“We’re going to beat the crap out of each other and it is going to be realy fun to watch.”
Today, the UFC® will debut the new -125 pound flyweight division, beginning with a four-man tournament to help narrow down the inaugural champion in this weight class.
Ian McCall vs. Demetrious ‘Mighty Mouse’ Johnson
Joseph Benavidez vs. Yasuhiro Urushitani
With the addition fo the new weight class, the number of divisions now stands at eight, the traditional number of classes in boxing, and there it will stay.
A ten-year pro, Ian ‘Uncle Creepy’ McCall (11-2) first rose to prominence during his stint in the WEC, where he went 1-2 and suffered bantamweight defeats to Dominick Cruz and Charlie Valencia. Since leaving the WEC and dropping down in weight, however, the 27-year-old McCall has excelled, winning the Tachi flyweight gold with a third round submission of Darrell Montague in August 2011. En route to that particular title, ‘Uncle Creepy’ also picked up victories over top flyweights Jussier da Silva and Dustin Ortiz, handing both their first career loss.
Demetrious ‘Mighty Mouse’ Johnson (14-2) has made the drop down in weight following an unsuccessful attempt to wrest the UFC world bantamweight crown from the grip of Dominick Cruz in October 2011. Undersized and overpowered that night, many expect Johnson to excel among men his own size, following standout bantamweight wins over Miguel Torres and Kid Yamamoto.
27-year-old Joseph Benavidez was a former WEC world bantamweight title challenger and a relentless brawler known for two thrilling scraps with Dominick Cruz, as well as a shock submission victory over Miguel Torres back in March 2010. Benavidez (15-2) has defeated Ian Loveland and Eddie Wineland since joining the UFC in 2011, and this weekend represents his first visit to the flyweight division.
Yasuhiro Urushitani has spent the whole of his career in his native Japan and was the former Shooto bantamweight (123lbs) champion. Respected for his slick counter striking, the 35-year-old Urushitani (19-4-6) has claimed the scalps of The Ultimate Fighter John Dodson, Mamoru Yamaguchi, Junji Ikoma, and Daniel Lima. He has only been finished once in an 11-year professional career and, though he frequently has to go the distance in order to grab victory, is accustomed to competing against and defeating the top flyweights in the world. He is also undefeated in his last five bouts.
Watch UFC® on FX: Alves vs Kampmann, live from Sydney, Friday March 2 at 9PM/6PM ET/PT.
