I think people underestimate small fighters' body mass and power

[KBE6EKCTAH_CCP]

Sorry I know every few years the topic of "could a big regular guy beat the small MMA fighters" comes up.
Generally we've always accepted a few key points:

• Size can overcome skill at some point
• Most people simply don't have enough of it to seriously challenge professional FLW and BW fighters
• For the sake of the discussion let's exclude female fighters

This excellent post by Seaside a couple years back briefly goes over the average body types in the UFC by division. There comes a point where a fighter's "frame", determined by bone size and skeletal structure, sort of plateaus at the higher divisions. This is what allowed Vitor Belfort, Wanderlei Silva, Rampage, etc to jump from 185 to 205 to even heavyweight.

Now most UFC bantamweights weigh in the ballpark of 150-160 lbs. While this is well below average weight in the developed West, I don't think this is as insignificant as the meathead manlet-haters like to believe. When most people think "160 lbs" they think of a swimmer or a cross country runner. One of my closest friends is 5'5" and about 150 lbs reasonably lean. He balloons to 175+ lbs off his diet. He is built almost comically thick, with probably the largest wrist circumference and head you'll see at his height, but he's also very strong. When he shoves, it feels hard. When he bumps into you, it feels heavy. I don't think that's a trivial amount of mass.

UFC flyweights and bantamweights are very powerful for their size. I think you need to be in the smaller divisions else you get weeded out early. When I just intuitively picture what it'd be like if my buddy was more explosive and knew how to throw a proper punch I just can't see too many men brush it off like nothing, even big football players and weightlifters. Think about how much exertion is necessary to control a live 160 lb weight.

Of course size matters, but people underestimate the sheer difference in output, speed, power, etc., between an average Joe and a pro fighter.

In my experience, this difference is bigger than the typical difference between man and woman.

I am a big manlet (a bit below 5'10 ; 80 Kg) with 25 years of training in combat sports and I can wreck 90% of men my size that are not trained in combat sport. I can wreck more than 50% of men up to a difference of like 10Kg, I would say. I am nothing special at all.

Now, I myself get wrecked regularly by smaller, better trained men on the mat and on the ring. I get more than wrecked by the super strong, smaller and better trained manlets on the mat and on the ring. Now these manlets, in turn, get chewed by pro fighters of the same size.

Anybody who has trained long enough knows the "WTF" feeling when they get paired for the first time with the occasional freak manlet and get owned.

Moral of the story: a trained, pro fighter will beat the shit out of anyone without an enormous advantage in size or sizable advantage in size + some combat training.

 

[Travis Alexander]

I’d smash your friend out. My mom is taller than your Manlet friend.

 

[Venom]

This thread sounds like a Manlet trying to cope. I don't care how skilled/unskilled you are, size matters.
I can't find it but there is a video of a NFL play where a guy gets hit so hard he flips into the air. One of the linebackers looks up and catches him and stand him back up like he was a toddler. He literally caught a 6 ft+ 250lb+ NFL player like a child.

That kind of strength matters even if you don't know how to fight. If that man got ahold of a 160lb UFC fighter he would fuck him up as long as he has any fighting ability at all..

I think you're a little slow. I never said the bantamweights would do well against elite giant men in the NFL. Though you're pushing it with 6 foot "250 lbs" as usual in these threads. Look at the original post for crying out loud. I mean average or even moderately strong men EXAGGERATE how easily they'd handle a powerful quick moving 160 lb man.

 

[KBE6EKCTAH_CCP]

It's only some delusional Sherdoggers who think untrained dudes could beat UFC level smaller fighters just because they're small. Anyone who's ever trained with decent level fighters knows what's up.

This. It doesn't take long to figure out that 95% of posters in the Heavies have never sparred.

 

[Boomb]

Where there no bodies, people wouldn't exist.

 

[KBE6EKCTAH_CCP]

Let's see a 160lb UFC fighter fight this guy on the street.

Yeah ok isn't that some 2m10, world strongest man or something.
Very representative and relevant observation in the context of this discussion.

 

[Kb7]

Let's see a 160lb UFC fighter fight this guy on the street.

Figueiredo alone would strangle him to
death. Don't kid yourself, thinking a 160lb FIGHTER wouldn't absolutely waste this man, let alone a smaller man like Moraes, Aldo or Merab.

 

[KBE6EKCTAH_CCP]

I think you're a little slow. I never said the bantamweights would do well against elite giant men in the NFL. Though you're pushing it with 6 foot "250 lbs" as usual in these threads. Look at the original post for crying out loud. I mean average or even moderately strong men EXAGGERATE how easily they'd handle a powerful quick moving 160 lb man.

"Moderately strong" does not cut it against a pro caliber 160 pounds man. Not even close.
This thread is filled with tall unathletic guys who obsess over size because that is literally the only comparative advantage in life that they have.

 

[Dude Incredible]

This. It doesn't take long to figure out that 95% of posters in the Heavies have never sparred.

Do fight clubs in the college dorms count? They always put me up against much larger dudes and while I would unload and do nothing to them they'd punch me a couple times in the face/back of the head and I'd go down like a sack of potatoes. I didn't train Sherdog until years later I guess was the issue.

 

[KBE6EKCTAH_CCP]

Do fight clubs in the college dorms count? They always put me up against much larger dudes and while I would unload and do nothing to them they'd punch me a couple times in the face/back of the head and I'd go down like a sack of potatoes. I didn't train Sherdog until years later I guess was the issue.

It depends. If at your dorm you fought against future NFL athletes and future D1 wrestlers and held your own, then you would wreck 80% of the UFC roster with 8-9 months crash course at the UFC apex.

 

[Dude Incredible]

It depends. If at your dorm you fought against future NFL athletes and future D1 wrestlers and held your own, then you would wreck 80% of the UFC roster with 8-9 months crash course at the UFC apex.

Ah, that's the issue. I see. I see. LOL. Yeah just a bunch of good ol' boys with terrible GPAs.

 

[Sickbro69420]

Never underestimate the body of anyone. Where there no bodies, people wouldn't exist.

 

[AlanGregson]

Seems like most (Western) men would fall between lightweight and middleweight in MMA terms. Reasonably lean weight of course, most men reaching 185-200 lbs with some bodyfat.

With a lot of body fat, have you met your typical 180lbs male, he's fat...

 

[loisestrad]

With a lot of body fat, have you met your typical 180lbs male, he's fat...

TRUTH! I once met a typical 180lbs male. He was fat.

 

[Swepingright]

It's only some delusional Sherdoggers who think untrained dudes could beat UFC level smaller fighters just because they're small. Anyone who's ever trained with decent level fighters knows what's up.

That's not true. A much bigger and strong untrained dude can dump smaller fighters on their head

 

[Venom]

That's not true. A much bigger and strong untrained dude can dump smaller fighters on their head

Point has been done to death but I think that will take like a Nogueria-Sapp level disparity.

 

[Iron Nick]

>TS literally says that at some point, size overcomes skill
>people ITT explaining multiple times to the TS, that size does matter

 

[Swepingright]

Point has been done to death but I think that will take like a Nogueria-Sapp level disparity.

Sapp beat Hoost twice with no Kickboxing abilities

 

[Bruce Lee666]

Sapp beat Hoost twice with no Kickboxing abilities

Epic!!

a big, muscular, athletic guy is always dangerous even if he has only brute strength.

martial arts were created to fight against unfair brute force, but it doesn't make you invincible against monsters.

 

[RiotWyatt]

Most 200+ pound Sherdoggers would be 150 lbs in shape but think they are HW sized.