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Bellator MMA

Bellator boasts a strong roster among its lower weight classes and it is time to add another. The Bantamweight World Grand Prix will conclude this year and a Lightweight Grand Prix follows. When the dust settles, the promotion should book an eight-man tournament to crown the inaugural Bellator flyweight champion.

Bellator is mindful to separate itself from UFC with Grand Prix tournaments, Rizin crossovers and a growing commitment to its women's featherweight division -- boasting Cris Cyborg as champion, the recent signing of Olympian Sara McMann and the enduring interest of acquiring multi-time PFL tournament winner Kayla Harrison for a super fight. One ship Bellator would be wise to hop onboard is the men's flyweight division, which has undergone a radical facelift over the last few years.

"Globally, 125 has really grown. I would really like to see them make a run at 125," CBS Sports analyst Luke Thomas said on "Morning Kombat" with Brian Campbell. "I don't know if they feel like that's in their best interest or they can't move the market with it. I don't know why they don't have a 125-pound division, but they have guys who can do 125-pound things at an elite level. It makes sense to give them a home."

MMA flyweights have surged in popularity over the last few years thanks to an exciting, evenly split trilogy between Deiveson Figueiredo and Brandon Moreno. Longtime former UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson is cherished among tenured spectators as an all-time great regardless of weight class, but that quality did not translate to mainstream viewership. Johnson's dominance sometimes made for boring fights, he was not particularly adversarial and the UFC had no clue how to capitalize on his status as a diehard (video) gamer. These days, fans are fully aware that flyweights can bring it.

The biggest benefactor of a Bellator flyweight division may just be Kyoji Horiguchi. Horiguchi was well on his way to reclaiming the Bellator bantamweight championship before Sergio Pettis uncorked a wild, come-from-behind spinning back fist KO late in the match. Horiguchi fought competitively against dark horse Patchy Mix in the quarterfinals of the Bantamweight Grand Prix, but he could not overcome Mix's strength and grappling. It is a testament to Horiguchi's talent that he has won bantamweight titles in Bellator and Rizin while giving up size to most opponents. Horiguchi amassed a 7-1 record in the UFC and fought Johnson for the UFC flyweight championship. He could instantly lead a 125-pound division in Bellator.

"I'm down with Horiguchi at 125 to see what we have here," CBS Sports analyst Brian Campbell said. "Age-wise, he still has a lot left. You can certainly see that."

Flyweight could serve as a second chance for ranked Bellator fighters struggling to make a breakthrough at bantamweight. It also builds a new home for a slew of talented flyweights currently competing outside of North America. Ali Bagautinov, Dustin Ortiz, Jose Torres and Zach Makovsky are a handful of the fighters fighting off the continent who could make an instant splash in Bellator.

Bellator already claims some of the best lighter-weight fighters in the sport: Sergio Pettis, Raufeon Stots and Patchy Mix at bantamweight, Patricio Pitbull and Adam Borics at featherweight, and Usman Nurmagomedov, AJ McKee and Tofiq Musayev at lightweight. Let the flyweights fly free and they might just be the next great division raising the Bellator banner.