Zuffa Boxing announced this morning that they’d signed super lightweight champion Richardson Hitchins and super middleweight contender Edgar Berlanga to their roster ahead of planned summer debuts.
“This is a major step forward in my career,” said Hitchins. “I’m very grateful for this opportunity, and I want to thank Dana White, Nick Khan, and my manager, Keith Connolly, for giving a kid from Brooklyn the opportunity to fight on the biggest stage against the world’s best fighters. With Zuffa Boxing
in my corner, I’m going to show the world that I am a pound-for-pound, generational fighter.”
“Zuffa Boxing is changing the game,” said Berlanga. “I’m here for the biggest fights on boxing’s best platform. I’m here to put the super middleweight division on notice. ‘The Monster’ is back! Thank you to Dana White, Nick Khan, and the entire Zuffa Boxing team for believing in my talent. I also want to thank my father, Edgar Berlanga Sr., and my manager, Keith Connolly, for always guiding me in the right direction, and this move is no different. This is going to be a special journey.”
Two things immediately stand out. One is that Zuffa doesn’t recognize either of their divisions, going straight from 135 to 147 and 160 to 175. The other is that Hitchins (20-0, 8 KO) risks running into the exact same scenario as Jai Opetaia, whom the IBF stripped earlier this year for pursuing the Zuffa belt. Hitchins is presently on the clock to defend his belt against mandatory challenger Lindolfo Delgado, meaning Zuffa has to either negotiate with Top Rank or risk a purse bid if they want Hitchins to hold onto his title.
Or Hitchins could just ditch the belt and go to 147. The man’s been clear about his struggles with the cut, which scrapped a planned defense against Oscar Duarte earlier this year.
Either way, something has to give. The press release claims there will be a Q&A before UFC 327’s ceremonial weigh-ins, but going by past history, odds are nobody will ask anything about these issues.
