We used to have eight divisions a century ago. I think they put the newer ones in so that when guys outgrew their old weight class at say welterweight they wouldn't immediately be outweighed 13 pounds at their new weight class, and so guys who couldn't quite make middleweight could fight at 168 instead of weight draining or coming in heavy and beating up the smaller fighters. There are good reasons to have all those weights just as there are good reasons not to have them. The difference between boxing and mma is that boxing has 17,500 pro fighters and mma has only 2,400. We can fill out 17 divisions and they can't. You could cut the divisions in half and make them twice as competitive, but then it would take deserving fighters twice as long to get title shots. That might have worked sixty years ago when fighters fought ten times a year, but in a paradigm where champions defend their crown once or twice a year a lot of deserving fighters will never get their shot. The lower weight classes are less competitive. There are maybe half as many fighters in them as in the most competitive divisions. They could be merged without too much fuss. People see the divisions separated by three or four pounds and think that's nothing, and to a certain extent it is nothing. But proportionally it's the same % of body mass between the other divisions.
Cut it down to maybe 10 or 12 classes ..17 is too much . I'm cool with the jr classes like jr middle jr welter and keep super middle .But please for the love of God eliminate all the dam belts ..
UFC Mens divisions are actually 125 (Fly), 135 (BW), 145 (FW), 155 (LW), 170 (WW), 185 (MW), 205 (LHW), 265 (HW) For women they start at 105 (Atom), 115 (Straw), 125 Fly), 135 (BW).....etc.
People complain about too many weight classes, particularly in the lower division, but it really would change much for the U.S. or Europe to take them out. There isn't a lack of competition in middleweight because of too many of the fighters trying to compete in bantamweight. I've also hardly seen fighters in the lower weight classes televised, since few from the US compete there. If anything I think the lower weights are beneficial for competitors from Asia, Latin America and Africa. I would imagine most it's one of the few ways those competitors can bring in a decent pay check. They are also the few weight classes where they still compete the old school way and fight over 100 times. I think it's also beneficial for the viewers from the countries where the competitors are from. Gives people some type of entertainment to see people from their own country competing.
So how many ufc 177's has Mayweather and Arum put on? How many 100k buy PPV's like ufc 174 has Mayweather and Arum put on? MMA journalists are predicting 75k buys for ufc 177.
dana dont earn what mayweather earns and he is the so called boss its in decline gyms folding left right and centre shows have declined also round our way, fad , flash in the pan , suspectable chins this is all irrefutable
Compare the gym listings from the US, UK, Europe and Australia fifteen years ago - in Australia boxing gyms have declined and Muay Thai / MMA gyms have boomed. I bet the same trend is evident elsewhere.:deal
my job is in cage hire and assemble i aint been out for months and we are the cheapest hire around my mates also do there own events they canccelled thier last three shows there asking boxers to fight boxing in the cage to pull in thier fans to which the boxers have told them get a fu cking ring then
if there is one thing boxing can learn from mma is MATCHMAKING! in the ufc, you are always in a competative fight. not that bull**** fake records that boxing provides. boxing has become an embaressment.
He is the front man. The REAL bosses are the Fertitta Bros. who have more money than Oscar, Floyd, Foreman, Arum AND Manny COMBINED. Have a nice day, you tit. Lol @ you being in 'cage hire', How convenient! Pull the other one - it's got bells on it. The thing which Boxing lacks, which the UFC excels at is making the fights happen. Look at GSP - he was the No.1 guy and he was ALWAYS fighting the No.2 guy at the time, unlike May, Manny etc.
at norbeck castle last night you utter co ck end you got bells on that to , on polish TV dipsh it it was dead no one there and have pulled the next show this very coinvienent as I see for my self mma ain't what it was three years ago especially round this way , you cannot pull the wool over my eyes dress it as you want , mma ain't taking over sh it out at FCC next six weeks tell me again what it is I don't do