A fight between 115 and 135 would be catch-weight. A fight above the heaviest weight-class is more like open-weight.
If the UFC shelved it's LHW and HW divisions, that wouldn't make anything above 185 "open weight." A catch weight is a fight at a pre-determined weight, and, like any match with a weight limit, would be the opposite of "open weight." What are you on about?
Lets be honest, what would happen if Cyborg came in over-weight? She isn't exactly known for coming in on weight, 140 could easily turn into 148lbs. No belt on the line, there would have been huge marketing going into the fight, Ronda would be pressured into fighting regardless. At least at 135 we would know that Cyborg would have to come in on weight otherwise it's not a title fight.
And it wouldn't be a title fight in the first place if it was a catch weight. The issue doesn't disappear just because the title COULD be on the line. This is a red herring, though. We are talking about the principle of having a catch weight above the highest weight class.
Some people say that Cyborg can't come down to 135 but we all know that is horse meat, er horse shit. Yes she will have to lose muscle to come down, but it's not exactly unprecedented in MMA to do so. Ronda is the premier womans fighter, is on the pound for pound lists, gets all the media attention. If Cyborg doesn't want to come down then it hurts her legacy far more than Ronda's.
Not really.
At 135 it's a superfight.
No it isn't. It's just a 135 lb fight between Ronda and a shrunken down Cyborg who moved weight classes. A superfight is having the fighters from different divisions come into the arena with what they have at either the higher weight class so neither is actually diminished, or both sacrificing some to make it happen, not just one of them.
I would definitely be into that. Anything else can't happen in the UFC.
Nothing is stopping it but the insistence of the UFC and Ronda in preserving the status quo.
Apparently Cyborg has signed with the UFC for a second time and her contract states she must fight at 135lbs. Makes the whole open weight discussion moot.
Again, it's not "open weight."
I know about that and I've been bringing it to people's attention. In fact, I pretty much knew it before it was even announced since it was half-way leaked and was patently obvious. But at best, Cyborg is going to try to make 135 without becoming too diminished. If she can't do it, the fight won't happen at that weight, if it happens at all.
Ronda was signed to fight Cyborg at 145 (as current 135 champ) and Cyborgs positive test for steroids killed the fight and the whole 145 division. Then Cyborg signed with the UFC and coincidentally right after they announced enhanced drug testing proceedures she asked to be released from her contract. It's clear who was running.
Your time line is off. If they said something about "enhanced" drug testing around the time that Strikeforce was acquired, that was lip service. Actual enhanced drug testing is much more recent than 2011.
Cyborg didn't "sign" with the UFC and then ask to be released after some doping test announcement. You are spewing propaganda. Her contract was acquired through the buyout of Strikeforce in early 2011 along with Rousey's. They weren't continuing with her weight class and she didn't think she could move down safely and effectively so she got out.
