What do you do when a weight division lacks depth? Add more fighters, right? Surely you don’t cut them. But that’s what just happened at UFC heavyweight. On the surface, yes, it sends a strong message. You don’t perform up to the expectations, you get shown the door. But this drastic measure highlights an even bigger problem that’s mounting in the division.

According to UFC Roster Tracker, Hamdy Abdelwahab, who scored a decision win over Chris Barnett at UFC 321, was ushered out of the UFC. The heavyweight fighter did not seem to impress Dana White and Co. with his performance despite the win, but removing him has only added more misery to the heavyweight division, and for the champion, Tom Aspinall.

Fewer fighters and fewer storylines, the UFC heavyweight division feels empty

Almost every division in the UFC thrives on diversity. Variety in fighting styles, personalities, and the intrigue that unranked fighters create when they beat fighters who are favorites make for an exciting division. Look at Quillan Salkilld’s win this past weekend. However, the heavyweight division is struggling in this regard. Well, look at the heavyweight fights from this past weekend. Dana White may decide to cut underperforming or low-profile heavyweight fighters, but that leads to the division feeling like it’s been hollowed out.

The biggest storyline of the biggest division walked out when Jon Jones did. The aging lion against the younger, hungrier one (Aspinall) was a blockbuster script that never made it to the canvas. Sure, Aspinall has a few big fights left, but what happens if or when he’s done with them?

When we talk about cutting fighters from the roster, the main argument that’s made is the fact that the UFC is doing quality control. They want the best fighters on the roster, which is a non-negotiable for the premier MMA promotion. But with the heavyweight division having only a reported 36-40 fighters, a reduced roster often does away with the narrative that actually helps engage fans to tune in and watch fights.

The point we’re trying to make is that a smaller roster means that the possibilities of making interesting matchups decrease dramatically. Also, removing or cutting fighters from the division means that the UFC lost many possible storylines, which may discourage fans from tuning in. Now, let’s move over to another reason why the lack of depth in the heavyweight division is only making things worse.

Cutting prospects slows the growth of new contenders

One of the biggest issues that Dana White and Co. exacerbated after the post-UFC 321 purge is the growth of contenders. Heavyweight fighters typically take a lot of time to mature, and they tend to hit their athletic primes a bit later, during their late 30s, in comparison to the lighter divisions. By releasing fighters who’ve yet to hit their primes and are unranked, the promotion is risking the developmental process in the heavyweight division. And Hamdy Abdelwahad was not the first victim of this treatment this year.

BJJ phenom, Marcus Buchecha, came to the UFC from ONE Championship with much fanfare. The thirteen-time IBJJF and six-time ADCC world champion lost to Martin Buday on his UFC debut via unanimous decision. Guess who the UFC released? Buday! The 35-year-old was on a 7-1 run in the UFC and a three-fight win streak. What likely did not help his case was that six of his wins came via decisions.

It does not help that some of their highly touted signings did not pan out well either. Take Cuba’s Robelis Despainge, for example. The Cuban Olympic bronze medalist was released after a 1-2 run in the promotion. He came in with a hot streak of five first-round finishes, four of which came inside the first fifteen seconds! He kept the run going with an 18-second KO win in his UFC debut. But then he lost two decisions in a row, was released, and went back to KO’ing people in Karate Kombat.

With the lack of fights and a variety of opponents to compete against, the UFC’s decision to cut off fighters could prove detrimental to the newer heavyweight contenders who are trying to evolve efficiently. There are a lot of fighters who tend to play the stepping-stone role for others. These fighters may not become champions, but they help groom the next big stars. So, the lack of these gatekeepers also stagnates the growth of the division.

Unlike the PFL or ONE Championship, Dana White and Co.’s tactics revolve around roster trimming and cost-cutting, and this leads to the snubbing of the developmental needs of future stars in the heavyweight division. But that’s not all! There is one more reason that could kill the heavyweight division altogether.

Repeating fights and predictable rankings hurt fan engagement

There was a time in the lightweight division when the same set of fighters were competing against each other in the title scene. While that’s over now in that division, which houses around 80 fighters, the same cannot be said for the heavyweight division. Tom Aspinall, prior to his title defense against Ciryl Gane, was asked by the media if he thought the Frenchman deserved a title shot. What do you think the heavyweight champion said? Well, he claimed that there is no one else to fight!

This is a major issue that can ruin interest among fans when it comes to the heavyweight division. They do not like watching the same fighters fight each other more than once. The division is already struggling with depth on the roster, which means that fans could get more rematches than they’d like. Popular contenders like Curtis Blaydes and even Derrick Lewis have had many rematches within short spans, and that wasn’t because their rivalries demanded it but because there were no other available matchups.

A division is only vibrant when there is a competitive environment surrounding it. The heavyweight division needs to take notes from the bantamweight, featherweight, and lightweight divisions, where fans are constantly engaged due to the prospect of getting to watch fresh faces and fresh matchups. Dana White and Co. may feel compelled to make important business decisions, but that should not come at the cost of the heavyweight division falling apart. After all, the ‘Baddest Man on the Planet’ tag is associated with this division, and since the lack of fighters in that weight class could see mid-tier fighters making their way to the top, that moniker may not hold much value. What do you think?