Is 2026 the best time to split 170 into 165 & 175 divisions?

[Submission]

I think right now is unanimous that WW is the most stacked division. There have been talks for a few years about creating new divisions, but until now nothing materialized. Is next year a good opportunity for that?
I think that fighters who would benefit from a 165 division are Brady, Leon or Burns (and Paddy/Ilia coming from LW), and bigger ones like Morales, Garry, Usman or Shavkhat would be better suited for 175. I guess guys like Islam, Jack, Prates or Belal might be able to do either one, so it would be a matter of choice.

 

['Suga Daddy']

Nope

 

[Doctor Grudge]

It'd be nice. They're going to a new platform and have the White House thingie, so definitely the room to make up a new division instead of relying on a BMF title to sell a PPV.

I wouldnt hold my breath though.

 

[Koya]

Yesteryear was the best time. But you'll get a lot of dumb answers here saying "wE nEeD lEsS dIvIsIoNs !!"

No sarcasm, best timing was when Khabib and Tony were scheduled to fight for the 155 interim title in 2017, Khabib wouldn't have had liver failure then, and they could have set up the GSP super fight right after, it was still time for it.

 

[MRudi]

I think we need less divisions, than more. MMA talents is watered down, most top fighters are already old, training MMA is hobbist thing, not professional thing and there won't be influx of new athlethes.

We got one stacked division, lets not destroy it.
Moreover 155-165-175-185 will make easy jumping and there will be like no defenses at all, only every champ will try to go for double and triple.

The thing UFC need, is weighing on fight day

 

[Doctor Grudge]

I think we need less divisions, than more. MMA talents is watered down, most top fighters are already old, training MMA is hobbist thing, not professional thing and there won't be influx of new athlethes.

We got one stacked division, lets not destroy it.
Moreover 155-165-175-185 will make easy jumping and there will be like no defenses at all, only every champ will try to go for double and triple.

The thing UFC need, is weighing on fight day

There has already been a steady influx of new athletes. More people practice MMA today than 10 years ago. The UFC has more fighters than 10 years ago. The UFC is worth billions of dollars (more than the WWE), when I made my account on sherdog the UFC had just bought Pride for like 70 million dollars.

If anything there are very few weight classes in MMA. There are huge size differences between the fighters in their own divisions already.

Have no idea what you mean by it being a hobbiest thing. If anything, MMA has become significantly more profesionalized than when I got into it. Those FUSSR places are already basically subsidizing athletes to train in MMA.

 

[bjjwar]

Wut? Its already terrible and watered down like ever before, imagine even splitting it up more lol. Other than Shavkat there isnt anyone good for Islam to even fight at WW and even Shavkat after his injury is prob done too. If you split it up you might aswell get CM Punkk fighting for the title…

There has already been a steady influx of new athletes. More people practice MMA today than 10 years ago. The UFC has more fighters than 10 years ago. The UFC is worth billions of dollars (more than the WWE), when I made my account on sherdog the UFC had just bought Pride for like 70 million dollars.

If anything there are very few weight classes in MMA. There are huge size differences between the fighters in their own divisions already.

Have no idea what you mean by it being a hobbiest thing. If anything, MMA has become significantly more profesionalized than when I got into it. Those FUSSR places are already basically subsidizing athletes to train in MMA.

Where is this influx? LHW is dead and only has old fighters. HW is dead. MW is dead. WW is so dead that we had a bum who wouldnt even win UfC 1 as a champ and got destroyed by a LW. LW same, frking Paddy is almost fighting for the title next since there is no one. And FW and BW same thing, just rematches possible since everyone else is atrocious and there’s no contender there. Not even mentioning the women’s division where we just had the worst fight in mma history which were supposed to be the best 2 women fighters left lol.

 

[MRudi]

huh..? There has already been a steady influx of new athletes. More people practice MMA today than 10 years ago. The UFC has more fighters than 10 years ago.

If anything there are very few weight classes in MMA. There are huge size differences between the fighters in their own divisions already.

Current LHW champ is Alex Pereira. Former alcoholic, who started practice MMA after 30. He is right now 38. This is far past human phisical prime.
Name me one other sport, where there is history like it possible.
And where is that steady influx? His newest challanger Ulberg? Former stripdancer, who saw easy money in MMA? In FW? Where champ is 36yo Volkanovski, former football reject?

There is basically one guy in NBA that old and it it one of greatest talent in history dedicated to training and hard regime since being little child and he pays over mln dollars per year for biology regeneration.

Jon Jones is the ~only athlethic freak in history of MMA and he is ~GOAT. There are dozens a year like that guys in NBA or NFL.


Most top fighters are far past prime, they average age of top fighters getting older and older, because there is no young talent to replace them.

 

[Dagestanaev]

We need less divisions.

They are already watered down.

Start by merging flyweight with bantamweight.

And make one single WMMA division.

 

[AMAZINGUFC]

Fighters need to fight more, and this would cause them to fight less.

 

[RockyLockridge]

I think we need less divisions, than more. MMA talents is watered down, most top fighters are already old, training MMA is hobbist thing, not professional thing and there won't be influx of new athlethes.

We got one stacked division, lets not destroy it.
Moreover 155-165-175-185 will make easy jumping and there will be like no defenses at all, only every champ will try to go for double and triple.

The thing UFC need, is weighing on fight day

misguided take imo.

the ufc could have the same amount of divisions the issue is most people fall under a specific weight so it starts make sense to have more divisions geared at that weight

 

[usernamee]

Look at the fighters in the top 15 of the divisions affected and let me know if you want that to look even worse.

 

[snugglecakes]

always shudda been 165, 175, 185, 195, 205...

lotta fighters who are betweeners get fucked over... too small for 170 but too big for 155 or too small for 185 but too big for 170. THey are getting treated more unfairly than whoever gets shuffled around if they ever did this. Lack of 175 has even pretty much ended careers such as johnny hendrix.

 

[b00tysweat]

they should do strongman weight classes

over 225 / under 225

 

[EndlessCritic]

we should have a weight division for every lb. approximately 100 weight classes are necessary.

oh wait, that would be moronic. we should strive to have as few weight classes as possible.

 

[chinarice]

The last thing MMA needs to do is continuing to copy anything Boxing does. In fact, MMA needs to start doing more to distance itself from boxing in every way.

 

[Mr. Snrub]

I'm all for fight day weigh ins and more weight classes.

 

[Michael Wetzel]

Don't split WW, but maybe create a cruiserweight division from 206-220 and uncap heavyweight.

 

[MigitAs]

I don’t think anything is gonna give us those divisions soon unfortunately.

 

[SuperNerd]

Combat sports rules should be based on star power.