ΝΕΑ

Heading into 2019, most of us figured there was a fantastic possibility the UFC flyweight division was on its final legs. But when Henry Cejudo knocked out TJ Dillashaw in the initial round of their bout at UFC Fight Night 143, we thought there was a chance the division could be spared, particularly since the UFC declared a few other battles at 125lbs for different occasions.
It looks like that might not be the case, as the promotion has allegedly released several different flyweights.
According to Cejudo, who talked to the press last weekend in UFC Fight Night 144, the UFC has released top-ranked flyweights Dustin Ortiz and Matheus Nicolau. In addition, John Moraga has been eliminated from the UFC’s official positions, suggesting he too has been published. The UFC hasn’t yet commented on if these fighters have indeed officially been released, but generally it’s up to the fighters to inform the fans and media when that occurs. Virtually anytime somebody was removed in the rankings for unknown reasons, though, it’s generally because the UFC released them.
Though the UFC flyweight division is obviously on its way out, the choice to cut a quality fighter such as Ortiz is utterly shocking, and dare I say, dumb. Ortiz is coming from a competitive unanimous decision loss to Joseph Benavidez at UFC Fight Night 143 which was one of the better fights on this card. There is a chance Benavidez understands another crack at Cejudo’s belt, meaning that the UFC simply cut Ortiz coming from a title eliminator. And prior to this Benavidez struggle, Ortiz had won three straight fights, such as a head kick knockout within the aforementioned Nicolau, a decision win over Alexandre Pantoja — a gifted flyweight who it seems has been spared from the cuts so far — and also a 15-second KO over Hector Sandoval which was the fastest knockout in UFC flyweight history. If anything, the UFC should have advised Ortiz to maneuver around bantamweight, which Alex Perez apparently will do (along with fighters like Said Nurmagomedov). Releasing such a talented and fighter like Ortiz outright just seems absurd.
In terms of Nicolau, he had won all three of his battles in the Octagon before losing to Ortiz, and although he did not seem to be a title contender, he still provided valuable depth at 125lbs. He also holds a notable triumph over Moraga, who it seems has also got the boot. That’s just another cut that shocks me. Moraga was really one of the initial flyweights the UFC signed back in 2012, and even though he had an up-and-down UFC career, he was considered to be a good gatekeeper and the perfect test for up-and-comers to shoot on. In his last fight, he was knocked out by Deiveson Figueiredo, who seems to be among the couple flyweights the UFC nevertheless has to the roster. There’s no reason Moraga could not have stuck around and continued to behave in a gatekeeper role. It just seems overly harsh to cut a man who was one of those few fighters with finishing potential in a division that normally sees struggles move the distance.
At this point, it is very bizarre that which the UFC is doing with the flyweights. If you ask UFC president Dana White, he states the promotion hasn’t made a decision on the branch, but it seems like every day we’re seeing a flyweight get cut, then another day we see a flyweight battle booked. It would be nice if the UFC will create its own mind and cut all the flyweights or keep a complete division, because now the fighters have no idea what type of job security they have moving forward, and that’s not fair to anybody.
Disclaimer: This page includes affiliate links and MMA Odds Breaker is going to be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on the hyperlinks.

Read more: theboxinghype.com