Is There Any Advantage To Weighing More Than 240?

[Blackjack]

Miocic and Werdum are both only about 240 despite being 6 foot 4. Overeem is also that tall and only 240 which is 25 pounds less than the division allows Fedor, Couture, Cro Cop, and Big Nog all weighed 240 or less. Velasquez weighs just slightly more than 240 and JDS is also around 240.

The only great champion The UFC has had who weighed a lot more than 240 is Brock Lesnar who weighed in at 265 and was probably 275 or 280 pounds on fight nights. To fight him, Overeem felt the need to add over 20 pounds of muscle to his physique and Frank Mir also added a large amount of weight before fighting Lesnar the second time and losing anyway. Ever since Lesnar retired from MMA, nobody seems to feel the need to try to weigh just as much as they possibly can; they seem content to weight around 240.

Do you think they've all decided there is no benefit in weighing over 240, or is it just that there is nobody who is currently fighting at an elite level who has the ability to weigh much more than 240 pounds while still maintaining a low percentage of bodyfat?

 

[ShoopNazi]

"Well, I use it mainly to tire out my opponents in the clinch."

-Ronda Rousey

 

[Dead Kennedy]

Extra body heat maybe?

 

[FenoxSky]

Overeem didn't add pounds to fight Brock, he was already Horemeating beforehand.
It obviously depends on the person, but truth is that in good fighting shape not a lot of people is bigger than 240. If we start getting more freak athletes we might see more champions on the bigger side of the HW spectrum.

 

[Deleted member 448575]

For Struwe it's an advantage

 

[Mochan]

If that weight above 240 is pure muscle, it's a huge power and strength advantage. Drains your stamina like crap though.

Most people though aren't big enough to get to that point.

 

[Mochan]

"Well, it kinda helps me to tire out my opponent in the clinch."

-Ronda Rousey

It's actually a huge advantage grappling. When you are rolling with a much heavier guy... you get tired really fast.


If the extra weight is actually muscle, it's also a huge strength advantage. Drains your stamina faster though, but I'd rather have that extra strength if I were in a fight.

 

[Ez Eric]

There is just not too many skilled people heavier than 240. Sure, there are some out there but how many could crack the top ten? When you are that big you are giving up a lot of speed and endurance. Brock was only successful because he was a collegiate national wrestling champion.

 

[MMun]

Most fighters don't have the frame to be above 240 without being fat. Excess fat is mostly a disadvantage, a few guys (notably Hunt and Nelson) can take advantage of it because they know how to throw their weight behind their punches.

 

[Goatenstein]

There is just not too many skilled people heavier than 240. Sure, there are some out there but how many could crack the top ten? When you are that big you are giving up a lot of speed and endurance. Brock was only successful because he was a collegiate national wrestling champion.

Brock is a genetic freak who can keep that bulk oxygenated. Most guys are only successful because of their primary skills. Weird way to take a cheap shot at Brock.

 

[rurouni]

 

[ermac88]

Depends on the athlete.
It takes a pretty elite athlete to be functional over 250lbs

We're not going to see fast strong athletes over 250 in the UFC theyre going to make money in the big sports

 

[Ez Eric]

Brock is a genetic freak who can keep that bulk oxygenated. Most guys are only successful because of their primary skills. Weird way to take a cheap shot at Brock.

No cheap shot. Just saying he was one of the rare 280 pounders that could compete, and that was mainly due to how great of a wrestler and athlete he was. Anybody else that size would probably gas out.

 

[mst-dot]

if you have lebron james frame its great

 

[lfd0311]

Miocic and Werdum are both only about 240 despite being 6 foot 4. Overeem is also that tall and only 240 which is 25 pounds less than the division allows Fedor, Couture, Cro Cop, and Big Nog all weighed 240 or less. Velasquez weighs just slightly more than 240 and JDS is also around 240.

The only great champion The UFC has had who weighed a lot more than 240 is Brock Lesnar who weighed in at 265 and was probably 275 or 280 pounds on fight nights. To fight him, Overeem felt the need to add over 20 pounds of muscle to his physique and Frank Mir also added a large amount of weight before fighting Lesnar the second time and losing anyway. Ever since Lesnar retired from MMA, nobody seems to feel the need to try to weigh just as much as they possibly can; they seem content to weight around 240.

Do you think they've all decided there is no benefit in weighing over 240, or is it just that there is nobody who is currently fighting at an elite level who has the ability to weigh much more than 240 pounds while still maintaining a low percentage of bodyfat?

Whoa, whoa, whoa. Overeem was Ubereem way before he fought Brock Lesnar.

 

[KTO]

Depends on the athlete.
It takes a pretty elite athlete to be functional over 250lbs

We're not going to see fast strong athletes over 250 in the UFC theyre going to make money in the big sports

This right here. Anyone that large and still athletic has far better options than fighting available to him.

 

[Juice]

Overeem did not add any bulk before fighting Brock, Reem was already huge from the horse meat, now Mir on the other hand mysteriously added bulk after getting his ass handed to him by Brock in their second fight.

 

[Blackjack]

No cheap shot. Just saying he was one of the rare 280 pounders that could compete, and that was mainly due to how great of a wrestler and athlete he was. Anybody else that size would probably gas out.

Carwin tried to get to that size and wasn't far off but he didn't have the endurance Brock did which showed when they fought.

 

[Fight Professor]

Whoa, whoa, whoa. Overeem was Ubereem way before he fought Brock Lesnar.

He was usually in the 250 range but weighted 263 lbs against Brock.

 

[NotSoSure]

If the 240+ is effectively used, it's a major asset, and one of the obvious reasons weight classes even exist.

Few fighters come in that size: maybe if the UFC became a truly mainstream thing and attracted the kids that end up in the NFL, we'd have true giants fighting at a high level.

Yes, it matters. But the current UFC HWs are quite even, nobody has a major mass advantage over anyone else.