Heading into 2019, we all figured there was a good possibility the UFC flyweight division was on its final legs. However, when Henry Cejudo knocked out TJ Dillashaw in the first round of the bout at UFC Fight Night 143, we thought there was an opportunity the branch could be saved, especially since the UFC announced a few different battles at 125lbs for different occasions.
Well, it seems like that might not be the case, as the marketing has allegedly released several different flyweights.
In accordance with Cejudo, who spoke to the press this past weekend in UFC Fight Night 144, the UFC has released top-ranked flyweights Dustin Ortiz and Matheus Nicolau. In addition, John Moraga was eliminated from the UFC’s official positions, suggesting he also was released. The UFC hasn’t yet commented if these fighters have indeed officially been released, but generally it is around the fighters to tell the media and fans when that occurs. Virtually anytime someone was removed from the positions for unknown reasons, though, it’s generally because the UFC released them.
Though the UFC flyweight division is clearly on its way out, the decision to cut an excellent fighter like 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 that was clearly one of the better fights on that card. There’s an opportunity Benavidez gets another crack at Cejudo’s belt, meaning the UFC simply cut Ortiz coming off of a title eliminator. And before this Benavidez fight, Ortiz had won three straight fights, such as a mind kick knockout within the aforementioned Nicolau, a determination win over Alexandre Pantoja — a talented flyweight who it appears was spared by the cuts so far — along with also a 15-second KO over Hector Sandoval which was the fastest knockout in UFC flyweight history. If anything, the UFC should have told Ortiz to move up to bantamweight, which Alex Perez seemingly will do (in addition to fighters like Said Nurmagomedov). Releasing such a talented and fighter such as Ortiz outright just looks silly.
In terms of Nicolau, he had won all three of his fights in the Octagon before losing to Ortiz, and although he didn’t appear to be a title contender, he provided valuable depth at 125lbs. He also holds a notable win over Moraga, who it seems has also got the boot. That’s just another cut that shocks me. Moraga was really among the initial flyweights the UFC signed back in 2012, and although he had an up-and-down UFC career, he was still considered to be a good gatekeeper and the ideal test for up-and-comers to shoot on. In his last battle, he was knocked out by Deiveson Figueiredo, who seems to be one of the couple flyweights the UFC still has on the roster. There is no reason Moraga couldn’t have stuck around and continued to act in a gatekeeper role. It simply seems too harsh to cut a guy who had been among those few fighters with finishing possible in a division that generally sees fights go the distance.
Now, it is very weird what the UFC is doing together with the flyweights. If you inquire UFC president Dana White, he states that the promotion hasn’t made a decision on the division, but it seems like every day we are seeing a flyweight get cut, and then the next day we see a flyweight battle booked. It would be fine if the UFC will create its mind and either cut all the flyweights or keep a full branch, since right now the fighters have no clue what type of job security they have going ahead, and that’s not fair to anyone.
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