John Makdessi Wins the Cerrone Lottery; UFC to Add a Men's Strawweight Division

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After some rumors and speculation about Khabib Nurmagomedov's knee injury, he was officially ruled out of his fight late last night. Simultaneously John Makdessi was announced to replace him. Makdessi, a black belt in karate and Tae Kwon Do, has won 4 of his last 5 and a win over Donald Cerrone would absolutely catapult his career. For Cerrone, this is a far more favorable matchup than Khabib and he will look to win his 8th straight in arguably the most competitive and highly-skilled weight class in the UFC. If Cerrone wins this fight, he should demand a shot at the title against Rafael dos Anjos, who was most likely going to get the winner of Khabib vs. Cerrone anyway.

UFC to Add a Men's 115 Pound Strawweight Division?

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It has been rumored for some time now, but MMA fans have known that Dana White wants to add a men's 115 pound division. The UFC is constantly trying to expand their brand internationally, and a move like this is catering specifically to the Asian/Indian, Filipino and Mexican markets, where the average height is about 5'5".

As far as the strawweight division...I am 100% on this one. Don't get it, but it is their plan.

— Jason Coles (@MMASun) April 30, 2015

The idea to add this division certainly is a risk for a promotion that has already seen struggles with their newest Flyweight (125 pound) division that was added in 2012. Demetrious "Might Mouse" Johnson has been the only UFC flyweight champ since it's creation, and events headlining with flyweight fights haven't received the viewership that the UFC had been hoping for. In adding a lower division, you also get the problem of guys (notably Americans) dropping weight to stay competitive in a new open class. Initially, this will be a very criticized move for the UFC, but long term it will pay off. Most of the negative feedback will be from the current largest market, which is the USA. That's why this is such a controversial move; you're essentially pissing off your highest paying and largest fanbase to appeal to another. MMA has been steadily growing throughout the world, and this move is 100% to appeal to the regions that are seeing the most expansive growth.