Every Wednesday, Administrative Editor Jordan Breen welcomes a member of the mixed martial arts media into “Press Row” on the Sherdog.com blog. This week, Breen is joined by BloodyElbow.com associate editor Zane Simon.
This Saturday night in Chicago, T.J. Dillashaw and Renan Barao will finally renew their rivalry over the UFC 135-pound title. Ahead of Dillashaw's second defense of the UFC crown he won from Barao last year, Breen and Simon look at the unenviable state of the bantamweight division and how the lack of depth, young prospects, and starpower has made 135 pounds the new bastard weight class of MMA and whether or not the Dillashaw-Barao rematch on network television will help its cause.
Breen and Simon look at the rocky promotional history of 135 pounds, including Dominick Cruz's myriad injuries and Dillashaw's relative anonymity, size up World Series of Fighting's upcoming clash of bantamweight prospects between Marlon Moraes and Sheymon da Silva Moraes and consider the pressure to step up in competition that might be put on blue-chippers Aljamain Sterling and Thomas Almeida in the very near future.
Grab your credential and get a seat in “Press Row.”
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