Importance of bodyweight in MMA

[Guest wildpegasus]

I just read an interesting column at

 

http://www.liveaudiowrestling.com/wo/news/...lt.asp?aID=9430

 

Basically it talks about how Sakuraba is the greatest MMA fighter of all time because of weight differences and so on. So, I thougt I'd ask the question here and see what kind of responses I'd get. How important is your weight in MMA? Is there an ideal bodyweight to be at? What's too heavy? What's too light?

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

Weight has it's positives and negatives. If you carry around too much of it, you will tire quickly since it uses up your energy. However, it also makes you stronger since you naturally and comfortably carry it around. Bob Sapp is the perfect example of that. On strength alone he was able to challenge Nog. However, he got tired and Mino was able to armbar him.

 

Randy Couture, however, cut weight and was able to move around faster and out-muscle the lightheavyweights, where as a heavyweight he was beaten by Barnett and Rodriguez - two significantly bigger (and skillful) guys. However, cutting weight can dramatically effect your performance if you don't do it right - you have to be used to fighting at a weight and adapt. Couture used to fight at 205 when he was wrestling amateurly so it came more natural to him (no pun intended). I can't think off the top of my head of an example of where a guy cut weight and was effected by it, but the methods inwhich they use (laxitives, sweating it off) dehydrates and therefore drains the energy from you. You overheat, you can't cool yourself effectively, you breathe harder.

 

What's too heavy and what's too light is subject to each individual fighter. At the next UFC event we will see B.J. Penn (highly skilled BJJ fighter) against Matt Hughes. Penn is moving UP in weight, while Matt Hughes could effectively fight as a middleweight or even light heavyweight (it's a welterweight match). Matt Hughes has managed to beat his opponents basically on strength alone (a skilled fighter, yes, but he has a tendancy to pick up his opponents like they were nothing in their matches and control them on the ground). The great thing about BJJ is that it's meant for smaller guys (which Penn is) against bigger guys, since they use weight and strength against their opponents. Buy the PPV to find out how it will turn out

 

The more skilled fighters get, the more important weight will become. If you have 10 pounds on a guy, the longer that fight goes, the heavier those 10 pounds become. If you're on top of a guy, you can rest yourself and he still has to fight against the weight.

[Guest MRK]

I can't think off the top of my head of an example of where a guy cut weight and was effected by it, but the methods inwhich they use (laxitives, sweating it off) dehydrates and therefore drains the energy from you. You overheat, you can't cool yourself effectively, you breathe harder.

 

How about Ken Shamrock when he fought Tito Ortiz?

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

Ken cops to his bad knee(s) than conditioning for his fight with Tito, I believe.

[Guest NCJ]

In MMA I can't think of many guys who hurt themselves by cutting weight, because most fighters look to fight at the largest weight they are capable of fighting at. In Boxing however the problems with cutting weight can be seen in the Roy Jones Jr. vs Antonio Tarver fight where Jones lost about 20 to 25 pounds of muscle to make weight.

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

I'm sure I've heard instances of where cutting weight hurt a fighters performance, I just can't think of one. It'll happen more often, though, in the future since Randy was so successful at a lighter weight.

[Guest NCJ]

I agree. Especially if certain Pride fighters try to fight in the UFC and have to make a certain weight.