How many lower weight UFC champs can the worst UFC Heavyweight beat?

Plenty of LHWs that could beat HWs .... HW division is mostly fat guys that don't want to make the cut anymore. DC went up there and beat Stipe. Jones routinely walks into the cage around the same weight as stipe, maybe just a few pounds less.

Glover could beat some HWs just through BJJ skill
Izzy could possibly win some matches too but if they grab him and get him down it might be a short night

No, HW division is mostly anormally thick, heavy dudes, even if they look fat as Ivanov or Hunt, with way superior power and chin than LHWs.
Otherwise we would not see already big boys who diet and go through a pain weight cut to avoid those fatties, when HW is historically the most prized division
 
The only weight class I give a realistic chance to of beating a legit UFC HW is LHW. Anything other than that is pure fantasy imo. Maybe a really heavy MW that cuts massive weight like Costa (but not costa himself). But no, the only realistic fighters I would give a chance to are LHW. There are weight classes for a reason.
I disagree. You're greatly overestimating how good the lowest level UFC HWs are.

All you have to do is look at someone like Jake Collier. The was a MW in the UFC (and not very good, I might add). Then he moved to LHW for a brief stint and immediately lost. Now he's at HW and just beat Chase Sherman last month.

Point being, there are a bunch of MWs who could gain weight and pick up wins over the bottom-dwelling UFC HWs.
 
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I disagree. You're greatly overestimating how good the lowest level UFC HWs are.

All you have to do is look at someone like Jake Collier. The was a MW in the UFC (and not very good, I might add). Then he moved to LHW for a brief stint and immediately lost. Now he's at HW and just beat Chase Sherman last month.

Point being, there a bunch of MWs who could gain weight and pick up wins over the bottom-dwelling UFC HWs.
Ummmm, if they gain weight to become an actual HW.. Then logically they are no longer in a lower weight class now are they?? Did I really need to point that out?
 
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To be fair, topic creator did not specify if fighters put on weight, how they’d perform…

i mean hunt has losses to Gegard & manhoef. Hendo has fought at 185 yet holds wins over HWs like Fedor. Bj beat Hughes. Rumble beat Arlovski, and Rumble has competed at WW. Even better, Rich Clementi beat Rumble, and he was a LW who in essence beat a HW, lol
 
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Combat sports have weight classes for reason. To allow competition, as without weight classes it's understandable that the bigger fighters would dominate the smaller, generally.

But even with no weight classes, there would be the law of diminishing returns when it comes to size. As several pointed out, the heavier you get, the stronger you may be, but then cardio, agility, flexibility, etc will tend to decline. So at some point you can be too big, just like it is for other sports.


Even though we'll never know, I'd speculate that in an alternate universe, where there were no weight classes, eventually the "best" fighters would be between 185-230, in terms of min/maxing height, reach, strength, KO power, speed, agility, cardio, etc...

So basically starting at the 185ers some of them would have success against bigger dudes, that would drop off a bit with some of the 230ers... and then start to have success again with the guys who are so big they only have a couple mins of cardio, and if can survive the early moments would eventually win in a longer fight.
 
So basically starting at the 185ers some of them would have success against bigger dudes, that would drop off a bit with some of the 230ers... and then start to have success again with the guys who are so big they only have a couple mins of cardio, and if can survive the early moments would eventually win in a longer fight.

According to Wiki :

- Ngannou = 257 lbs
- Tyson Fury = Fury weighed 277 lbs in his last fight against Wilder
- Rico Verhoeven = 254 lbs
 
Good question TS. I would say Kamaru and up would be favorite. Below that the handicap in weight just become too much.
 
I think some of you guys are overestimating the "worst" UFC Heavyweights. The bottom of HW is really just a bunch of fat Middleweights.
 
Here's a partial list of unranked HWs. Feel free to add others.

Ben Rothwell
Walt Harris
Chase Sherman
Greg Hardy

Can they beat

Glover (LHW)
Izzy (MW)
Kamaru (WW)
Olivera (LW)
Volk (FW)
Sterling (BW)
Fig (Fly)

I think WW and below have no chance at winning. It starts to get interesting at MW. Ironically, I think the chances dip at LHW since Glover is so old.


Volk, Sterling and Fig get beat up by Rothwell at the same time.
 
The only weight class I give a realistic chance to of beating a legit UFC HW is LHW. Anything other than that is pure fantasy imo. Maybe a really heavy MW that cuts massive weight like Costa (but not costa himself). But no, the only realistic fighters I would give a chance to are LHW. There are weight classes for a reason.
There are multiple examples of MWs who quit cutting weight and became HWs so clearly MW and LHW would have a realistic chance depending on the matchup.
 
Combat sports have weight classes for reason. To allow competition, as without weight classes it's understandable that the bigger fighters would dominate the smaller, generally.

But even with no weight classes, there would be the law of diminishing returns when it comes to size. As several pointed out, the heavier you get, the stronger you may be, but then cardio, agility, flexibility, etc will tend to decline. So at some point you can be too big, just like it is for other sports.


Even though we'll never know, I'd speculate that in an alternate universe, where there were no weight classes, eventually the "best" fighters would be between 185-230, in terms of min/maxing height, reach, strength, KO power, speed, agility, cardio, etc...

So basically starting at the 185ers some of them would have success against bigger dudes, that would drop off a bit with some of the 230ers... and then start to have success again with the guys who are so big they only have a couple mins of cardio, and if can survive the early moments would eventually win in a longer fight.
I share that view. I even think that if the LHW roaster was fighting the HW roaster (spot 1 vs spot 1, spot 2 vs spot 2, etc...) the LHW would win more often. I feel what they give up in strength, they make up for with speed and agility.
 
Wouldn't underestimate Glover. Look at how well Bader does against HW bums. Look at how well DC did. Glover without cutting is probably 225 already, more if he bulks. Wouid definitely have a good chance of beating plenty of bums, same with an Ankalaev. Might even crack the HW top 10 lol. Gustaffson and OSP did poorly, because they washed out of LHW.

If decision count, I think Volk or Yan could outpoint some slowass HW like Oleynik via pitter patter kicks for 5 rds.
 
Ummmm, if they gain weight to become an actual HW.. Then logically they are no longer in a lower weight class now are they?? Did I really need to point that out?
So are you asking if Alex Volkanovski could beat a HW or are you asking if Volk could beat a HW a day after weighing in at 145?

The fact that a former MW like Jake Collier can beat HWs indicates both that bottom-tier HWs are not that good, and that other lighter-weight guys could probably beat Collier since they did when he was lighter. It looks like he mostly gained fat, which makes you harder to move, but I'm not sure what else it does for you.
 
Do you think a Heavyweight like Rothwell or even Ngannou would even be able to catch up with and hit someone like Dom Cruz? You don't think the movement and speed would tire out a heavyweight?
 
So are you asking if Alex Volkanovski could beat a HW or are you asking if Volk could beat a HW a day after weighing in at 145?

The fact that a former MW like Jake Collier can beat HWs indicates both that bottom-tier HWs are not that good, and that other lighter-weight guys could probably beat Collier since they did when he was lighter. It looks like he mostly gained fat, which makes you harder to move, but I'm not sure what else it does for you.
It’s not my fucking thread buddy. If someone says a “lower”’weight class that literally means to me, Izzy coming in at walk around weight against a true LHW like Jan. There is going to be a clear and obvious difference in size.

I don’t pick anybody below walking around LHW to beat any HW on the roster. Is that clear enough for you?
 
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