Do Junior Weight Divisions Water Down the Sport?

[-PBP-]

I was browsing through the UFC website and noticed there are only 8 weight classes. Boxing currently has 17. Boxing used to operate similarly: (Fly/Bantam/Feather/Light/Welter/Middle/LHW/HW)

There are several reasons why junior weight divisions exist. Maybe safety and more sanctioning fees for the organizations. But from a competitive standpoint, do they water down and hurt the sport?

For example, imagine weight divisions that looked like this:

Middleweight:

Golovkin
Canelo
Lara
Cotto
Charlo X 2
J Rock
Jacobs
Lemieux
Andrade
Saunders

Light Heavyweight

Stevenson
Kovalev
Ward
Jack
DeGale
Beterbeiv
Zurdo
Dirrell X 2
Groves
Brahmer

Welterweight

Brook
Thurman
Spence
Crawford
Porter
Garcia
Peterson
Postol
Bradley
Vargas
Broner

Bantamweight

Chocolatito
Rigondeaux
Yanamaka
Chemito
Rau'Shee
McDonnell
Cuadras
Inoue
Estrada
Tete
Kameda

By removing the junior divisions, the rankings would be much more solid from one to 10, being a long reigning division champion will be more meaningful, the number of champions would decrease, the sport would be easier to follow for casuals, and most importantly, better fights would be made.

Are you for or against junior weight divisions?

[NEETzsche]

watching the olympics (which uses 10 weight classes) i only noticed a few cases in which size was clearly a major factor. personally i think 12 divisions spaced between 108 and 225 would be the sweet spot

[j0zef]

Definitely against. The competition today is too watered down. Drives me crazy.

[MasterPlan]

Naw, these weight divisions didn't just pop up when PBC was introduced. The last major division was what the cruiserweight division about 30 years ago.

Maybe it's the big fights not happening that makes it look water downed.

[-PBP-]

watching the olympics (which uses 10 weight classes) i only noticed a few cases in which size was clearly a major factor. personally i think 12 divisions spaced between 108 and 225 would be the sweet spot

I think the biggest issue is the gap between 175 and heavyweight. Everything in between should be manageable. In the mini weight classes you got 3/4 division champions that only moved up 10 pounds.

[BrometheusBob.]

Fewer divisions seems like a good thing but I promise they are just gonna add more belts and **** it up all over again

[DreamerUSA]

Definitely against. The competition today is too watered down. Drives me crazy.

Cruiserweight is the only division I can really justify existing outside of the normal weightclasses. Everything else needs to go away.

[Tony Trick-Pony]

I was browsing through the UFC website and noticed there are only 8 weight classes. Boxing currently has 17. Boxing used to operate similarly: (Fly/Bantam/Feather/Light/Welter/Middle/LHW/HW)

There are several reasons why junior weight divisions exist. Maybe safety and more sanctioning fees for the organizations. But from a competitive standpoint, do they water down and hurt the sport?

For example, imagine weight divisions that looked like this:

Middleweight:

Golovkin
Canelo
Lara
Cotto
Charlo X 2
J Rock
Jacobs
Lemieux
Andrade
Saunders

Light Heavyweight

Stevenson
Kovalev
Ward
Jack
DeGale
Beterbeiv
Zurdo
Dirrell X 2
Groves
Brahmer

Welterweight

Brook
Thurman
Spence
Crawford
Porter
Garcia
Peterson
Postol
Bradley
Vargas
Broner

Bantamweight

Chocolatito
Rigondeaux
Yanamaka
Chemito
Rau'Shee
McDonnell
Cuadras
Inoue
Estrada
Tete
Kameda

By removing the junior divisions, the rankings would be much more solid from one to 10, being a long reigning division champion will be more meaningful, the number of champions would decrease, the sport would be easier to follow for casuals, and most importantly, better fights would be made.

Are you for or against junior weight divisions?

Weak divisions become stacked very quickly when the "extra" divisions are gone. Sure. Fighters should seek out the best fights if they think they are the best. But fewer weight divisions pushes them toward that whether they want to or not. If a guy can hold a belt in a weak division and make money fighting lesser guys, he often times will. However, take a lot of these divisions out and he has to face solid competition. 105, 108, 115, 122, 130, 140, 154 all need to go IMO. I was actually for 168 staying but seeing your list there, I think I even change my mind on that one. Cruiserweight should probably stay, though.

[cork]

Dislike it. Thinks there's way too many division especially at the lower weight class where some of them are just separated by a few pounds. Fewer division=less champs would actually bring some credibility to being a champ again. Too many paper champ these days.

[Eff Pandas]

They obviously water down the sport & I'd be pro losing them.

I'd also be pro losing some lower weight divisions in general. Right now boxing has 17 weight divisions & 8 of the 17 are for guys who weigh 135lbs or less. I don't even talk to any grown men who weight 135 f#cking pounds ffs. I could live with there being 118lbs, 126lbs & 135lbs.