Fighters Strategically Moving up Weight Classes

In this year alone we saw JJ move up to HW as soon as DC retired, and Israel moving up to LHW as soon as KHAMZAT got his 3rd UFC win, cementing his threat to both WW and MW titles.

Other than Jones ducking HW DC and Israel avoiding KHAMZAT, are there examples you've seen of fighters "coincidentally" changing weight classes as soon as there's a new threat? (Or in Jones' case as soon as his biggest threat retired?)
wait, did you just say the guy who Jones toasted twice is Jones's biggest threat?
 
wait, did you just say the guy who Jones toasted twice is Jones's biggest threat?

PED-overdosing JJ beat drained LHW DC yes but he never went to face HW DC.

After seeing natty JJ eek split decision wins over Reyes and Santos who can blame him for avoiding HW DC?
 
PED-overdosing JJ beat drained LHW DC yes but he never went to face HW DC.

After seeing natty JJ eek split decision wins over Reyes and Santos who can blame him for avoiding HW DC?
first of all everybody takes supplements and is on science with their chemistry. that's all part of being a professional athlete. Jones was a bit reckless with his, as he is with much of his personal life and discipline. but jones has yet to be in a fight harder than the one he had with Gustafson and we all know how their skills match up now when Jones is on his game.
Jones is going to heavyweight and he will fight the top of the top. Jones has never and would never duck DC.
 
first of all everybody takes supplements and is on science with their chemistry. that's all part of being a professional athlete. Jones was a big reckless with his, as he is with much of his personal life and discipline. but jones has yet to be in a fight harder than the one he had with Gustafson and we all know how their skills match up now when Jones is on his game.
Jones is going to heavyweight and he will fight the top of the top. Jones has never and would never duck DC.

Lmao if DC was on gear when he moved down to LHW he wouldn't have stayed at the same bf% and lost all his lbm.

I'm feeling kinda lazy to Google search it but you do realize that Jones himself said he wouldn't want to give DC an "advantage" by moving to HW to have a trilogy fight with him, right?

So all our sherdog replies on the topic are meaningless unless you think you know better than Jones himself
 
My boi Bobby moved up to MW after his loss to Wonderboy at WW, since that happened he has gone 11-1 in the division plus fighting for an interim title and defending against Romero to become unified after GSP vacated.
 
In this year alone we saw JJ move up to HW as soon as DC retired, and Israel moving up to LHW as soon as KHAMZAT got his 3rd UFC win, cementing his threat to both WW and MW titles.

Other than Jones ducking HW DC and Israel avoiding KHAMZAT, are there examples you've seen of fighters "coincidentally" changing weight classes as soon as there's a new threat? (Or in Jones' case as soon as his biggest threat retired?)
Nonsense! Jones is going to HW to fight for the title ( A slower older DC with less cardio wouldn’t have been a threat). Izzy is moving up to chase a second title

Since Kabib retired and Islam can’t make it to a fight (cross fingers he might make it to the next one) these are the type of threads you’re starting these day?

I thought they were terrible before but this takes the cake!

When it comes to starting threads on Sherdog you should be more like Khabib and retire or don’t show up just like Islam!
 
I can’t stand asada, but your deep throat of hazmat (ick)! is completely ridiculous. Asada would dragonball that beard back to wherever he came from.

This post didn't age well.

Now everyone else also knows that KHAMZAT would be favored over Israel.
 
In this year alone we saw JJ move up to HW as soon as DC retired, and Israel moving up to LHW as soon as KHAMZAT got his 3rd UFC win, cementing his threat to both WW and MW titles.

Other than Jones ducking HW DC and Israel avoiding KHAMZAT, are there examples you've seen of fighters "coincidentally" changing weight classes as soon as there's a new threat? (Or in Jones' case as soon as his biggest threat retired?)

You know DC left LHW the moment Jones came back from his suspension in 2018 right? Really we going to do the Jones ducking DC thing? If Jones doesn't get in a car accident in 2015 DC's championship career never happens and shouldn't have happened anyway given he jumped multiple more qualified boring contenders.

Izzy has the easiest non HW division in MMA history. He was just trying to take advantage of an unusually beatable LHW champ who was a career gatekeeper. It backfired and showed just how much 6 ft 4 Izzy depends on his natural advantages at 185.

The strategic goal is usually to gain champ champ status and enter the GOAT argument(among causals) without title defenses. Jones has the best resume in MMA example. He's not taking shortcuts while I wanted him to stay at LHW he's responding to fans asking him to fight at HW for a decade. Better example right now is Cjuedo who retired to lobby for the Volk fight. Izzy tried this and failed.
 
I can’t stand asada, but your deep throat of hazmat (ick)! is completely ridiculous. Asada would dragonball that beard back to wherever he came from.

Do you still believe this, even after Khamzat's wrestling match today?

He takes Izzy down with ease and finishes him
 
Why would he fear a fatter version of a guy he beat twice?

Trying to think of 1 but just keep having names pop in head who dropped a weight class looking for easier fights.

I think he actually moved up because he saw Stipe didnt look that great in the third DC fight.

Suddenly when Ngannou and Gane moved into view he wasnt so keen on fighting.
 
I hope ad guy Khazmat gets cracked by good guy Burns for threatening to kill everyone in the world.
 
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