New Division means a New Champion
This year the UFC has made some massive moves from signing a massive deal with Fox to the addition of the Bantamweight and Featherweight. Next year the UFC looks to continue growing as after the latest event, UFC 140, Dana White announced that the UFC would be adding a Flyweight Division. This division will be the lightest division in the UFC at 125 lbs and will give the lighter Bantamweight fighters a place to go to better compete. With Flyweight divisions in many other promotions it may also attract some new blood to the UFC with yet another exciting lighter weight division. This new division will be the 7th weight class in the UFC and it brings up another debate that I have been wondering myself. With three new lighter weight divisions I think it is time for a discussion on a bigger weight class. With the Heavyweight Division continuing to be a competitive division there is also another trend. The Heavyweight Division has continued to get bigger and bigger. With UFC 141 upcoming we will see this trend reach its peak as the two biggest fighters in the UFC. Brock Lesnar, 6’3” 265 lbs, and Allistair Overeem, 6’5” 265 lbs, will face off at UFC 141 showing just how big the division has gotten. With such big contenders there are some fighters like Pat Barry and Stefan Struve who are under 240 lbs that find it hard to compete with the biggest fighters in the UFC. I believe it is time for the UFC to create a new division and split the Heavyweight division in two. To attract more fighters that may not compete against the largest of fighters the UFC should create a Heavyweight division and a Super Heavyweight Division. The Heavyweight Division would be from 205 lbs to 230 lbs while the Super Heavyweight Division would be 230+ evening out the competition. As for right now there is no divide in the Heavyweight division and it might not come for a long time if ever. The UFC will continue to focus on their lighter weight divisions as they look towards the new year and the new Flyweight Division.
This new division will see action in March at UFC on FX when the UFC will host the first two fights in a Flyweight Tournament. This will be the first time that the Flyweight Division will be shown and will be the first championship tournament in the UFC since UFC 41 under the old ownership. The tournament will feature some of the best MMA fighters in the world at that weight. First up will be a matchup between Demetrious Johnson and Ian McCall. Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson is the former #1 contender in the Bantamweight Division but lost that title after losing in a unanimous decision to Dominick Cruz. Johnson is much more suited to the 125 lbs division as one of the smaller Bantamweights and will have his chance at a championship in the Flyweight Division. His opponent in the semi-finals will be Ian “Uncle Creepy” McCall who is widely considered the best Flyweight fighter in MMA. Like many Flyweights he has spent the majority of his career fighting the bigger and stronger Bantamweights but he has been very successful winning four straight fights as well as going the distance against Dominick Cruz in the WEC. The McCall-Johnson fight will be a good one between two fighters that have done great things in the Bantamweight Division and are looking to be the newest UFC champion. The other matchup will pit a seasoned veteran against another UFC Bantamweight standout. Yasuhiro Urushitani is a ten-year MMA veteran who most recently held the Shooto Bantamweight (123 lbs) Championship and is on a 2 fight KO streak. Urushitani is a great Japanese Fighter that could be the first Japanese born UFC Champion and has the ability to do so. His opponent will be UFC standout Joseph Benavidez who has been one of the better Bantamweight fighters in the UFC. Riding a three fight win streak, including two appearances in the UFC, he will look to take advantage of an opportunity to be a UFC champion. In March the UFC will see these four fighters take the first step towards becoming the first UFC Flyweight Champion. It will be an exciting new time for the UFC as they enter into another chapter and continue to expand becoming a true mainstream sport.
The Fighters:
Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson
25 yrs old
5’3”
125 lbs
Record: 14-2-0
From: Madisonville, Kentucky
Last Fight:
Lost to Dominick Cruz via Unanimous Decision for the Bantamweight Championship at UFC Live 6
Ian “Uncle Creepy” McCall
27 yrs old
5’5”
125 lbs
Record: 11-2-0
From: Dana Point, California
Last Fight:
Won against Darrell Montague via Rear Naked Choke at Tachi Palace Fights 10
Joseph Benavidez
27 yrs old
5’4”
125 lbs
Record: 15-2-0
From: Sacramento, California
Last Fight:
Won against Eddie Wineland via Unanimous Decision at UFC Live 5
Yasuhiro Urushitani
35 yrs old
5’5”
125 lbs
Record: 19-4-6
From: Japan
Last Fight:
Won against Yuki Shojo via TKO at Shooto- Shootor’s Legacy 3
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