Last Updated on July 9, 2012.
Following win, flyweight Louis Gaudinot waiting for the UFC’s call
by Steven Marrocco – mmajunkie.com
There’s no longer a question of how well flyweights fight into the UFC.
The answer? Pretty darn well.
It’s only natural, then, for one of them, Louis Gaudinot (6-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC), to wonder why his phone isn’t ringing at the moment. Still unbooked after his first octagon win at UFC on FOX 3, he wants a fight.
“I fought two months ago, and I still done have an opponent lined up,” he today told MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio). “I want to get back in there.”
Gaudinot fought at flyweight before bulking up to bantamweight for a stint on “The Ultimate Fighter 14.” At the conclusion of the show, he dropped back to 125 pounds and earned a first-round submission win over John Lineker, which won him a $65,000 “Fight of the Night” at UFC on FX 3.
His next step, however, is unknown.
The introduction of the UFC flyweight division in February brought a four-man tournament. The competition could be over by fall. Onetime bantamweight title challenger Demetrious Johnson is set to fight Joseph Benavidez for the first-ever flyweight title, but a timetable for the bout is not set.
Meanwhile, there are potential opponents for Gaudinot in Ian McCall, who lost to Johnson at this past month’s UFC on FX 3 event; John Dodson, who outpointed Tim Elliot at UFC on FOX 3; or Darren Uyenoyama, who is on the mend after an injury. And outside the promotion, there are several unsigned standouts from the lighter-weighted Tachi Palace Fights.
“I want those guys to come in (to the UFC),” Gaudinot said.
Currently, Gaudinot is ranked in the top 10 of the 125-pound division, so he’s got some clout. But with so many other fighters competing for spots on UFC cards this year, he could have a wait ahead. He won’t move to bantamweight to potentially shorten that time.
“I’m healthy,” he said. “I think they’re waiting to see how the [flyweight tournament] pans out. I want to fight one of the guys in the tournament. You’ve got McCall or Yasuhiro Urushitani.
“I want somebody who will help me move up in the rankings.”
