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D. FOX: Examining the State of the UFC's Flyweight Division After UFC 187
May 25, 2015 - 4:20:45 PM
D. FOX: Examining the State of the UFC's Flyweight Division After UFC 187
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By: Dayne Fox, MMATorch Contributor

After UFC 187 was over, I took a bit of time to take a look at what was transpiring in the future for each division, and found a startling lack of plans for the flyweight field. Granted there were three fights in the division at UFC 187, but does anyone want to venture a guess as to how many fights at 125 lbs. are currently scheduled for the future? Three. Jussier Formiga clashes with Wilson Reis this week at UFC Fight Night 67, Henry Cejudo meets Chico Camus at UFC 188 next month, and Louis Smolka was just scheduled this past week to fight Neil Seery at UFC 189. That's it. So I figured this was as good a time as any to put on my Sean Shelby hat and discuss the best options (at least in my mind) moving forward.

The most obvious move to make is to schedule John Dodson and Demetrious Johnson in a rematch for the title. It's a fight fans have been calling for as Dodson gave Johnson the best fight during his increasingly dominant title reign, and Dodson has beaten enough quality competition since that time to deserve it. I see no reason it won't happen. October seems like the right time frame for that fight.

John Moraga and Zach Makovsky are both coming off of competitive losses to Joseph Benavidez and Dodson, respectively, at UFC 187, and many believe a fight between them would make sense. I even mentioned it in my Rapid Fire Reaction. While I still think it is a good fight, I think there are better options for both after a bit more thought.

I'd like to see Moraga face Kyoji Horiguchi. Despite Horiguchi coming off a devastating loss to Mighty Mouse, he is still young with a lot of room for improvement. However, his best win is against either Darrell Montague or Louis Gaudinot… depending on your point of view. Moraga is the type of fighter whose sum is greater than the actual addition of the parts. He just finds ways to win despite seeming to continually be at a talent disadvantage. He is the perfect type of opponent the talented Horiguchi should be facing to help Horiguchi further his development.

As for Makovsky, I think a fight with Dustin Ortiz makes a whole lot of sense. Ortiz has performed better than most expected upon his entry, with his only losses coming to Moraga and Benavidez, and he looked good in both defeats. Makovsky looked good in defeat against Dodson as well... good enough that some media members believed he won according to MMA Decisions. Both of them have the look of being a gatekeeper to the elite at this point, and it would make sense to see which one would be better suited for the position.

Another fight that makes too much sense in my mind is to pair Ian McCall with Ali Bagautinov. It is safe to say that both are currently disappointments as McCall was seen as the top flyweight in the world when the division was introduced to the UFC (he hasn't come close since losing to Mighty Mouse) and Bagautinov for popping for performance enhancers and his suspension is almost up. Neither seem close to the title picture for now, but this way at least one of them would be guaranteed to get back on track.

Speaking of disappointments, is anyone else feeling like Louis Gaudinot and Darrell Montague are pretty lucky to have their roster spots? Gaudinot has been living off of his awesome fight with John Lineker three years ago, and had his lone victory since that time erased due to a failed drug test. Montague was considered to be the best flyweight outside of the UFC prior to his signing and hasn't recorded a win yet. Both seem like fair candidates for a loser leaves town fight.

Moving to prospects, Cejudo seems to be the only surefire blue-chipper. Well... some would say that Ray Borg very well could be too. He lost a tight fight to Ortiz in his UFC debut, but has made easy work of his opposition since. Patrick Holohan is one some are hot on, and others are not so crazy about. Both are in the same area in terms of the divisional hierarchy, and a victory for each would likely result in a ranked opponent for the winner. Throw in the fact that it would be a hell of a fast-paced grappling battle that we don't seem to find much of anymore.

As for a striking battle amongst prospects, pitting Justin Scoggins and Ryan Benoit is an idea that should have traction. Scoggins was put on the fast track a little too quickly last year and wasn't quite ready to go against the likes of Ortiz and Moraga. Benoit showed that he has unusual power for the flyweight division and can knock anyone out. I admit that Scoggins seems to be further ahead of Benoit in his development and would walk into the fight as a heavy favorite. But that didn't stop Benoit from beating Sergio Pettis. This would be a hell of a fun fight.

Looking even further ahead is something that we can do too. There isn't a clear opponent to go with beyond Dodson to contend for the title... so how about matching up the winners of the Formiga-Reis and Cejudo-Camus fights? A single win in either of these cases will create another situation similar to when Cariaso and Horiguchi received their title shots with everyone questioning whether or not they deserved it. Having the winners face off with one another won't guarantee that situation will be avoided… but the time frame should work, and it would add further legitimacy to a title bid for the winner of that.

Still looking a way down the road, Chris Cariaso and Tim Elliott are the only notable flyweights without a fight in this scenario. How about matching each one with either one of the losers of Formiga-Reis and Cejudo-Camus? The only way this doesn't work is if both Formiga and Cejudo lose as Cariaso has fought and lost to both and there is no reason to match him with either one again. However, both of them are the favorites going in meaning that is the least likely scenario to happen. Otherwise, there shouldn't be any good reason to shoot down these potential fights.

Alright, I admit that isn't all of the notable flyweights… but what is the UFC supposed to do with Joseph Benavidez? He is better than everybody in the division not named Demetrious Johnson (maybe Dodson), but do you want him beating all of the potential title contenders before they have a chance to contend for the belt? I like the approach the UFC has been taking of matching him with fighters looking to fast-track their way to the title (Elliott and Ortiz), or those who are clearly out of the title picture (Moraga). Camus and Reis are the perfect type to try to take the fast-track approach, but they are booked. As for former title challengers, Cariaso makes no sense, and I wouldn't want to pit him with Horiguchi as I would believe the UFC would want to build Horiguchi's confidence back. Do they really want to potentially have Benavidez put a beatdown on their young Japanese hope? Probably not.

That doesn't mean that I don't have an idea... but I don't believe anyone in the UFC is going to go for it. But here it is: if John Lineker didn't have his weight issues that led to him being ordered into the bantamweight division, wouldn't that be a fight everyone would want to see? Benavidez fought at 135 lbs. before the UFC added the flyweight division. How about a one-time move up to bantamweight for Benavidez? His teammate Urijah Faber just did that against Frankie Edgar. Or a 130 lb. catchweight? Lineker would likely represent the best name Benevidez has faced since he fought for the title in 2013. Benavidez needs to continue to add quality names regardless of weight class if he wants to get a third shot at Johnson. Otherwise, the best thing I can think of is to match him with the winner of Smolka-Seery in another attempt for a fighter to be fast-tracked. It wouldn't be a horrible option to use either one of them, but it certainly wouldn't be ideal.


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