Recently, UFC President Dana White announced plans for adding MMA’s lightest weight class, the 125 lb. flyweight division.News of this plan has sparked the interests of flyweights outside the organization, but it has also put the idea of dropping a cla…
Recently, UFC President Dana White announced plans for adding MMA’s lightest weight class, the 125 lb. flyweight division.
News of this plan has sparked the interests of flyweights outside the organization, but it has also put the idea of dropping a class in the minds of many of the UFC’s smaller fighters.
Changing divisions has helped many warriors find success inside the Octagon, reinvigorating the careers of former champions and contenders alike.
Here are the top five fighters currently in the UFC that would find a wealth of success dropping to 125.
MMAJunkie.com reports that UFC President Dana White confirmed that the promotion is looking to add the 125 lb. flyweight division possibly by the end of the year.”Like, really soon,” White said, revealing the organization’s plans to expand its ran…
MMAJunkie.com reports that UFC President Dana White confirmed that the promotion is looking to add the 125 lb. flyweight division possibly by the end of the year.
“Like, really soon,” White said, revealing the organization’s plans to expand its ranks.
Talk of this addition has been swirling around for years, with White hinting at the WEC adding the division back in 2010, before their merger with the UFC.
In the video above, White told a fan in 2010 at the Boston UFC Fan Expo that the organization would possibly bring flyweight fighters in as early as last year, although the merger has since stilled these talks.
Now that the lighter weight classes are firmly planted under the UFC banner, the time looks right for adding another division.
“We have to get out there; we have to create the division,” White to MMAJunkie.com.
There are many routes the UFC can take to find the first 125 lb. UFC champion. One option is a tournament format, an idea White is surprisingly open to.
“Maybe,” he told MMAJunkie.com. “There’s a lot of options we could do.”
Even just filling out the roster, the UFC has many options in obtaining flyweight warriors, including a drop in weight for some of the UFC’s smaller bantamweights, such as Joseph Benavidez, who has expressed an affinity for the weight class,
Naturally, the UFC would also attract outside talent, including No.1 ranked flyweight Mamoru Yamaguchi, Shooto champion Yasuhiro Urushitani, and Tachi Palace Fights star Jussier da Silva. Promise of fame and a bigger paycheck will certainly gravitate these fighters to the big time show.
Although a time table is not in place, with all the recent changes the UFC has made over the past few months, they seem poised for adding this weight class quite soon.
Filed under: UFC, Rankings, BantamweightsDemetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson is the next big thing in the bantamweight division in mixed martial arts. Or maybe the next little thing.
Johnson is small even by bantamweight standards (if the UFC ever adds …
Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson is the next big thing in the bantamweight division in mixed martial arts. Or maybe the next little thing.
Johnson is small even by bantamweight standards (if the UFC ever adds a 125-pound flyweight class, he’ll probably join it), but he showed once again in his UFC 130 victory over Miguel Torres that he has strong enough wrestling that he can take down bigger opponents, keep them down, and grind out decisions. And Johnson is so quick moving in and out that he has managed to avoid the “boring” label that’s too often fastened to fighters who rely on their wrestling like that.
There’s no telling how far the 24-year-old Johnson can go, but he’s already come a long way: See just how high he is on the bantamweight board below.
(Number in parentheses is the fighter’s rank in the last bantamweight list.)
1. Dominick Cruz (1): The champion is now less than a month away from his long-awaited rematch with Urijah Faber at UFC 132. In that fight, Faber retained the WEC featherweight title and handed Cruz the only loss of his career. This time Cruz is the champion, and the favorite.
2. Urijah Faber (2): Faber beat Cruz handily last time, but the big question is whether he’s as good a fighter now as he was then. The 32-year-old Faber has looked like he’s slowing down in the last couple of years, while the 25-year-old Cruz is still improving. It’s a tough fight to call.
3. Joseph Benavidez (3): His fight with Eddie Wineland in August in Milwaukee will be a good challenge for Benavidez, who is 14-2 in his MMA career, with both losses coming by decision against Cruz.
4. Brian Bowles (4): The Cruz-Faber main event isn’t the only big bantamweight fight at UFC 132: Bowles fights Takeya Mizugaki on the undercard. A Bowles win could set him up for the next shot at the Cruz-Faber winner.
5. Demetrious Johnson (NR): The UFC really ought to give Johnson a pay raise. Earning $6,000 to show and a $6,000 bonus for winning just isn’t enough for a fighter who’s in the Top 5 of his weight class. Johnson isn’t a big draw now, but he looks like a future title contender, and a long-term contract extension would seem to make sense for both the UFC and Johnson.
6. Scott Jorgensen (6): Jorgensen showed off some very impressive ground and pound against Ken Stone at the Ultimate Fighter Finale, with a brutal right hand to Stone’s chin from inside Stone’s guard, knocking him cold. Jorgensen was outclassed by Cruz when they fought for the bantamweight title in December, and I wouldn’t give him much of a chance in a rematch, but he’s a threat to anyone else in the division.
7. Miguel Torres (5): It’s tough to see the way Torres has fallen: He’s lost three of his last five after starting his career 37-1. Torres still has plenty of good fights left in him, but it’s probably not realistic to think he’ll ever get the bantamweight title back.
8. Brad Pickett (NR): Pickett was supposed to fight Torres at UFC 130, but an injury forced him out of the fight and Johnson took his spot. Pickett beat Johnson in April of 2010, and you could make an argument that he deserves to be ranked higher than Johnson because of that, but I have Johnson ahead of Pickett based on how much Johnson looks like he’s improved in the last 14 months.
9. Eddie Wineland (8): Wineland lost to Faber in March but gave him a much tougher fight than most people expected, and now he’s got a big fight with Benavidez in August. Wineland has been around a long time (he was the first WEC featherweight champion), and sometimes that makes people forget that he’s only 26 years old and is still getting better.
10. Renan Barão (9): Barao’s unanimous decision victory over Cole Escovedo at UFC 130 runs his incredible streak to 26 straight wins (with one no contest mixed in). It’s time to see how Barao does against Top 10 competition.
Chad Mendes not waiting for title shot against Jose Aldo. Will face Rani Yahya at UFC 134. Joseph Benavidez vs. Eddie Wineland set for UFC on Versus 5. Dana White says neither Jon Jones vs..
Chad Mendes not waiting for title shot against Jose Aldo. Will face Rani Yahya at UFC 134.
Joseph Benavidez vs. Eddie Wineland set for UFC on Versus 5.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship announced a bantamweight battle between two of the division’s elite in Eddie Wineland and Joseph Benavidez for UFC Live 5 on August 14.The event’s main card takes place inside the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsi…
The Ultimate Fighting Championship announced a bantamweight battle between two of the division’s elite in Eddie Wineland and Joseph Benavidez for UFC Live 5 on August 14.
The event’s main card takes place inside the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and will be broadcast live on Versus television.
Benavidez (14-2) has lost only to current UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz by decision. Following a unanimous decision win for Cruz in their first meeting, their second brought about a split decision that led Cruz to take the title from around the waist of Benavidez.
Since that defeat, the Team Alpha Male fighter has defeated Wagnney Fabiano and Ian Loveland. Benavidez trains with Urijah Faber at Team Alpha Male.
Wineland (18-7-1) is coming off a defeat at the hands of Faber by decision. The loss snapped a four-fight winning streak for the former World Extreme Cagefighting champion.
Other fights scheduled for UFC Live 5 include Ben Henderson meeting Jim Miller in a lightweight tilt, and Dan Hardy taking on Chris Lytle in a welterweight contest.
Some selected highlights from our friends around the MMA blogosphere. E-mail [email protected] for details on how your site can join the MMA Link Club…
– ‘Rampage’ Jackson’s Toughest Role? Convincing Us He Still Wants to Fight (MMA Fighting)
– Five Fights You Shouldn’t Miss at UFC 130 (LowKick)
– MTV Is Planning a New MMA Reality Show in the Vein of a ‘Redneck Jersey Shore’ (MiddleEasy)
– Eddie Wineland vs. Joseph Benavidez Booked for ‘UFC Live 5’ in August (Five Ounces of Pain)
– Antonio McKee Thinks He May Have Been Cut by UFC Because He ‘Rubbed Joe Silva the Wrong Way’ (MMA Mania)
– UFC 129 ‘St. Pierre vs. Shields’ Did Really Big Business (MMA Convert)
– Zoila & Jorge Gurgel talk MMA & Marriage (TheFightNerd)
– ‘Strikeforce Challengers’ Headed to Las Vegas (NBC Sports MMA)
Some selected highlights from our friends around the MMA blogosphere. E-mail [email protected] for details on how your site can join the MMA Link Club…
– ‘Rampage’ Jackson’s Toughest Role? Convincing Us He Still Wants to Fight (MMA Fighting)
– Five Fights You Shouldn’t Miss at UFC 130 (LowKick)
– MTV Is Planning a New MMA Reality Show in the Vein of a ‘Redneck Jersey Shore’ (MiddleEasy)
– Eddie Wineland vs. Joseph Benavidez Booked for ‘UFC Live 5′ in August (Five Ounces of Pain)
– Antonio McKee Thinks He May Have Been Cut by UFC Because He ‘Rubbed Joe Silva the Wrong Way’ (MMA Mania)
– UFC 129 ‘St. Pierre vs. Shields’ Did Really Big Business (MMA Convert)
– Zoila & Jorge Gurgel talk MMA & Marriage (TheFightNerd)
– ‘Strikeforce Challengers’ Headed to Las Vegas (NBC Sports MMA)
Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson is the next big thing in the bantamweight division in mixed martial arts. Or maybe the next little thing.