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Tl;dr: LHW and HW select for chin and power over skill
I hear this over and over on this site and others. And I respectfully have to disagree.
These divisions do not suck. Instead, they select for different kinds of fighters than the lower weigh divisions do. I believe this is due to one main thing: Chin and power are more important than skill at LHW and HW
The gap between power and chin seems to widen as one goes up the weight classes. At the lower divisions, most fighters can take a bunch of punches, since the average punch doesn't have much force to it. But at LHW and HW, even a light punch can KO someone cold. Just look at guys like Black Beast, Carwin and Ngannou, who have so much power that their opponent's skill almost doesn't matter. Instead, chin matters.
Tell me, who would do better at LHW and HW?
1. Fighter A: Skill level of 10/10, Chin of 5/10
2. Fighter B: Skill level of 5/10, Chin of 10/10
Wouldn't you bet on Fighter B to do better overall? The ability to take a punch and give a powerful one back are MUCH more important at 205 and 265 than at 185 and below. That is why even if we had every NFL and NBA player going into MMA from an early age, the ones with the best chin and power would be selected. NOT the most athletic ones or even the most skilled ones.
Just look at Curtis Blaydes. Dude is the Khabib of HW, but all it takes is on punch from Ngannou to faceplant him. Even Hunt, who has horrible TDD, almost flatlined him. There is a reason why HW has never had a Khabib or Usman. Going forward with relentless pressure at 205 and 265 is a recipe for disaster. Even Blaydes has a godly chin on him, since Ngannou wasn't actually able to fully KO him. And do I even need to talk about DC and Jones' chins? Even Stipe has a godly chin, as seen by him surviving many punches from Ngannou.
That's why a slow, plodding guy like Volkan can do well at 205. He has a great chin and can hit hard, and that's nearly all he needs. If he faces a wrestler, he truly needs one punch to end it. That's something Conor and Dustin couldn't rely on against Khabib.
Guys at 205 and 265 are essentially playing a different sport than the guys in the lower divisions. Do you really think Holloway could win using the same damage-heavy style if he was a HW? Do you really think Khabib and Usman would pressure as much if they were against someone who could KO them with a half-jab like Ngannou?
Of course there will be people with bad chins like Reem, but even he has devastating power. Guys like Weidman and Rockhold who moved up neither had the chin or the power.
I hear this over and over on this site and others. And I respectfully have to disagree.
These divisions do not suck. Instead, they select for different kinds of fighters than the lower weigh divisions do. I believe this is due to one main thing: Chin and power are more important than skill at LHW and HW
The gap between power and chin seems to widen as one goes up the weight classes. At the lower divisions, most fighters can take a bunch of punches, since the average punch doesn't have much force to it. But at LHW and HW, even a light punch can KO someone cold. Just look at guys like Black Beast, Carwin and Ngannou, who have so much power that their opponent's skill almost doesn't matter. Instead, chin matters.
Tell me, who would do better at LHW and HW?
1. Fighter A: Skill level of 10/10, Chin of 5/10
2. Fighter B: Skill level of 5/10, Chin of 10/10
Wouldn't you bet on Fighter B to do better overall? The ability to take a punch and give a powerful one back are MUCH more important at 205 and 265 than at 185 and below. That is why even if we had every NFL and NBA player going into MMA from an early age, the ones with the best chin and power would be selected. NOT the most athletic ones or even the most skilled ones.
Just look at Curtis Blaydes. Dude is the Khabib of HW, but all it takes is on punch from Ngannou to faceplant him. Even Hunt, who has horrible TDD, almost flatlined him. There is a reason why HW has never had a Khabib or Usman. Going forward with relentless pressure at 205 and 265 is a recipe for disaster. Even Blaydes has a godly chin on him, since Ngannou wasn't actually able to fully KO him. And do I even need to talk about DC and Jones' chins? Even Stipe has a godly chin, as seen by him surviving many punches from Ngannou.
That's why a slow, plodding guy like Volkan can do well at 205. He has a great chin and can hit hard, and that's nearly all he needs. If he faces a wrestler, he truly needs one punch to end it. That's something Conor and Dustin couldn't rely on against Khabib.
Guys at 205 and 265 are essentially playing a different sport than the guys in the lower divisions. Do you really think Holloway could win using the same damage-heavy style if he was a HW? Do you really think Khabib and Usman would pressure as much if they were against someone who could KO them with a half-jab like Ngannou?
Of course there will be people with bad chins like Reem, but even he has devastating power. Guys like Weidman and Rockhold who moved up neither had the chin or the power.
