So I'm around 5'10 and a half, I'm a short stocky guy and primarily I'm a general mma fighter, though I focus more on stand up, having gone to The Yard in Los Angeles for almost 8 years. (Not currently) So I fight with or spar with really tall guys due to my weight. I feel like I'm at a huge disadvantage physically. I know most likely I don't know how to use my tools effectively (how to infight). But I think naturally being taller is a blessing for a striker (obviously). Though I know some might disagree. When I spar or fight with guys my height or shorter. I land jabs at will, hard jabs. My lead hand becomes a weapon to fear with quick lead hooks to counter pretty much anything. My knees reach their target easier, same thing with kicks. It's just such a huge difference to be the taller guy as opposed to the shorter guy. As funny as it sounds, I've never learned to fight like a short guy. I fight like a tall guy vs a tall guy and obviously that's not going to go well for me. I've been studying guys like Zambidis and Gokhan Saki but even they seem to struggle with taller guys and they just win because they're that beast (and know infighting well) So, should I continue to fight in lightheavyweight and hope my infighting game develops to the point I can use it effectively against tall guys? Or should I go on a major diet and drop down to lightweight where I'll have a slight height advantage or at the very least equal where I really excel in? I'm trying to go pro so this is a serious question and feel free to ask anything you guys think will help you guys answer me if I haven't elaborated well.
Whatever you feel most comfortable at but dropping to LW is really a massive drop in weight. If you only feel comfortable striking as the taller guy I guess you have to get down to LW at WW you'd probably about average and at MW a little bit short but still not as much as at LHW. If you've just never learned how to fight taller guys it's something you can learn but if it's really just your natural style and you just can't get used to fighting taller guys you probably have to drop. At LW you'd be tall but you shouldn't forget that you might not be able to perform the same way if you drop that much weight and if you have naturally a stocky bodytype you might not be able to perform at that weight you most likely will be able to get down to the weight but it's a completely different thing to fight after losing that much weight. Another thing to keep in mind is that right now when you fight shorter guys they are most likely lighter than you right? SO right now when you fight shorter guys you have the weight of a LHW AND the height advantage I doubt it will eb that easy after dropping weight. But if you can't get used to it and can drop weight comfortably just do it.
In MMA, it pays to be smaller for grappling, but hey, you're a striker. Work your fakedowns and overhands for MMA. Most tall guys will give a good reaction to a short guying faking a shot (Just don't get kneed in the face!!).
Watch the Jones - Tiexiera fight (however it's spelled). Glover stood so god damn close to Jones the entire time I thought he was going to win. He shuts down most of Jones' attacks with defeats and parries... he REALLY put on a clinic for controlling distance being the "shorter" man.
Wait, really? Maybe in the first two rounds. He did great defending the kicks and was able to come forward. But once Jones decided he wanted it on the inside, Glover had nothing. He had no ability to control the distance and keep it in his punching range, Jones made sure 99% of the last 3 rounds were spent either too far away or smothering Glover and kicking his ass on the inside. That was a clinic on how a taller man can use superior hand/infighting to totally shut down a dangerous puncher. Jones was the one dictating when space was created and when it was taken away. Glover was just trying the same two punches while pinned against the cage over and over.
As for TS, if you're short and stocky you're generally not gonna be tall for your weight class without some expert weight cutting ability. I mean every division has that one guy, like Tibau, who looks two weight classes bigger than he fights at. But you're probably better off embracing your body type than trying to change it. Also learning to wrestle is a really, really, really, really good idea for someone short going in to MMA. Seriously, most great MMA strikers are at least average height for their division, often much taller like Gus, Jones and Silva. The short guys who become known for their striking are typically great wrestlers first like Edgar, MM, etc.
Hate to break it to you man but even at 155lbs your not going to necessarily the taller man at 5'10. That's about average. You'd need to be at least 145 to start being considered tall for your weight class. 135 lbs to be sure Maybe try a stand alone boxing gym for a couple of months and tell them you need to work specifically on closing the distance with head movement and footwork. You should have the experience already to add it to what you know.
Dig the body and don't let your opponents force you to fight moving backwards. I'm 5'10 and fight at 135-145, and in mma my height is a liability and an asset
i have an advice. get as low as u possible can, thats lower than u think u can right now. and what u weigh atm
To everyone asking. I am 215 and cut to 205 in lhw. I was in a motorcycle accident and ballooned up from 165. So I'm quite the fat ass now. I got comfortable fighting at this weight though and have had amateur mma fights both at 155 in the past and at 205 recently. I beasted at 155 with guys exactly my height, but it's troublesome to constantly fight 6'4 guys now, though to my credit I haven't lost. It's just one knockout and 3 decisions one of them split at 205. It's a lot harder to get good hits in on a guy with reach and height due to counters and leaning back. I've been winning due to my leg kick game.
I was afraid of that. 155 weigh in weight it is. I enjoyed fighting guys without cardio while it lasted. You'll be happy to know I joined at 24 hour fitness gym. So swimming and treadmill it is for me. Veggies here I come.
Swimming burns a lot of calories. I feel it works you out harder than running. I feel instantly hungry after a longer swimming sessions
I second the recommendation for swimming, though I'm a bit biased as a swim instructor. The way I swim is by sprinting on every fourth lap. The beauty of sprints is that they never get easy, because no matter how good you get, you're pushing yourself as hard as you can go. Wait, did I say that was the beauty of sprinting? That's actually why sprinting sucks. Good for cardio, though. PS, go check out my bagwork thread, and then hit Luis Monda (Sinister) up for nutritional advice. I used to be a lot fatter.
