James Vick changing divisions following third straight loss

At UFC San Antonio this weekend lightweights Dan Hooker and James Vick collided. Both fighters were in need of a win, and it was the former who succeeded, winning via first round knockout. For Vick that was his third straight loss and second via knockout.

Now the 1.91 meter tall fighter has decided to switch to the welterweight division, something he made clear via a long statement on Instagram.

“To update everyone I will be moving up to 170 next fight,” part of Vick’s statement reads. “Cutting weight is not easy and has really sucked these past few yrs. However I WILL NOT do what so many others have done and blame my loses on weight cuts or use it as a crutch. I have worked with George Lockhart the best nutritionist in all of mma and know he has always given me the best advice and knowledge possible. I myself have not followed the program at times and it has made some cuts tougher than others but either way I have never missed weight and also did what I signed the contract to do. Now the time has come to move up. I know this will make alot of ppl happy, especially all the mma couch watching professionals who know so much about nutrition”

Other news:

No wins in over a year

Vick went on a fantastic 9-1 run int he beginning of his UFC career, including wins over Nick Hein, Jake Matthews and Joe Duffy. Following a decision win over Francisco Trinaldo, he was matched up with former WSoF champ Justin Gaethje. The fight had a lot of build up and the bad blood ended with a vicious knockout loss for Vick. He would go on to lose his next fight with Paul Felder via decision, and now this weekend lost his third straight against Hooker.