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Being banned in 36 states, political pressure forced the UFC to cooperate with state athletic commissions, which eventually gave way to the first weight class separation being rolled out at UFC 12, classifying all fighters 200 pounds and heavier as heavyweights, while the competitors who were 199 pounds and lighter were considered lightweights.
By UFC 14, the promotion renamed the lighter division “middleweight.” Although the lightweight moniker made its return at UFC 16, it now represented all competitors who weighed 170 pounds or lighter. At UFC 26, a 155-pound class was introduced, but it was technically considered the UFC’s bantamweight division.
Finally, in the year 2000, the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board took charge of MMA regulation in its home state, conceiving a set of rules and weight classes that became the base of operations that we are now familiar with today. And in 2001, the UFC complied by realigning its weight classes, starting at UFC 31 – an event that saw the first official lightweight fight at 155 pounds.
The 10 most signifiant fights in LW history (in chronological order):
1. Jens Pulver vs. B.J. Penn (‘UFC 35: Throwdown’)
2. Yves Edwards vs. Josh Thomson (‘UFC 49: Unfinished Business’)
3. Sean Sherk vs. Kenny Florian (‘UFC 64: Unstoppable’)
4. Roger Huerta vs. Clay Guida (The Ultimate Fighter 6 Finale)
5. B.J. Penn vs. Joe Stevenson (‘UFC 80: Rapid Fire’)
6. B.J. Penn vs. Sean Sherk (‘UFC 84: Ill Will’)
7. Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard 2 (‘UFC 125: Resolution’)
8. Jim Miller vs. Joe Lauzon (‘UFC 155: Dos Santos vs. Velasquez 2’)
9. Gilbert Melendez vs. Diego Sanchez (‘UFC 166: Velasquez vs. Dos Santos 3’)
10. Eddie Alvarez vs. Conor McGregor (‘UFC 205: Alvarez vs. McGregor’)
*summarized and edited from mmajunkie
By UFC 14, the promotion renamed the lighter division “middleweight.” Although the lightweight moniker made its return at UFC 16, it now represented all competitors who weighed 170 pounds or lighter. At UFC 26, a 155-pound class was introduced, but it was technically considered the UFC’s bantamweight division.
Finally, in the year 2000, the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board took charge of MMA regulation in its home state, conceiving a set of rules and weight classes that became the base of operations that we are now familiar with today. And in 2001, the UFC complied by realigning its weight classes, starting at UFC 31 – an event that saw the first official lightweight fight at 155 pounds.
The 10 most signifiant fights in LW history (in chronological order):
1. Jens Pulver vs. B.J. Penn (‘UFC 35: Throwdown’)
2. Yves Edwards vs. Josh Thomson (‘UFC 49: Unfinished Business’)
3. Sean Sherk vs. Kenny Florian (‘UFC 64: Unstoppable’)
4. Roger Huerta vs. Clay Guida (The Ultimate Fighter 6 Finale)
5. B.J. Penn vs. Joe Stevenson (‘UFC 80: Rapid Fire’)
6. B.J. Penn vs. Sean Sherk (‘UFC 84: Ill Will’)
7. Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard 2 (‘UFC 125: Resolution’)
8. Jim Miller vs. Joe Lauzon (‘UFC 155: Dos Santos vs. Velasquez 2’)
9. Gilbert Melendez vs. Diego Sanchez (‘UFC 166: Velasquez vs. Dos Santos 3’)
10. Eddie Alvarez vs. Conor McGregor (‘UFC 205: Alvarez vs. McGregor’)
*summarized and edited from mmajunkie
