I know this topic has been discussed before but it seems as if maybe we are getting closer to a time of serious consideration. Today there was a story about how Frank Mir is considering a move to Light Heavyweight because his efforts to bulk up against the new breed of Heavyweights ended in failure. Presently a fighter weighing in at 206 could take on an opponent up to 59 pounds heavier, clearly a disadvantage in comparison to the other weight divisions. I say create a 240lbs Medium Heavyweight Division, half the Heavyweight fighters on the UFC roster would fall in this category.

Not to take anything away from Brock Lesnar but honestly do you think he beat Couture, Mir because of his superior talent or was it more because of his obvious size advantage. The heavyweight division is moving towards a time of dominance by these large athletic Heavyweights. These larger athletes prior the rise in popularity of MMA would have chosen another line of work for example the NFL. We have a situation where some talented fighters will never be able to compete against the Carwins and Lesnars and cutting to 205 just does not realistically work for their body frame.

I think that splitting the HW division into two separate divisions would provide more intriguing match-ups. For example the scheduled bout between Mir and Carwin is generating a lot of buzz due to the equality in size, the fights outcome will be determined by the better man not the bigger man. The old days of the smaller man can beat the bigger man does not really mean much when you have two professional athletes who are highly trained. If both fighters have equal knowledge, training and athleticism then of course the larger fighter will most likely prevail.

Some will point to Fedor as an example of smaller HW success but he really is in a class of his own. Many will say that the two divisions will be to thin and not provide enough match-ups. The fighters are out there, just look at the HW div of three years ago and how much it has grown, “If you build it they will come”. So who agrees or who can provide valid reasons why this is not a good idea?