Should the UFC shut down the Flyweight division?

[Threetrees]

With the recent comments from DJ and Dana White, it feels as though the UFC's FLW division is not long for this world

Savvier fans have seen this coming for awhile, and trashier fans have been calling for this since it's inception. Not a single FLW athlete has really gained any significant traction in the UFC, and the UFC honestly has really tried to make it happen. With the release of a guy like Horiguchi, a legit prospect, and lame last ditch attempts like the 125 TUF season that could be used to say "Hey we tried!" (Though I think that most can agree that promoting a dying division with a dying TV show that doesn't really even feature the only guy anyone actually knows in the division heavily seems like a waste of time and money).


So the FLW division likely isn't here in the UFC come this time a couple years from now
But should they scrap it?

Thoughts?

 

[ortizgnp]

Racism imo.

 

[Threetrees]

Racism imo.

We dont speak of such thing here

 

[Fluffernutter]

Keep men's 125

Add women's 125

 

[Loko3]

You think that nuclear button negotiation tactic had teeth? No way they give the Scott Coker's of the world an opening to one of the best fighters in the world.

 

[ARONAbeetFEDOR]

If 125 fused with 135 that would be awesome.

 

[Jay philips]

Get rid of it because Dana is not getting his way or because they are not making money off the product?
If they were not making money they would have closed it a long time ago and putting all the others out of work because Dana is a prick is being a real fan of MMA let me tell ya

 

[beefcake180]

We need more fights not less

 

[tasticles]

We have too many manlets voting for them to stay.

 

[Russie]

No point getting rid of them now. You know down the road they would end up bringing it back anyway when they want to add fighters and weight classes.
The division is not a money maker so they have to fill them in on cards where they don't headline. My guess is it goes away and they tell those fighters to put on some weight to move up.

 

[KickWith3rdLeg]

It's a business. If they are not generating a positive revenue then they ought to go. I'm okay absorbing them into BW once the Mighty Mouse reign is over. He's the only thing going on there and he's not what you'd call a money maker anyway.

 

[Silverstar17]

They should try to use them specifically for Asian events.

Asians don't care about the size and there is a lot of talent from Japan for example.

Also letting Horiguchi go was bad. He is a great fighter.

 

[Sauce Castillo]

Get rid of mens 125 and add womens 125? no thank you. Keep them both. 125 womens might actually be watchable unlike wmma 145 and half of the 135 roster

 

[Pitier of Fools]

You think that nuclear button negotiation tactic had teeth? No way they give the Scott Coker's of the world an opening to one of the best fighters in the world.

Why not? No one watches him anyway. He brings in no revenue to the UFC, and I very much doubt he's going to be some huge revenue-generating superstar for Bellator.

Personally, I would love to see the flyweight division go. All it does is water down cards with fighters that the UFC can pay less.

If the flyweight division dies, it dies.

 

[Seagal's sensei]

Keep it but cut all the guys with dwarfism traits like bulging foreheads and squeaky voices. The division would be just fine if some of the athletes didn't creep you out. They can keep those guys around to jump in the cage and bite someones leg or something as a spectacle. Maybe dress them up in cute little outfits or have them act like lookalikes for bigger fighters so the big guys fights first and then Cyborg flies in a broom and throws a spell on them and the tiny lookalikes appear in a cloud of smoke and enter the cage. Or we can shoot them from a cannon over the cage and have them throw confetti on the audience.

 

[xmovingparts]

it shouldn't even be considered imo.

 

[Threetrees]

You think that nuclear button negotiation tactic had teeth? No way they give the Scott Coker's of the world an opening to one of the best fighters in the world.

I don't, but based on what I've heard, some of the ways that they've treated the fighters and the fact that only one guy in that entire division can headline a card I think that division lasts as long as their faith in DJ lasts. Which I don't predict will be long. I think they want TJ to drop down and win because they feel he's more interesting, even though against people not named Barao or Cruz he draws basement numbers as well.

 

[greenhawk]

The way so many here act as if other divisions attract bumper ratings. Except Conor and handful other fighters, nobody draws a fuckin dime. Yet DJ is the only one who gets criticsed here.

 

[sapporo ichiban]

The ufc is developing into a show more than a sport. When Stipe was on a good streak, Dana told him in order to get a title shot he needed to get more fans. Conor can do basically whatever he likes at this point because he is a big draw. They promoted the shit out of Ronda when she fought Nunes who barely made it on the poster and she was the defending champ ffs.

The company has shown that it expects fighters to market themselves up to a point where the company will give a shit enough to put a few bucks behind marketing them. Yes the belts no longer mean anything at all. The next super popular prospect that comes along will be guided to the easiest path to a title shot just for the sake of having it and the people with less personality will just fight and fight for maybe a bonus if they are lucky.

DJ's only downfall is that he has been fairly non vocal up to this point. I wouldn't be surprised if Dana isn't taking a page out of Vince's wwe playbook and this is all a bad blood sceme for him and DJ to put together some numbers for a fight. Lol.

It is afterall an entertainment company who is running the show now and Dana has always been a little Don King. Truly though, nothing that DJ has accomplished has given him as much exposure as this has.

 

[One MMA Fan]

We have smaller guys / fighters out there let them find a place and a proper division for them.

I think we can swing 125 just fine.. hell boxing has them even lower and they are using them from 102 / 105 / 108 / 112 / 115 / 118 / 122 lbs.. I get it we can't have it like that but we can make 1 lower division work can't we now ?