Ali Bagautinov probably would have benefited from another fight or two in the UFC before facing Mighty Mouse Johnson. He was game, but it was too much, too soon. The problem is, flyweight is shallow. Over a year since the division came in, and we've really only got to know Johnson, John Dodson, and Joseph Benavidez as serious challengers. There's also the popular Uncle Creepy, Ian McCall, but he has lost to Johnson already, in the flyweight division's inaugural tournament. Benavidez has lost title fights twice to Mighty Mouse, and Dodson will probably get his second shot soon. See a problem? Flyweight has been all about recycling challengers. There's a serious need for fresh faces. Hopefully the likes of Scott Jorgensen and Brad Pickett, who have dropped down to the weight class recently, can provide fresh options. They're both names, and both come to fight. Otherwise, the UFC really needs to look at recruiting, possibly from South East Asia, a market they want to expand into anyway, and one where smaller fighters are more common, and more respected.
Primarily covering the sport of MMA from Ontario, Canada, Jay Anderson has been writing for various publications covering sports, technology, and pop culture since 2001. Jay holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of Guelph, and a Certificate in Leadership Skills from Humber College.
