“They’re gonna get rid of our weight class.” A worried Henry Cejudo told Demetrious Johnson backstage in 2016 ahead of their first flyweight title bout. It won’t be an understatement to say that the flyweight division has always struggled to garner fan interest and remain loaded. Despite having the most skilled and talented fighters at their disposal, the fate of the men’s lightest weight class has stagnated when it comes to PPV numbers and promotional interest. Despite being one of the best to ever do it and registering a record 11 title defenses, ‘Mighty Mouse’ was ultimately traded to ONE FC in exchange for Ben Askren once he lost his crown. A worrying trend indeed!

Despite the resurgent rivalry and quadrilogy between Brandon Moreno and Deiveson Figueiredo, the division still suffered from stagnation. Moreover, this trend has started to resurface recently with another dominant champ in the form of Alexandre Pantoja who looks nigh unbeatable at the moment. Well, some would say that the class is filled with killers like the aforementioned Moreno, Kai Kara France, Manel Kape, and Brandon Royval. But remember the Brazilian’s last title outing? Dana White and Co. had to bring in former Rizin 135lbs champ Kai Asakura into the mix and granted him a title shot in his debut to change the wind. It didn’t work out!

And now after Moreno’s latest UFC Mexico victory, the weight class finds itself in yet another difficult position. While the win solidifies Moreno as a top contender, it also raises a bigger issue—one that former dual champ Daniel Cormier believes the UFC needs to address before it becomes a long-term problem.

Cormier took to his Good Guy/Bad Guy podcast show and stated, “My issue with him getting another title fight is this. We can’t be in a situation where we just got out of with Deiveson and Brandon where those guys fought four times,” Cormier explained. “And then everybody is just kind of watching them. That’s not what you want for your division. I understand at times you have two guys that separate themselves from the crowd.”

DC then focused on the dominant course Pantoja has been on. “It’s hard because right now Royval is the #1 contender and Pantoja already beat him twice. Brandon is #2. Pantoja and him have fought multiple times and Pantoja has won. The champion beat Erceg, the champion beat Kai Asakura. I mean Tatsuro Taira and Kai Kara France are the two guys that we have not seen the champ beat. Maybe he beat France.”

The former double champ then concluded, “I don’t know! The champion is so good and the #1 contender is so good that they keep going. But I think that this weight class cannot continue to have two guys fighting constantly. Because, dude if that happens, for the last six years Chael, we will have eight fights between two dudes for the championship. That can’t happen!”

The UFC flyweight division finds itself at a crossroads, caught between the familiar and the unknown. Two fighters have monopolized the title scene, leaving other contenders stranded without opportunities to break through. But the real issue is more complex—there’s simply no clear alternative on the horizon. Right now, Brandon Moreno remains the most logical challenger.

The UFC’s flyweight division: Stuck in an endless identity crisis

The UFC is a business first and a sport second. Fighters who can sell themselves get opportunities faster. It’s why Conor McGregor, Sean O’Malley, and Colby Covington get preferential treatment—they can create buzz, build anticipation, and drive PPV numbers. Flyweight, on the other hand, has struggled to produce fighters with mainstream appeal. Moreno being a lone standout in terms of fan engagement is precisely why the UFC keeps turning back to him—even when it doesn’t make sense from a pure meritocratic standpoint. Unlike bantamweight, where contenders are constantly campaigning for title shots and calling each other out, flyweight lacks fighters who are willing or able to take control of their own narratives.

The real problem however is bigger than just Moreno and Pantoja. The UFC has a long history of not trusting flyweight to sustain itself, and instead of developing stars, they keep pulling fighters from outside promotions to patch up holes. Kai Asakura’s rushed debut against Pantoja was supposed to shake things up. It didn’t. Now, they’ve brought in Kyoji Horiguchi, another fighter best known for his runs in Rizin and Bellator. At what point does the UFC actually start building its own contenders instead of relying on quick fixes?

Chael Sonnen pointed out that Moreno is the only fighter in the division who has actually spoken up and demanded a title fight. “Moreno is the leading candidate,” Sonnen admitted. “I think he’s gonna have a hard time getting that match, but he is the leading candidate. He’s the only guy that’s come out publicly and asked for it, and that goes a long way.“

And that is the UFC’s problem in a nutshell—why is one of the most stacked divisions so quiet when it comes to marketable personalities while there is no dearth of talent in it? Muhammad Mokaev is undefeated but had an unceremonious exit from the promotion; Tatsuro Taira is a rising star, and Manel Kape is always one fight away from breaking through. There are names, and there are fights to make, but instead of investing in organic development, the UFC keeps looking for shortcuts. Flyweight will always be in trouble if the UFC treats it like a side project instead of a serious division. Right now, they’re throwing darts at the board to see what works. But until they commit to actually developing their own contenders, we’re going to continue having conversations like this.