This past weekend in Vancouver, Canada the UFC 174 card was topped off by another dominant title defense for Flyweight Champion Demetrious Johnson, who swept challenger Ali Bagautinov out of the building. The main stream media has chosen to focus on the Vancouver crowd’s early exodus, seeming to push the UFC towards doing away with a weight class that doesn’t seem to draw, and that is a shame as Johnson deserves wider attention for his skill level.
It really is a shame that Johnson’s dominance may lead to the end of the weight class. The fact is that the UFC has not put together enough preliminary fights in this weight class and that fighters are not fighting frequently enough to develop. That the UFC is repeating this mistake in the women’s divisions, as Ronda Rousey is left barking at boxers since there is absolutely no competition at 135 lbs in the UFC for her at the moment.
The UFC needs to sign 12 to 16 fighters, and seek to get the newcomers 4 to 6 fights in the first year. While that competition sorts itself out, Johnson can take a few non tile matches at 135 lbs, similar to the way Anderson Silva did when he fought Forrest Griffin. Demetrious Johnson versus Eddie Wineland would be a fight that could be added to any main card and be worthy.
Asking Johnson to main event a PPV is something the UFC wants to avoid. The fact is that the UFC has treated the weight class as an afterthought, and they have failed to market Johnson as a champion who is entering elite status. This is his fifth defense oft he belt, and he has beaten everyone in the weight class, and it is not like a highlight reel if his would be hard to compile.
There are other little things the UFC is not doing. Johnson is a small man by any standards, and his image needs to be treated differently than others. It doesn’t help to have everyone towering over the champion, including refs, judges and the beautiful ring card girls. The UFC knows what it is doing, that they are not putting their full effort into Johnson is the point. Maybe we do see the cancellation of the weight class as a while, and that would be a shame, as Johnson may be pound for pound the best fighter on the planet today.
