BKFC abolishes division that a former UFC star is champion in: ‘We don’t have enough competition’

John Dodson’s weight switch this week will have to be a permanent one.

The former two-time UFC title challenger is one of the most recognizable flyweight names from throughout MMA history.

Before two championship fight losses to the legendary Demetrious Johnson, ‘The Magician’ won the bantamweight tournament on season 14 of The Ultimate Fighter in 2011 by beating TJ Dillashaw.

While he was unable to win flyweight gold on MMA’s biggest stage before departing in 2020, Dodson has captured it under the BKFC banner. However, his reign is now set to be cut short.

The flyweights have long faced an uphill task in securing the same respect and interest in combat sports as other divisions receive.

In the UFC, the 125-pound weight class has been on a resurgence since 2020, before which Dana White hinted at abolishing the division altogether.

While the flyweights in that promotion were able to convince the boss otherwise, BKFC president David Feldman has decided to pull the plug.

Ahead of Dodson’s shot at becoming a simultaneous two-division champ on Saturday at BKFC 95, Feldman revealed that the 42-year-old won’t make another defense of the flyweight belt.

“We’re actually going to do away with the 125-pound division,” Feldman said during a recent interview with Home of Fight.

“We just don’t have enough competition to have a full division and be able to keep the guys as busy as we want.

“(Dodson) doesn’t know that yet,” he continued. “He’ll be the double champ and then we’ll take it from him, but we had to give him that honor of being the double champ and then we’re gonna retire that (the flyweight title).

“It’s hard to find a lot of quality fighters at 125 in any sport, but especially in bare-knuckle fighting.”

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After kicking off his BKFC career with two first-round wins, Dodson won the inaugural flyweight title with another quick knockout against JR Ridge in August 2023.

‘The Magician’ retained the belt in his one defense, which ended in a draw against Dagoberto Aguero over two years ago.

As Dodson gears up to challenge Jamel Herring for the BKFC bantamweight belt on Saturday night in Newark, he has discovered that a defeat will mean he walks away without any championships in his possession.