Put a fork in it, it's done?!
Could the long rumored death of the 155 lb. division in the UFC be for real? Graciefighter.com is reporting a rumor that:
B.J.'s last fight in the UFC was a draw against Caol Uno for the vacant lightweight (155 lb.) belt. If Penn believes he has to move up to the 170 lb. division to get another title shot, we have a good indication that the UFC has decided to drop the lightweight championship and possibly the entire weight class.
If that turns out to be the case, it would be a real shame. In fact, it would be more than a shame, it would be an example of a failure of the UFC management. Although it is difficult to build a fight card around a 155 lb. headline match, the lightweight division is one of the only weight classes where the UFC has most of world's the top talent on its cards. It is an area of strength that the UFC should build upon, not a division it should abandon.
The end is obviously not here yet, since Yves Edwards is scheduled to fight in the next UFC card and Uno fought Hermes Franca at UFC 44 (although, significantly, the fight was not televised). But, I have to wonder if how many more lightweight fights we will see in the UFC. If the answer is "few if any," then I think the UFC has made a mistake.
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B.J. Penn has asked ZUFFA for a fight against the winner of Hughes vs. Trigg.
B.J., invigorated by a win over Gomi, wants a U.F.C title and doesn't mind going up a weight class to get it.
B.J.'s last fight in the UFC was a draw against Caol Uno for the vacant lightweight (155 lb.) belt. If Penn believes he has to move up to the 170 lb. division to get another title shot, we have a good indication that the UFC has decided to drop the lightweight championship and possibly the entire weight class.
If that turns out to be the case, it would be a real shame. In fact, it would be more than a shame, it would be an example of a failure of the UFC management. Although it is difficult to build a fight card around a 155 lb. headline match, the lightweight division is one of the only weight classes where the UFC has most of world's the top talent on its cards. It is an area of strength that the UFC should build upon, not a division it should abandon.
The end is obviously not here yet, since Yves Edwards is scheduled to fight in the next UFC card and Uno fought Hermes Franca at UFC 44 (although, significantly, the fight was not televised). But, I have to wonder if how many more lightweight fights we will see in the UFC. If the answer is "few if any," then I think the UFC has made a mistake.
