Dana White Reveals Bleak Timeline For UFC 165-Pound Division

UFC President Dana White has been very vocal about not wanting to add a 165-pound division to the promotion.

While several fighters such as Ben Askren, Kevin Lee, Paul Felder, and James Vick have shown support for the idea, White believes adding such a weight class would do more damage than good. In a recent interview with The Schmo during UFC 236, White doubled down on his comments:

“I believe that both of those divisions are stacked. If we create a 165-pound division, I believe it hurts those divisions.”

“”You’re talking about a lot of guys that are jumping ship from different weight classes to go back and forth. A 165-pound division will not answer all the questions. You gotta have these divisions stacked. What’s more exciting right now than 155 and 170? They’re probably the two most exciting divisions out there right now. Creating a third division weakens both of those.”

In regards to if the division could show up in the future, White reminded that he has signed on with the UFC on a new seven-year deal recently.

So don’t expect a 165-pound division for at least that long:

“Well I just signed a new deal for seven years, so you’re not gonna have one for seven years. That I can promise you.”