Dana White: People did not care about the UFC flyweight division

At a minimum, we know that the UFC flyweight division will exist until January 2019, when the promotion officially announced Monday that Henry Cejudo should defend his title against the leanweight champion, TJ Dillashaw at UFC 233 in Anaheim. Beyond, it's in the air. Several reports have established that the 125-pound male division is about to be disbanded and several flying weights have confirmed their release from the promotion.

UFC President Dana White has been relatively calm about the future of flyweight, with the exception of the very vague quote "we are working on some things right now" earlier this month. However, he had something to say about Dillashaw's recent claim that the UFC had "hired" him to kill the division, as well as the lack of interest from the flyweight supporters … despite Dana's efforts to promote it.

"T.J. Dillashaw did not do sh-t at the flyweight division, "said White on the UFC unfiltered podcast (via MMA Fighting). "The flyweight division just did not take off, it never made its way. Even with a dominant champion like Demetrious, this is never made clear. People did not care. I fought for a long time, I tried to keep it alive and, of course, it still goes on. We continue to fight in this division, but we will see what the future holds for us. "

It's no secret that 125 lbs is an unpopular weight clbad. Many of his ranked fighters are deeply entrenched in the prelims, and former champion Demetrious Johnson is repeatedly unable to attract fans to the map. Demetrious Johnson vs. Ian McCall II in 2012 (a rematch that would never have happened without a score error), Sergio Pettis and Brandon Moreno in August 2017, and Paddy Holohan against Louis Smolka in 2015, which carries a major asterisk because UFC Dublin had lost its main and main event just days from the fight. Holohan against Smolka was therefore a last-minute promotion.

Johnson had claimed that Dana White had threatened to suppress flyweights if he did not accept the title fight against TJ Dillashaw. Well, Johnson is no longer in the UFC, Dillashaw is fighting for the flyweight belt, but the division is quite disappearing anyway.