UPDATE: UFC president Dana White said the announcement of a women’s flyweight division was premature and not official yet while speaking to MMAFighting.com.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship is adding a new weight class.
This week, it was announced that the UFC will be launching a women’s flyweight division — 125 pounds — on an upcoming season of the long-running reality series The Ultimate Fighter.
Tryouts for the show take place on Tuesday, May 23 at the Palace Station Hotel in Las Vegas.
Filming is set to begin in July.
FEMALE FLYWEIGHTS IN THE #UFC Y'ALL! pic.twitter.com/RqwsEKU7wq
— FloCombat (@FloCombat) May 3, 2017
The winner of this season will become the UFC’s first women’s flyweight champion.
The UFC currently has women’s divisions at 145 pounds, 135 pounds and 115 pounds. The flyweight division fills a gap that will allow some women too small for 135 to compete at their ideal weight class.
A few women currently on the UFC roster is very excited about the move.
Fuck ya @ufc on creating a flyweight division !! Yesssssss
— Jessica Eye (@jessicaevileye) May 4, 2017
Lauren Murphy plans on *winning this#FixedIt #ItsGoTime
😈☝🏻 https://t.co/AWHcincyck— Lauren Murphy (@LaurenMurphyMMA) May 4, 2017
Eye and Murphy, along with Joanne Calderwood, who actually competed inside of the Octagon in the UFC’s first ever women’s flyweight bout, are two notable names who will likely make their way to 125.
Women currently on the UFC roster are also eligible for the upcoming season of TUF, so it’s going to be fun to see who is featured on the cast.
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