Two down, one to go? A closer look at the unheralded flyweight division in the wake of the UFC-WEC merger

Does Size Matter In MMA?

In the aftermath of the heavyweight clash between new heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez and Brock Lesnar, and even more so in the wake of the UFC-WEC merger announcement, it may finally be time to introduce MMA Maniacs to the smaller (and often overlooked) combatants in mixed martial arts. The unheralded flyweights, the guys who don't always get the spotlight from major organizations like the UFC or Strikeforce.

In Japan, the biggest promotion (DREAM) also chooses not to showcase them, which relegates them to smaller organizations like Shooto, Deep, King of the Cage (KOTC) and most recently the rapidly emerging Tachi Palace Championships.

While people complain that some WEC stars hardly get the appreciation they deserve, it makes you really start to wonder how little appreciation the 125-pound division receives. They are exciting, they have grapplers and strikers, heavy hands and slick jiu-jitsu, clinch work and wrestling. Sure, they're small, but these guys were born small with the same drive that monsters like Shane Carwin and Brock Lesnar have to compete in our beloved sport of MMA.

And when was the last time you saw a slow, chubby flyweight, plodding through a boring fight with no gas tank? (Besides never)

The best promotion for these fighters at the moment, Tachi Palace Championships, based out of California, has signed not only the number one fighter in the weight class but also boast several Top-25 flyweights under their banner with the remainder of the top ranked weight class primarily being located in Japan's Shooto.

So, Maniacs .... Grab your phones, log on to your computers and jump on to YouTube or order some DVD's online. These guys will not disappoint.

Catch some of the top flyweights after the jump:

Jussier "Formiga" da Silva

"Formiga" started his fight career in 2005 but has fought sparsely since that time accumulating only 7 fights in the five plus years since. He has an unblemished record of 7-0 and has gone to a decision 5 times and finishing the other two fights via submission.

He is widely recognized as the best fighter in the world at 125 pounds, he is currently ranked the #1 flyweight in the world by Sherdog amongst other major MMA publications.. He is the Shooto South America champion and holds a notable victory Shinichi Kojima who was Shooto's Bantamweight Champion and was atop the throne of the world’s best flyweights for sometime.

Da Silva was recently signed by Tachi Palace, a California based promotion that has really dedicated them to building a cream of the crop roster in the 125 pound flyweight division. The Brazilian "Formiga" is a Jiu-Jitsu black belt and will have plenty of challengers in his debut in America.

John "The Magician" Dodson

A Greg Jackson fighter, Dodson has a MMA record of 9-5. But don't let that record deceive you as Dodson has been involved in some of the most exciting and significant flyweight fights in America. He has two split decision losses to top ranked flyweights Pat Runez and Mike Easton in fights that were so close they could have arguably gone Dodson's way.

His losses have come from only decisions while has a nice mixture in his victories of 4 T(KO)s, one submission and 4 decisions. Dodson may be the most exciting fighter in his weight class and of the most diverse strikers around mixing up his arsenal that boasts switch kicks, flying head kicks and a big heavy right hand. He has also taken his grappling skills to ADCC. The Magician also able to boast to have been taken down in a MMA fight.

Yasuhiro Urushitani

Urushitani is one of the more grizzled veterans of the flyweight division, at the age of 33 he has notable wins over two of the flyweights on this list and has professional fights dating as early as 2001. While fighting in an array of Japanese MMA promotions, Urushitani has a 1-1 split record vs the reigning King of the Cage and former Shooto champion Mamoru Yamaguchi.

Sporting a 17-4-6 record, Urushitani is heralded as one of the top 3 flyweights in the world in several different rankings. Known for very good counter striking, being notoriously difficult to finish and having the heart of a true champion Yasuhiro Urushitani has carved his name in the flyweight division as one of the best there is.

His wins over Mamoru Yamaguchi, Junji Ikoma, Matatoshi Abe and Daniel Lima are not only exciting fights to watch but were all notable in the flyweight division.

Mamoru Yamaguchi

Aforementioned with his two fights with Urushitani, Yamaguchi is another top ranked flyweight fighter. Holding a record of 24-5-3 , Yamaguchi is another one of the top ranked fighters in the flyweight division. A former Shooto bantamweight and featherweight champion, Mamoru is now the current reigning and defending King of the Cage 125 pound champion.

Sporting a very iconic and memorable afro, Yamaguchi is most known for a trilogy with another 125 pound fighter Shinichi Kojima as well as having some very crisp boxing and very aggressive ground and pound and top game submissions.

Alexis Vila Perdomo

A very interesting fighter that has gone under the radar not only in the 125 pound division but in MMA entirely. Vila is of Cuban heritage and is a two time world champion wrestler and a bronze medalist in 1996 Olympics. He spent much of his life afterward as a teacher until 2007 when he entered MMA.

He has racked up a perfect 8-0 record while training at American Top Team and has finished all but one of those fights. Bring a wrestling pedigree of his caliber into the 125 pound division is very interesting since the flyweights are hardly blessed with such accomplished wrestlers. So far he has not faced the top guys in the division, but Vila is approaching 40 years old and may not factor in to being one of the prominent faces of the division. Talented none the less.

Rambaa Somdet

Somdet is a very interesting fighter in the flyweight division. At age 36 he is another grizzled veteran in MMA. With a very impressive 10-2 record, Somdet took a 5 year hiatus from the sport in what is in all likelihood the peak or prime of his career.

What makes Somdet such a interesting piece of the flyweight division is although the fighters are already very small Somdet has fought at strawweight which is 115 pounds and has competed in K-1 as well as professional Muay Thai matches. While not officially signed to Tachi Palace Fighting Championships he is an active member of their stacked 125 pound division.

He is the current Shooto champion.

Ulysses Gomez

One of the brightest young fighters in the division, Gomez at age 27 has already created quite a name for himself. While fighting almost exclusively for Tachi Palace Fighting Championships Gomez has already captured their first ever 125 pound championship and has recently signed on and won his first fight under the Bellator banner.

Gomez is a very respected grappler who has submitted 5 out of his 7 opponents in victory with only one loss. Gomez is also infamous for knocking out then world boxing champion Fernando Vargas at UFC 71 in a post event confrontation.

Honorable Mention to Jessie Riggleman, Darrel Montague, Fumihiro Kitahara, Pat Runez and Cah Robichaux.

So Maniacs, do you agree or disagree with this list? Anyone I failed to mention? And how long before the UFC acquires this division -- if ever?

(FanPost edited and promoted by MMAmania.com)