Issue 081

November 2011

With the flyweight division set for inclusion in the UFC by early 2012, Fighters Only discovers who could lead the 125lb pack

It took just one sentence for UFC president Dana White to make some very big changes to the lives of several small men.

In June, White told a small group of reporters that he and UFC matchmakers Joe Silva and Sean Shelby had decided to bring flyweights to the promotion for the first time in company history. And while the UFC has yet to officially announce when the 125lb division will make its Octagon debut, White said that day is coming “really soon,” possibly even by early next year.

Until now, the California-based Tachi Palace Fights promotion had become the unofficial home of the flyweight division, recently playing host to such top-ranked flyweights as Jussier da Silva (10-1), Ulysses Gomez (8-2), Ian McCall (11-2), Darrell Montague (9-2) and Mamoru Yamaguchi (26-6-3).

“Honestly, it was the vision of the old Palace Fighting Championship that started the flyweights at Tachi Palace,” Tachi Palace Fights exec Jeremy Luchau says. “I was fortunate to be mentoring at the time and help in the signing of Ulysses Gomez. At that time it really became almost like a passion of mine to search and find the very best 125lb’ers in the world.

“It was a division that we felt we could help build Tachi Palace Fights around, and it’s helped bring us not only the hardcore fanfare, but also that mainstream attention. It’s been a labor of love for us.”

Luchau certainly achieved his goal, and it seems Tachi Palace Fights’ entire 125lb roster may soon migrate to the world-famous UFC Octagon.

Brazilian submission ace and Shooto champion da Silva faced the afro-sporting

Japanese showman Yamaguchi in a critical flyweight matchup at August’s Tachi Palace Fights 10 event. Widely considered among the two best flyweights in the world, da Silva decisioned his Japanese opponent ample bragging rights and almost certainly issued a UFC deal. The rest of the card a microcosm of the UFC’s future division as Montague submitted to McCall’s rear naked choke and Gomez did the same to Drew Bittner in a bantamweight feature bout.

“The UFC started it all, and it’s always been one of my goals to become a UFC champion,” Gomez says. “Now with the UFC adding the 125lb division, that goal will finally become a reality for me. I’m super-excited for that weightclass.”

At just 23 years old, Montague represents an entire generation of up-and-coming flyweights who can now hone their skills in their natural weightclass rather than focusing on trying to bulk up during the training process.

“I was planning a move up to 135lb before the announcement,” Montague says. “It’s awesome knowing for sure that now I have a chance to compete in the most popular and prestigious organization in the world.

“Even though I’m only 23, I believe I’m ready to take on anyone in the world at 125lb. They have me ranked in the top 10 in most online polls, so Dana, please give me a call, and I’ll put it all on the line in the Octagon and give the fans a show they’ve never seen before.” 

While Tachi Palace Fights has stockpiled many top flyweights, they certainly don’t hold a monopoly on the marketplace. 10-year veteran Yasuhiro Urushitani (19-4-6), ranked number one in the world by Sherdog.com, may find himself UFC-bound in the very near future. Currently under contract with Shooto, Urushitani may prefer to fight in his native Japan, but the crumbling MMA scene has seen major-promotion champions such as Hatsu Hioki and Jorge Santiago vacate their belts in favor of fighting on the other side of the Pacific. Urushitani’s countryman (and the only man to beat him in the past seven years), Yuki Shojo (11-6-2) could also find himself in the same position.

At 40 years old, Cuban Olympic wrestler Alexis Vila (9-0) would instantly become one of the UFC’s elder statesmen, but the American Top Team product believes he still possesses the skills necessary to succeed at the highest level of the sport.

“I’ve been waiting for the UFC to add a flyweight division for a long time and am excited that they are finally going to do so,” Vila says. “My training ensures that I’ll be successful. I’ve been training since I was a little kid, so even at 40, I have more endurance than some of the guys half my age. I’m an Olympian, and we are just at a different level.  

“Outside of that, my heart is my biggest asset. No one has more heart than I do. I go into the ring ready to kill someone – that is how I got my nickname, ‘The Exorcist.’”

For now, Vila will look to entertain Bellator Fighting Championships fans in 135lb contests. But if there’s an opportunity to make his way to the Octagon, Vila says he’ll be happy to prove his worth.

“My focus at this point is to win the Bellator bantamweight tournament, which I will start on September 17th against Joe Warren,” Vila says. “I’m going to be the Bellator champion and – if given the opportunity – the UFC flyweight or bantamweight champion. You’ll see. I’m going to prove to everyone that I am the best.”

The UFC may already have a few prime candidates in its ranks. John ‘The Magician’ Dodson (11-5) is rumored to be competing at 135lb on the upcoming 14th season of The Ultimate Fighter, and there are almost certainly a few natural flyweights among the 32 contestants. Consider Louis Gaudinot (5-1), who has been curiously quiet since a reported sighting at March’s TUF 14 open tryouts.

Additionally, current top UFC 135lb contenders Joseph Benavidez (15-2) and Demetrious Johnson (9-1) have each, in the past, mentioned the possibility of dropping to flyweight.

But these names are likely just the tip of the iceberg. With the sport’s 125lb’ers no longer forced to fight for peanuts on the regional circuit, it’s almost certain a whole host of up-and-coming talent will set their eyes on the big time. And while Japan has long been a hotbed of lighter-weight fighters, Luchau believes a change is coming.

“Historically, the best flyweights in the world have come from Japan, but this is not the case anymore,” Luchau says. “I think with the anticipation of the UFC opening the flyweight division and with the popularity of Tachi Palace Fights, the US fighters are starting to really take over, as they’re dropping one or two weightclasses to fight at their proper weights. Guys like Ian McCall, Darrell Montague, Ulysses Gomez and Pat Runez (4-0) – along with likely future additions like Charlie Valencia (12-7), Demetrious Johnson and Joseph Benavidez – will be the class of the 125lb division.”

In the same way the featherweight and bantamweight divisions have livened up recent UFC events (see the lighter-weight fighters’ frequent scoopings of “Fight Night” bonuses), Luchau believes the flyweights will soon become one of the most entertaining divisions in the UFC. Sure, the little guys might not pack one-punch knockout power, but the action is always relentless.

“With flyweights, there are less frequent knockouts, but I’m not sure if it’s because of a lack of power or because the style of fighting is so different,” Luchau says. “Not to say they’re not going for the knockout, but the pace is much faster and more technical. The fights are so fluid and hotly contested in the transition game. 

“I think generally people aren’t fans at first of the lighter weightclasses because there aren’t the big knockouts. But I think once people start to learn more about the sport – like they’ve been doing over the past several years – fans are turning from casual to very knowledgeable, and I think they’re definitely enjoying the faster pace and more technical battles that the little guys bring.”

Gomez agrees.

“I think once the fans see the fights we put on, they will take us in right away,” Gomez says. “We put on some of the best fights in the world, and all we need is the big stage for everyone to see them. It’s going to be great!”