If GSP was a current day fighter, would he have fought at 155 instead of 170?

[sapporo ichiban]

GSP fought exactly where he should have and would likely do so today.
Him cutting hard just to be one of the biggest guys in a division and risking health, missing weight or not being his best would have been a poor choice in my opinion.

He strikes me as the type of guy who would listen to his body and understand where his body functions best.

Other guys cut lots of weight seeking the size advantage and for some it works out but look how many people miss weight or get sick. Personally, I think extreme weight cutting is terrible. Early on, guys like Tito and the wrestler crowd brought that shit in and had a huge advantage forcing everyone to do it.

There are weight classes for a reason. I am less interested in who is the best weight cutter that can fight smaller dudes than who is actually the best fighter on an even playing field. Cutting a bit of weight is ok but I have always thought extreme cutting is bullshit and kind of a pussy move.

 

[sapporo ichiban]

It's possible

He wouldn't be small in today's WW division, but he wouldn't be bigger than everyone else like he was during his run in his prime

I actually think LW is his natural weight, he put on a lot of muscle mass for WW, but recently he's much smaller and leaner and I feel like this is his more natural weight.

When he isn't on strict meal plans and heavy workout routines to bulk up and be strong.

If he was coming up today, I think LW would be the perfect fit for his 20's, then WW near the end of his career when he doesnt want to cut as much weight.

Other than Sherk, Penn and Serra, who was he much larger than?

 

[sapporo ichiban]

Again, you're supposed to weigh more as you get older.

Your "late 30 yo acl injury" argument is terrible since GSP probably weighs less these days than he did in his prime. Which further prove the point that he wasn't big at all for the division. If anything, he was working on having more muscle mass.

His current weight is more representative of his natural weight.

I think people generally say that because the average joe gets chunky as they get older. Even if it is not overly obvious as men carry fat around their organs. Based on how he looks now, I would assume that he tends toward the ectomorph side of the scale and his muscle mass was due to him working his ass off.

That said, who is to say that he would have been as explosive at 155? I remember an interview with Rashad when he was lhw champ. He said in training that GSP was super hard to take down and GSP could take him and Nate Marquart down almost at will. I think that he would be fine at 170 today, some people are just genetic freaks.

 

[stinkynecklace]

Yeah, when people were wanting him to fight Silva but he never fought at 155 int he UFC. It was all a lie. No way GSP could fight at a high level at 155 if he could make the weight.

The test cut was when Khabib was champ, post-Anderson’s reign, if I’m not mistaken.

 

[Zanderlini]

GSP has great muscle insertions, I think it makes him look bigger then he is. When I see him in person at blue martini in vegas he looked in the mid 180s 190lb at the most. He probably fought at WW because he felt he performs better there and would be diminished at 155lb. He choose to fight at WW for a reason, and that was back in the day you could just hook up an IV and hydrate back up. Martin Kampmann and Jay Herion who also fought at WW around that time were easily 20lbs bigger then GSP.

 

[TheMaster]

GSP is pretty short and only weighs 185 outside of camp, only 30 pounds above lightweight and 1 pound more than what a fighter like Paulo Costa cuts. Hes also a muscular guy, so he could take alot of water out of his muscles during the cut

The guy is a former UFC MW champion.
Think about it.

 

[Oceanmachine]

GSP is pretty short and only weighs 185 outside of camp, only 30 pounds above lightweight and 1 pound more than what a fighter like Paulo Costa cuts. Hes also a muscular guy, so he could take alot of water out of his muscles during the cut

No. And he was 190ish at times as well, his lowest was 183ish and 185ish I recall but later on he started getting closer to 190lbs. GSP had an optimal muscularity for his body, and very little fat. To go to LW is too much water weight loss and or requires losing muscle

 

[Oceanmachine]

GSP has great muscle insertions, I think it makes him look bigger then he is. When I see him in person at blue martini in vegas he looked in the mid 180s 190lb at the most. He probably fought at WW because he felt he performs better there and would be diminished at 155lb. He choose to fight at WW for a reason, and that was back in the day you could just hook up an IV and hydrate back up. Martin Kampmann and Jay Herion who also fought at WW around that time were easily 20lbs bigger then GSP.

They were not 205lbs man.... GSP was 185ish to 190ish. Those big WW were 200lbs or 197ish. Max

 

[rodkek]

The guy is a former UFC MW champion.
Think about it.

against the worst champion in recent history

 

[Kafirov]

He weighs 185 out of camp as a 40yo past his prime after multiple ACL surgeries

Prime GSP wasnt a small WW. He weighed 193 multiple times in the cage

https://www.mmamania.com/2011/4/28/...s-st-pierre-could-weigh-as-much-as-193-pounds

It wouldve been laughable to suggest he couldve made 155 back then

Love those beautiful perky tits