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Thread: Question about MMA/Boxing - "Natural" Weight Class

  1. #11
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    The problem is the completely outdated weight classes. In boxing everything over 200lbs is a heavyweight. That made sense in 1930 but doesn't make sense today. MMA could have fixed it but didn't (probably has something to do with them falling under the same commissions that control boxing and having to conform to their ideas of weight classes). You pretty much have no chance of being 6ft or less and fighting heavyweight irregardless of muscle mass because there is going to be someone else with a decent amount of muscle mass that is 4+ inches taller than you. A very few people can pull it off (Mike Tyson) but the odds just aren't in your favor.

    Heavyweight should be 220lb or so and up, light heavyweight 200-220 lbs and work your way down from there. Light heavyweight would be a mix of taller/moderately built fighters and short built fighters. Heavyweight can be all the 6'3''+ 250+lbers.

  2. #12
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    The real problem with boxing is fighters have too much time to rehydrate. If it was same day weighins many fighters can't pull off the bullshit of fighting e.g 147lb and on fight night weighing in at 160lb. If they came in on the scale at 147lb at fight night they would effectively be a walking, talking zombie. After a couple of zombies, fighters would learn there lesson and move up to there natural weight class.

  3. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by Floid View Post
    The problem is the completely outdated weight classes. In boxing everything over 200lbs is a heavyweight. That made sense in 1930 but doesn't make sense today. MMA could have fixed it but didn't (probably has something to do with them falling under the same commissions that control boxing and having to conform to their ideas of weight classes). You pretty much have no chance of being 6ft or less and fighting heavyweight irregardless of muscle mass because there is going to be someone else with a decent amount of muscle mass that is 4+ inches taller than you. A very few people can pull it off (Mike Tyson) but the odds just aren't in your favor.

    Heavyweight should be 220lb or so and up, light heavyweight 200-220 lbs and work your way down from there. Light heavyweight would be a mix of taller/moderately built fighters and short built fighters. Heavyweight can be all the 6'3''+ 250+lbers.
    I agree with this. I'm only 5'5 and when I trained Muay Thai, the only weight class that made sense for me to be in was 135lbs. This really sucked because I feel more comfortable at a weight of 160-170lbs, but then I'd be fighting 6'0 guys with a reach that would destroy me.

    Meh, such is life I guess....

  4. #14
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    You want stupid-ass weight categories? Look at the ones for women in Olympic lifting.

    The highest weight class starts at 165 lbs. So a woman at 185 either needs to drop over 20 lbs or compete against ones who weigh up to 100 more lbs.

  5. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mark Rippetoe View Post
    Right. But I'm thinking 225 instead of 205.
    The shitty part about this is that a 225 lb MMA fighter doesn't really have a home. He's 20lbs over LHW and The HW limit is 265. So the guy who might perform optimally at 225 is going to be outweighed by up to 40 lbs by some of his opponents. MMA would benefit greatly from a 230 lb weight class.

  6. #16
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    Quote Originally Posted by Andy Baker (KSC) View Post
    The shitty part about this is that a 225 lb MMA fighter doesn't really have a home. He's 20lbs over LHW and The HW limit is 265. So the guy who might perform optimally at 225 is going to be outweighed by up to 40 lbs by some of his opponents. MMA would benefit greatly from a 230 lb weight class.
    A lot of people fighting in the light heavyweight division weighs around 105 kilos when not in camp, I know Ilir Latifi and Gustafsson does. I have a teammate who walks around at 75 kilos, diets down to around 68 and fights in 61 kilos so a lot of people cut massive amounts of weight. If there were a 230 pound division, the already thin heavyweight division would be cut in half and although that may be a good option later when there are more fighters, right now I think it would destroy the heavyweight division.

  7. #17
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    Quote Originally Posted by Andy Baker (KSC) View Post
    The shitty part about this is that a 225 lb MMA fighter doesn't really have a home. He's 20lbs over LHW and The HW limit is 265. So the guy who might perform optimally at 225 is going to be outweighed by up to 40 lbs by some of his opponents. MMA would benefit greatly from a 230 lb weight class.
    Heavyweight does tend to be a bit of an exception though. So far it seems 240lbs has shown to be the biggest a fighter can be without cardio being a significant weakness. (This may change in the future i guess) Cain Velasquez is a chubby 230 and lost only once to a guy he destroyed twice afterwards!

    Also too many weight classes could have negative effect on mass appeal. I think it would also make someone detrimentally bulk up when they wouldn't otherwise if they wanted to challenge the champ at the next weight class. Eg if brock lesnar couldn't make 265lbs we may all think he was too big & bad for the smaller heavyweights! Cain or the fans wouldn't have the opportunity to get that fight.

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