Are people underestimating the weight difference between 185lbs and 205lbs

It’s like Petr Yan moving up to challenge Khabib.

20lbs is the largest weight difference between two divisions with an official weight. I would even argue that a lot of HW’s are LHW’s with high BMI’s that don’t cut weight. I think most LHW’s couldn’t cut an extra 20lbs to make 185lbs if their life depended on it.

I’ll cut straight to the chase, I’m rooting for Adesanya, but I won’t be surprised if he gets knocked out by Jan. Let’s not forget what former WW Kelvin Gastelum did to his face:



Polish power is going to feel different:

 

We've seen smaller fighters beat bigger fighters a million times.
Remeber Royce?
Sakuraba?
Couture?
Serra?
Silva?
BJ?
Cejudo?

Ironic that TS' sig is "Precision beats power, timing beats speed."
Tell me, TS, which one of the two has better precision and timing?

 

Izzy has fought at heavyweight in kickboxing (which is 215 Ib I think) . Although those fights weren't with 4 ounce gloves I still think he knows what a punch from a LHW feels like . BUT when it comes to the wrestling , grappling and clinch work I feel like he's in for a rude awakening about strength and size difference (if it gets there) . Who knows though Jan could knock him out with Legendary Polish Power™

 

Anderson Silva made it look pretty easy.

 

Izzy is fast as hell and he’s not bulking up so he’ll have a massive speed advantage. 20-30 pounds is a pretty good amount but he’s also tall, long and fast with great striking. I wouldn’t count him out either

 

It all depends on the MWs frame


Guys like Wiedman, Rockhold, and Silva that made 185 regularly didnt look outsized when they ventured to LHW.

Id say its no different than the jump from LW to WW considering the frame of some of these giant WWs like Usman and Kham.

 

"Polish power" term became very tiresome lately, not saying its not true just that is Darude Sandstorm of terms

 

probly the biggest difference between 2 classes. lhw to hw if a guy is thinking about moving up he usually has that bigger frame anyway, so imo, its the biggest jump., and Jan is one of the hardest punchers, but izzy isnt easy to hit, let alone clean. will be interesting to see if jan touches him, izzys reaction. im rooting for jan, but if i had to pick, i cant call it

 

200 pounds is big man weight. Guys that size will have enough power to KO most.

Maybe the biggest move up in proportion to gains from weight is 155 to 170. WW's can be 200 pounds in the cage, while LW's won't get close to that without tanking.

 

The weight difference is less important at higher weights. That's why there's such a big gap between LHW and HW.

Like the person above me mentionned, a move from 155 to 170 is probably more significant than a move from 185 to 205.

 

Eh, I don't know. Adesanya is 6'4", same as Jon Jones, and uses distance really well. Not sure mass or power is gonna be that big in the equation given Adesanya's height and range, although Jan is the biggest guy he'll have faced in the UFC, so that's interesting. I'd still give Adesanya the advantage.

Don't forget that Jan split decisioned Jacare merely a year ago, who is a lifelong middleweight. One of his best wins in Rockhold was also against a MW.

 

Not exactly, 20 pounds is a way higher percentagte for Khabib and Yan than it is for Jan and Izzy.

(Though it's still a notable difference)

 

I think it’s Jan they’re underestimating more than the weight.

He beat Souza and Luke to get a title shot. Won it in dramatic fashion, but by then folks had already made up their minds about him.

Silva beat Forrest and GSP beat Bisping. Folks simply believe Jan is that level of champion.

 

We've seen mw power translate even up to hw. I don't think Izzy will lose to Jan because of power.

 

It's gonna be interesting...feels like there could be a 30-40lb difference on fight night

 

Funny how Polish Power has only existed for like 3 fights lol.

Where was this term when he was a middling average fighter?

 

“He beat Souza” who was 40 years old , 10 bjjblack belt world championship, 36 pro mma fights, and a bunch of surgeries.
Oh and lets not forget he completed all his life at MW.
yeah.. what an achievement for Jan’s legacy...

 

Anderson Silva went up to LHW a bunch of times during his long title run at MW and never seemed to struggle with the weight differential. Like Izzy, Silva had a long reach and a speed advantage, so he was able to control the range.

 

20 lbs matters more at lower weight classes than at higher ones. Your math is off.

 

It would be a bigger deal if Jan was a wrestling-centric fighter