Reed Harris: ‘I Would Be Happy To Pay These Guys Millions’
June 10, 2009 – 9:15 am by Tas Melas
World Extreme Cagefighting is the very little brother of the UFC. The league is a lot younger and more modest than the culturally popular MMA organization, but there is a definite market for it. As the UFC grows, so does the WEC. Many feel the WEC will eventually have to pay their fighters more, or a butting of the heads will occur. What WEC General Manager, Reed Harris, has on his side is that these fighters are making short money and come from meager backgrounds in terms of both popularity and cash flow; they seem to be content with their current conditions. Yes, if the WEC story mimics anything close to the tale of the UFC, these guys will demand pay hikes, but their humble backgrounds will help Harris in his negotiations in my opinion. Harris joined Yahoo Sports blog Cagewriter to discuss the WEC’s owner-fighter relations, how he’ll handle any monetary issues, and the WEC’s future plans.
What are the owner-employee workings like in your organization?
“We have a great relationship with our fighters, truly. I’ve known (Antonio Rogerio) Nogueira for a long time, we brought Nogueira in two and a half years ago, when we brought in Nogueira in hardly anybody knew who he was, and Nogueira and I are on the same page. We do have discussions with fighters about money, we understand their needs, they understand our needs, and we believe like we’re a team. I’ll tell you we really have few problems.”
At some point this thing has to come to a head and you will have money issues with your fighters, right?
“Sure, but on the other hand, we’ve developed a good enough relationship with the fighters and the managers where we’re certainly gonna consider their needs, and they as well need to understand our business plan and our business model. I will tell ya that because of television our shows are exponentially growing and I would like nothing better than to pay these guys millions of dollars. And, I mean that sincerely.”
What are the future plans for the WEC?
“As we grow, so will they. I’m excited about the future, part of our plan is to go to different cities throughout the United States. We’re obviously doing our next show in Vegas which we’re excited about… And, then go to some of the other cities and then maybe eventually do a show in Mexico, jump around and I think maybe in a couple years, I mean, look at us a couple years ago, look at us today, think about the growth of the sport itself, and think about the growth from the UFC. The UFC is what’s pushing this thing, the more people that see it. I texted Dana the other day and I said, ‘The WEC is like crack, once you watched it, you’re addicted.”
Listen to Reed Harris on the Cagewriter blog with Steve Cofield
Tags: MMA, Reed Harris, UFC, WEC
