Fighters that carry too much body fat

[Phronimos]

You got to be comfortable in there.

 

[WeazyFBaby]

I love how the examples are heavyweights and Johnny Hendricks. Honestly the days of 220lb heavyweights are over.

 

[Legendary]

Marc Hunt is kicking ass and knocking fools out since 1999.
Cain, DC, Fedor and Werdum all had/have great careers.
What are you babbling on about?

You are missing the point. I am saying imagine how they would do if they were less fat?

 

[jjdowns]

Fighters should attempt to be in the best shape possible, you know so they don't get their ass kicked?

Being 30 pounds overweight is not a person's optimal form, maybe for linemen, but not a fighter.

Another reason why 205 and heavyweight should merge. Most light heavyweights already weigh like 220-230 anyways.

I believe GSP's coach made a video a while ago saying that fighters like D.C. need that extra weight because it adds to their power and explosiveness. When big guys cut lose their body fat, their power can go along with it.

 

[Seaside]

Fighters should attempt to be in the best shape possible, you know so they don't get their ass kicked?

Being 30 pounds overweight is not a person's optimal form, maybe for linemen, but not a fighter.

Another reason why 205 and heavyweight should merge. Most light heavyweights already weigh like 220-230 anyways.

You are 100% correct but all the skinny fat guys and couch potatoes and hardcore mma nuts who want to believe mma fighters are the most conditioned athletes will disagree.

Jon Jones
Anderson Silva
GSP
Conor mcgregor
TJ dillishaw
Mighty mouse
Tyrone Woodley

all were at optimum weight and lean body mass conditioning. Maybe Anderson at MW at different times could of used a higher LBM. However the point still stands.

What should happen is eliminate weight cutting. Bring up each division max weight by 10 to 15lbs and 20 lbs for higher division.


FLW: 125lb to 135lb

BW: 135lb to 145lbs

FW: 145lb to 155lbs

LW: 155lb to 170

WW: 170 to 185lbs

MW: 186lbs to 205 lbs

LHW: 205lbs to 230lbs

HW: 230lbs to 275lbs


^^^ that is more less what the California athletic commission decided going forward. I'd personally though lower the FLW division by 5lbs.


But yeah I agree with all you said. It is proven scientifically and medically that it isn't optimum or efficient for the body to carry such excess fat or weight. Dolce and many others are correct when they say fighters who carry excess flab and fat would perform more optimally if they increased their lean body mass and reduced the amount of visceral and subcutaneous fat.


Only Heavyweights like Overeem, Ngannou, JDS, Brock Lesnar even off da juice, Carwin, Kongo, Big Foot Silva, Rothwell, Derrick Lewis are going to be +240lbs at a leaner mass.


Derrick Lewis is a naturally very large guy I am sure he could lose 40lbs of fat but even if he did he would still be 240lbs. How much fat does Lewis have in him? Perhaps 70lbs? I couldn't imagine him lower than LHW size. Where as a guy like Mark Hunt or Roy Nelson could easily fight at LHW and even MW if they lost all their fat. Hunt is quite unathletic by the way this was proven in so many of his fights when put on the ground or against Brock.


Cain is very flabby look at him and JDS. JDS looks like he has 20 lbs or more of lean body mass on Cain.


Other guys like Travis Browne are just too skinny fat. Browne is like 6'6 and yet a pretty flabby 230lbs.


Prime Fedor was a thick 235lb but had easily some 20 lbs of fat on him. Prime Fedor could of been easily a muscular 215lb or 220lb LHW. Or a large MW weighing 205lbs and absolutely shredded.

They look drastically different in the fight, they are carrying more fat in the octagon.

Did you see cain beat brock lesnar or what.little flabby mexican smashing the shit out of 300lbs of roids and nuclear waste.

The reality here is there are different body types. Carlos condit is never going to look like mark hunt and daniel cormier, who was chubby in the olympics, is never going to look like yoel romero. Jon Jones will never have legs like a grown man and bigfoot silva is never gonna have a normal size torso. If you wanna fap to guys with abs you could probably find better websites to look at than mma ones

Carlos Condit doesn't lift enough or properly he is one of the weakest WW. Hence why he always gets out muscled and destroyed by guys with a higher Lean body mass. If Condit had a higher LBM and the same amount of muscle mass as the other shorter WW he would be a MW and unable to make WW.

You have no idea what you are talking about.

Romero is shorter than Condit and lifts a lot and is likely on da celltech.

 

[Seaside]

Some people just maintain a bit of fat even when training super intense and eating healthy. This idea that everyones optimal condition is when they have abs and 10% bodyfat is crazy.

They don't have to but the science and nutrition doesn't lie. They'd be more conditioned as an athlete and effective.

Mma isn't a bodybuilding contest or athletic conditioning scenario. So guys who are more skilled at fighting or have deadly submission game or knockout power can beat better athletes or more conditioned fighters.

 

[DarkneT]

Even though he's a HW and it's kinda a given

His name immediately came to mind and it's only because I love him
Such a badass overachiever

Tim big dick Johnson

Looks like he parked his 18 wheeler up to have a go at this 'cage fighting' thing
He's the man

 

[Zedy44]

For a lot of these fighters cutting crazy amounts of weight isn't really an option. Some guys simply fight better at a higher body fat % because it allows them to have a safer camp/pre-fight training ramp up by avoiding extreme dieting rather than taking their bodies to the limit and risking injury or a bad weight cut. Other guys might lose power and/or strength with a significant cut. I guess there is enough nutritional science now that it can be done safely, but every persons body responds differently to dieting and/or maintaining muscle mass.

 

[Mondo Freaks]

Nate Diaz. He is skinny fat

 

[in the liver]

You are 100% correct but all the skinny fat guys and couch potatoes and hardcore mma nuts who want to believe mma fighters are the most conditioned athletes will disagree.

Jon Jones
Anderson Silva
GSP
Conor mcgregor
TJ dillishaw
Mighty mouse
Tyrone Woodley

all were at optimum weight and lean body mass conditioning. Maybe Anderson at MW at different times could of used a higher LBM. However the point still stands.

What should happen is eliminate weight cutting. Bring up each division max weight by 10 to 15lbs and 20 lbs for higher division.


FLW: 125lb to 135lb

BW: 135lb to 145lbs

FW: 145lb to 155lbs

LW: 155lb to 170

WW: 170 to 185lbs

MW: 186lbs to 205 lbs

LHW: 205lbs to 230lbs

HW: 230lbs to 275lbs


^^^ that is more less what the California athletic commission decided going forward. I'd personally though lower the FLW division by 5lbs.


But yeah I agree with all you said. It is proven scientifically and medically that it isn't optimum or efficient for the body to carry such excess fat or weight. Dolce and many others are correct when they say fighters who carry excess flab and fat would perform more optimally if they increased their lean body mass and reduced the amount of visceral and subcutaneous fat.


Only Heavyweights like Overeem, Ngannou, JDS, Brock Lesnar even off da juice, Carwin, Kongo, Big Foot Silva, Rothwell, Derrick Lewis are going to be +240lbs at a leaner mass.


Derrick Lewis is a naturally very large guy I am sure he could lose 40lbs of fat but even if he did he would still be 240lbs. How much fat does Lewis have in him? Perhaps 70lbs? I couldn't imagine him lower than LHW size. Where as a guy like Mark Hunt or Roy Nelson could easily fight at LHW and even MW if they lost all their fat. Hunt is quite unathletic by the way this was proven in so many of his fights when put on the ground or against Brock.


Cain is very flabby look at him and JDS. JDS looks like he has 20 lbs or more of lean body mass on Cain.


Other guys like Travis Browne are just too skinny fat. Browne is like 6'6 and yet a pretty flabby 230lbs.


Prime Fedor was a thick 235lb but had easily some 20 lbs of fat on him. Prime Fedor could of been easily a muscular 215lb or 220lb LHW. Or a large MW weighing 205lbs and absolutely shredded.



Carlos Condit doesn't lift enough or properly he is one of the weakest WW. Hence why he always gets out muscled and destroyed by guys with a higher Lean body mass. If Condit had a higher LBM and the same amount of muscle mass as the other shorter WW he would be a MW and unable to make WW.

You have no idea what you are talking about.

Romero is shorter than Condit and lifts a lot and is likely on da celltech.

so you disagree with my point that people have different body types? because everyone knows that is true. some guys put on muscle easier than others. you get guys living sedentary lives with more musculature than guys who have worked out for years. thats just how it is

 

[Bluntforce420]

Calderwood

She should make 115 easily. Instead, she gets fat in between fights

 

[Mangar]

 

[cevo]

Its hard to argue with the success of certain plump fighters, but could you imagine if the pudgier fighters had got a little more trim and had better diets?

Fedor: Could of easily weighed 210-215 and been a light heavyweight, or even a middleweight by today's standards. Walked around 230 on average

Werdum: Weighs like 240, looked pretty fat in the Reem fight. He could cut like 20 pounds of fat and be a light-heavyweight.

Roy Nelson: 5'11 260

Kelvin: Really belongs at 170, but he eats too much.

Cain: Was always like a flabby 240, he could lose 20 pounds of fat easily.

Hendricks: 5'9 and 220 pounds.

Barnett: Always has had some extra jelly on him.

Mark Hunt: 5'10 and like 280.

Derrick Lewis: I think he weighs like 280

Who else? If you are a PROFESSIONAL fighter, shouldn't try to keep your weight down?

Not everybody can have low BF and compete at a high level at the same time. When it comes to HWs the extra weight, whether it be muscle or fat, helps. Being much higher than 240-50 lbs will probably destroy your cardio though.

 

[DoctorTaco]

We're gonna need TS to post a shirtless pic to decide if he's allowed to cast aspersions

 

[Grijswaarde]

Fat is really not that much of a deal... mass is important in fighting, does not have to be muscle.

The reason most fighters don't have a lot of fat is making weight... that is also the reason a LOT of succesful HW's carry some fat. It can actually be beneficial in a fight.

 

[Aerinqq]

 

[TriangleMonkey]

Everyones body type is different
To suggest succesful fighters should move weight classes due to body fat % is not going to produce better results.

Bottom line, you feel good, you perform good

 

[Pwent]

Well no shit, still doesn't excuse being fat.

Fighters do better when going up because they cut less weight. Not because they got fatter.

yes it does, unless youre running a lot of steroids or a beginner lifter, its very hard to put on muscle without putting on fat. thats why lifters call it "bulking" where they eat as much as possible to put on both fat and muscle before going on a caloric deficit to lose the fat and maintain as much of the muscle as possible

having no fat means youre on a caloric deficit and not gaining muscle

having a small amount of fat isnt a liability, fat is an energy store and extra weight that you can throw into techniques. just like how pro football players often have a little bit of fat so they can hit harder when they tackle

 

[HI SCOTT NEWMAN]

The best HW's in MMA have always been chubby, Fedor, Cormier and Cain are the best HW's ever in MMA in my mind, and they are all chubby with body fat. Chubby HW's normally beat the ripped muscular guys in MMA. its always been that way. Having body fat at HW is not a bad thing at all, its much better than having too much muscle.

 

[Evenflow80]

Truth be told, in MMA it always seemed like a little bit of fat helped. Much more than being lean or muscular.

Look at Fedor and Cain. DC and Werdum. None would have won a body contest but they've wrecked guys much fitter and muscular than them