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MMA Top 10 Flyweights: Joe Benavidez Will Be the Best

Filed under: UFC, FlyweightsWhen we assemble a list of the Top 10 flyweights in MMA, there’s a lot of guesswork involved, because the flyweight class really hasn’t been established in MMA.

That’s about to change, however, thanks to the UFC’s announcem…

Filed under: UFC, Flyweights

When we assemble a list of the Top 10 flyweights in MMA, there’s a lot of guesswork involved, because the flyweight class really hasn’t been established in MMA.

That’s about to change, however, thanks to the UFC‘s announcement this month that it will launch the flyweight division in March. Previously, there just weren’t any high-paying fights for 125-pounders, which meant that the best natural flyweights in the world were fighting bigger opponents at bantamweight.

So as I rank the Top 10 flyweights in MMA below, I’m not only ranking the Top 10 guys who have already fought at flyweight. I’m also including former bantamweights who I expect to see at flyweight in 2012. That includes the two UFC fighters who I expect to see win their flyweight debuts in March and fight for the first UFC flyweight belt in the summer.

Top 10 Flyweights in MMA
1. Joseph Benavidez: I’ve been saying for years that Benavidez would be the best flyweight in the world just as soon as he had a flyweight class to fight in. In 2012, we’ll see if I was right.

2. Demetrious Johnson: “Mighty Mouse” has incredible speed and good wrestling and has been quite successful at bantamweight. He lost his last fight to the champion, Dominick Cruz, but now that he’s a flyweight he won’t have to face the huge reach disadvantage that he had in the Cruz fight.

3. Ian McCall: The reigning Tachi Palace flyweight champion, McCall will get a chance to prove that he’s the best flyweight in the world now that he’s with the UFC. He debuts against Johnson in March.

4. Jussier da Silva: da Silva was widely regarded as the best flyweight in the world before he lost the Tachi Palace championship to McCall. Since that loss he’s gone right back to his winning ways with three straight victories, most recently with a first-round submission win over Rodrigo Santos in Brazil. He’d be a great addition to the UFC’s flyweight class.

5. Yasuhiro Urushitani: The reigning Shooto 123-pound champion is coming off a great head-kick victory and now gets ready to face Benavidez in what should be a sensational fight.

6. John Lineker: The reigning bantamweight champion of Brazil’s Jungle Fight promotion, Lineker is expected to start fighting at flyweight in the UFC in 2012. I’m eager to see what he can do: In Brazil, he’s been incredibly active (13-0 in the last two years) and incredibly exciting, with a wild striking style that has opponents not knowing what to do. The 20-year-old Lineker still has room to improve, especially in his ground game, but that improvement is going to be a lot of fun to watch. I think he’s a future flyweight champion.

7. Darrell Montague: Montague lost to McCall in his most recent fight, but his only loss other than that was to the much bigger Robert Peralta. It should be just a matter of time before he’s a UFC flyweight.

8. Shinichi “B.J.” Kojima: Kojima was once recognized as the best flyweight in the world, but after losing to da Silva in 2009 he took more than two years off. Now he’s finally back and on a two-fight winning streak, and I expect to see him in the UFC — he told me in 2009 that he wants to fight for Zuffa.

9. John Dodson: The Ultimate Fighter’s bantamweight winner will be a natural fit for the flyweight class. He’s really too small to fight at 135 pounds, and it’s impressive that he managed to win The Ultimate Fighter despite being at a size disadvantage. Dodson had a lot of success at flyweight before his Ultimate Fighter stint, and he should have more success at flyweight in the UFC. Dodson lost to Urushitani in 2004, but that fight at the beginning of his career doesn’t tell us much about how the two would match up if they ever rematched.

10. Louis Gaudinot: Immediately following Gaudinot’s loss at the Ultimate Fighter Finale, I wrote that he’s too small for bantamweight and had to fight at flyweight. I think we’ll see good things from him back at 125 pounds, where he’s more comfortable.

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Video: ‘Uncle Creepy’ Is One of the Most Appropriate Nicknames in MMA History

(You will be hit with the creepy at the 0:11 mark. Props: HDNetFights via MiddleEasy.)

Ian “Uncle Creepy” McCall made a recent appearance on Inside MMA to discuss the UFC’s addition of flyweights, and Jesus Christ, would you look at that guy. It’s like him and her had a baby. The long-haired surfer vibe that Ian used to rock in his WEC days is gone, replaced by a gentleman who looks like he might drive a surprise van in his spare time. Are the UFC’s fans ready for such mustachioed intensity?

(You will be hit with the creepy at the 0:11 mark. Props: HDNetFights via MiddleEasy.)

I’ll give McCall credit, though: He’s a good talker, and every division needs at least one. After warping our minds with a statement like “I’m the greatest flyweight of all time, for the past year,” he follows it up with the more straightforward “I need my weight class, it’s mine, give it to me, because I’m gonna beat up everybody.” Demetrious Johnson responds in humble fashion, which is no way to get attention.

UFC Officially Adding Flyweight Class With Four-Man Tournament to Crown Champ

Before the weekend, UFC president Dana White said he expected to officially announce the addition of a flyweight division within days. It was a promise he kept.

During the UFC 140 post-fight press conference, White announced a four-man tournament that…

Before the weekend, UFC president Dana White said he expected to officially announce the addition of a flyweight division within days. It was a promise he kept.

During the UFC 140 post-fight press conference, White announced a four-man tournament that would involve current bantamweights Demetrious Johnson and Joseph Benavidez, who will shed 10 pounds to fight in their more natural class.

The tournament will eventually crown the division’s first champion.

White announced a March 3 start date for the tournament. Right now, the promotion has yet to officially announce the date and location of that event, but speculation has placed it in Australia, which would actually make it a March 4 event given its location to the west of the international date line.

Regardless, the fights are set.

Johnson will take on Ian McCall (11-2), who was the 125-pound division champ in Tachi Fighting Championship, and Benavidez will face Yasuhiro Urushitani (19-4-6), the Shooto 123-pound champ.

Johnson was last seen losing a decision to Dominick Cruz during an Oct. 1 UFC on Versus event. He’s 9-2 overall. Meanwhile, Benavidez is 15-2, riding a three-fight win streak with victories over Eddie Wineland, Ian Loveland and Wagnney Fabiano.

An addition of a flyweight division had been a longtime goal for the UFC. White first brought up the plan over a year ago, but various other projects and initiatives sidetracked it until now. The addition gives the UFC championships in eight weight classes, including bantamweight (135), featherweight (145), lightweight (155), welterweight (170), middleweight (185), light-heavyweight (205) and heavyweight (265).

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UFC Plans to Announce Flyweight Class This Weekend

Filed under: UFC, NewsCHICAGO — The wait is almost over for the arrival of a 125-pound weight class in the UFC.

UFC President Dana White said Wednesday that he expects to make a formal announcement about a flyweight class within a matter of days, l…

Filed under: UFC, News

CHICAGO — The wait is almost over for the arrival of a 125-pound weight class in the UFC.

UFC President Dana White said Wednesday that he expects to make a formal announcement about a flyweight class within a matter of days, likely when he’s in Toronto for UFC 140.

“This weekend. We should have something by this weekend. But it’s happening,” White said.

Several current UFC bantamweights, including Joseph Benavidez, Demetrious Johnson, Charlie Valencia and recent Ultimate Fighter winner John Dodson, would appear likely to move down to 125 pounds. But that will be their decision alone. For his part, White said he won’t tell any bantamweights to move down.

“I’m not moving anybody. Those guys can make that decision themselves,” White said.

At the moment, the flyweight class is known only to the hardest of hard-core MMA fans, but White said he sees that changing in a hurry, and he thinks adding flyweights will help the UFC attract more fans in Asia and Latin America.

“I have a feeling that 125-pound division is going to be as talented as 155 and 170,” White said. “I’ve been working on it for months. At 125 pounds you’re going to see a lot of Hispanic, a lot of Asian fighters now coming to compete at that weight. Traditionally when you look at boxing, Asians or Hispanics have dominated those weights.”

The most recent season of The Ultimate Fighter, which featured featherweights and bantamweights, is part of what has White bullish about smaller fighters — especially Dodson.

“If anything proved how awesome the small guys are it was this season of The Ultimate Fighter,” White said. “How about that Finale? The Finale was incredible The Diego [Brandao] fight was probably the best one round I’ve ever seen. And John Dodson is just phenomenal. The guy is an amazing, explosive athlete.”

And he could be a future flyweight champion.

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UFC Plans to Announce Flyweight Class This Weekend

Filed under: UFC, NewsCHICAGO — The wait is almost over for the arrival of a 125-pound weight class in the UFC.

UFC President Dana White said Wednesday that he expects to make a formal announcement about a flyweight class within a matter of days, l…

Filed under: UFC, News

CHICAGO — The wait is almost over for the arrival of a 125-pound weight class in the UFC.

UFC President Dana White said Wednesday that he expects to make a formal announcement about a flyweight class within a matter of days, likely when he’s in Toronto for UFC 140.

“This weekend. We should have something by this weekend. But it’s happening,” White said.

“I’m not moving anybody. Those guys can make that decision themselves,” White said.

The most recent season of The Ultimate Fighter, which featured featherweights and bantamweights, is part of what has White bullish about smaller fighters — especially Dodson.

And he could be a future flyweight champion.

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MMA Monday Headlines with the TUF 14 Finale Octagon Girls (EXCLUSIVE PHOTOS)

Michael Bisping tops TUF 14 Finale salaries by A LOT with $425,000 payout. Some mugger tried to rob an MMA fighter and quickly found out that was a bad idea. Frankie Edgar vs. Ben Henderson.