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UFC Announces Four Man Flyweight Tournament For March 3

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The UFC will introduce the 125-pound division with a four-man tournament on March 3rd. Ian McCall, Demetrious Johnson, Joseph Benavidez, and Yasuhiro Urushitani are the announced participants.

Joseph Benavidez
Joseph Benavidez

The UFC's eighth division has officially arrived.

Following the conclusion of UFC 140, UFC President Dana White announced the introduction of the flyweight division into the world's largest mixed martial arts promotion.

According to White, a four-man tournament is slated to kick off on March 3rd to determine the inaugural 125-pound champion. Number-one ranked flyweight Ian McCall (11-2) makes his UFC debut against top-5 bantamweight Demetrious Johnson (9-2) and perennial contender Joseph Benavidez (15-2) welcomes Shooto champion Yasuhiro Urushitani (19-4-6) into the Octagon.

"Those guys will fight. The winner of those fights will fight for the 125-pound title," White explained.

With a surplus of talent already toeing the line between weight classes, the UFC's newest division could soon find itself overflowing with viable match-ups. Along with the announced tournament participants, numerous members of "The Ultimate Fighter 14" -- including season champion John Dodson and noted flyweight Louis Gaudinot -- are likely options to join the roster.

"The lighter weight fighters have been putting on awesome fights for years," White said. "The more people get introduced to them, how could you not love them? They're exciting, every fight they put on."