When I asked Luke to discuss Flyweights, I did so thinking that it would be a good way for people to better understand a division in MMA that has little to no representation in the United States. My feeling is that aside from horse jockeys, you'd be hard pressed to find adult male humans who weigh 125lbs. or less in North America. Apparently, then, WEC is scouring racetracks (or, more realistically, SHOOTO), as MMAWeekly is reporting the organizations intention to introduce their own flyweight division this year:
MMAWeekly.com sources on Tuesday revealed that the WEC is adding a 125-pound flyweight division. With WEC 38 in San Diego just three weeks away, no 125-pound bouts are expected for that fight card. The promotion's next event, likely in March, is a more apt candidate to host the WEC's new commitment to flyweight fighters.
The addition of a flyweight division is interesting for a variety of reasons. While SHOOTO currently houses the world's best in the division, it's unlikely that the WEC will be able to build the division around a Shinichi Kojima or Mamoru Yamaguchi. This leads me to speculate that WEC's sights are set on 2008 Olympic Gold Medal wrestler Henry Cejudo, who competed in Beijing at 121lbs. Cejudo has reportedly been training at a boxing gym, however recent rumors suggested that Cejudo could have faced KID Yamamoto at the recent K-1 Dynamite event. Not only would Cejudo enter the UFC with the greatest wrestling credentials, he would also be an easier main-stream sell given his Olympic backstory and his ability to speak English fluently (a characteristic many of the division's early competitors will likely lack).
Regardless of Cejudo's involvement, the addition of the Flyweight division will add even more excitement to a brand known for entertaining cards, top to bottom. It will surely require a lot of promotion by ZUFFA to get the division off the ground, particularly if Cejudo is not involved, but the hardest of the hadcore fans are surely joining me in an ear-to-ear grin at the thought of some of the potential match ups we could see this year and beyond.
