his claim to a title shot at WEC 48 with a stunning knockout of former champ Mike Brown.

But WEC general manager Reed Harris recently told MMAjunkie.com Radio he isn't ready to declare him a No. 1 contender just yet and said this month's WEC 49 show - and its co-main event - could play a factor in the decision.

After Thursday's star-studded "PRIMETIME" show, MMAjunkie.com Radio today welcomes to the program World Extreme Cagefighting General Manager Reed Harris and ESPN "MMA Live" host Jon Anik, who both join us in studio.

Also stopping by the booth are veteran fighter Din Thomas; Martin
Rooney, author of "Ultimate
Warrior Workout: Fitness Secrets of the Martial Arts" and cornerman to
UFC 114 co-headliner Dan Miller; and Tracy Tate, who runs the
CageCandy.com MMA apparel company.

MMAjunkie.com Radio begins at noon ET (9 a.m. PT) live from the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino's Race & Sports Book. Listen to and watch a video stream of the two-hour show at www.mmajunkie.com/radio.

Although World Extreme Cagefighting General Manager Reed Harris is waiting for the final numbers to come (and plans to keep those numbers private), the WEC's pay-per-view debut by all accounts exceeded expectations.

"I don't have the official numbers ... and it could take a couple months," Harris today told MMAjunkie.com. "We had a number internally we were [aiming] for, and we far exceeded that according to the early estimates."

With the success of those PPV "buys" - which industry insiders have pegged at up to 150,000 to 200,000 - Harris said the WEC could host another PPV show by year's end. And soon, he said, he'd like to see the organization hosting three major PPV events per year.

Last year World Extreme Cagefighting officials first confirmed the addition of a flyweight division.

More than a year later, though, the organization remains void of flyweights fights, and no bouts are on the horizon.

While in Newark, N.J., for last week's UFC 111 event, WEC General Manager Reed Harris said the organization still plans to do add the 125-pound division but that the promotion's three existing weight classes remain a priority.