Dana White Expresses Interest In Adding UFC Women’s Atomweight Division

Dana White Expresses Interest In Adding UFC Women’s Atomweight Division

UFC CEO Dana White briefly discussed the idea of the UFC adding a women’s atomweight division. White was far from committed to the idea, but he claimed the promotion may eventually add the weight class.

In the Dana White’s Contender Series: Season 8, Episode 10 post-fight interview, White discussed how growing talented in South America and Asia could eventually force the promotion to add the atomweight division to help accommodate the growing talent.

“As you start to talk about South America,” White said. “You start to talk about, Asia, whether it’s China, Japan, or Korea, as we keep cultivating talent in these places we might end up creating another division.”

The women’s atomweight division is the 105-pound weight class. The lowest UFC women’s weight class is currently strawweight which has a 115-pound limit.

White expressed interest in the atomweight division after 20-year-old Julieta Martinez won on DWCS. White opted not to sign Martinez because she is young and undersized for the weight class. Theoretically, she would have been a good fit for the atomweight division.

The UFC is not going to make a new division for one fighter who impressed on DWCS; however, there is potential for the UFC to fill out the weight class in the coming years. The UFC is currently working on expanding into the South American and Asian MMA markets. Those regions also produce a lot of potential atomweights. It would make sense for the UFC to add the weight class to help sign fighters from the region.

The atomweight division has been a success in the Asian MMA market. ONE Championship, a major MMA organization based out of Singapore, has the weight class. The promotion weight-cutting policy technically makes their atomweight division a 115-pound weight class. That said, these fighters would be atomweights if they were cutting weight.

ONE Championship has produced stars in the weight class. The more notable is Angela Lee. Unfortunately, Lee retired from MMA after the death of her sister Victoria. Regardless, she is evidence the division can be successful.

Stamp Fairtex is ONE Championship’s current atomweight champion. Fairtex is a newly crowned champion, but she has already gained recognition in the Asian MMA market.

It is not far-fetched for the UFC to add the women’s atomweight weight class. The promotion unceremoniously cut the women’s featherweight division. That makes it more feasible to add another women’s weight class.

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The addition of the UFC women’s atomweight division is only in the talking stage, but it is entirely possible. That is especially true if it can help the promotion grow in South America and Asia.

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