New weight class structure - Let's hear your ideas.

[Deleted member 510653]

a 178 super ww class would be my idea

 

[ThefGabbana]

125
135
145
155
165
175
185
205
230
265

Something like this might also work without diluting it too much.

i like this idea the best
bantomweight
featherweight
lightweight
super lightweight
welterweight
middleweight
lightheavyweight
cruiserweight
heavyweight

 

[LuchaBear]

Lol ya lets just make every title even more worthless

 

[Koloth]

Add a 165, make welter weight 175. Add Franklin weight (195). I'm not really a fan of the UFC adopting more weightclasses but if something like that were to be done, that's how I think it should be done.

So your ideal setup would be like this:

125
135
145
155
165
175
185
195
205
265

Arriving also at ten weight classes in total. Basically our proposals are very similar.
Advantages for your proposal are: Ten pound increments almost all the way through. That's very consistent and easy to remember.
Disadvantages at the extremes though: 125 is too low to have enough quality contenders (whereas I would suggest 130). And the heavyweight division could be incredibly heterogeneous. (A counter to that would be that we're not exactly seeing a ton of talent there anyway, so why split it). I still like the idea of a weight class around 225/230.

Either way I would be happy with your suggestion, but still think mine has a few advantages by shifting everyone up by 5 pounds.

 

[politozx7r]

i like this idea the best
bantomweight
featherweight
lightweight
super lightweight
welterweight
middleweight
lightheavyweight
cruiserweight
heavyweight

Ya super light weight or light welterweight either of the names work and I like cruiseweight for inbetween as a name up there too or middle heavyweight

 

[josp1]

I think it just sucks for guys in the 230s who are undersized or have to make a big cut.
A class up there makes sense
The only reason they don't do it is cause the lack of talent. But I don't think anyone would complain if they stuck in a 230 class
What are your thoughts ? Just add 230

Ya I'd be good with a 230, but I have to believe they don't because of the reason you stated.

For entertainment value I actually like seeing the disparity in size. I was rooting like hell for couture to beat lesnar and he actually was (imo) up until he got clipped.

I don't know what all the answers are - I just know sometimes people don't appreciate the sport we have and are looking for ways to change it.

If massive amounts of new weight divisions, and the Ali act come to mma the sport will go the way of boxing - guaranteed.

 

[Koloth]

You talk about how 125lb lacks quality, but then you talk about splitting the weakest division in men's mma HW, into 2? WHAT THE FUCK?

You make a good point, but is the lack of talent at heavyweight a reflection at the talent pool at that weight in general or something more momentary? I remember back when Brock came into the UFC and flushed a lot of the lighter heavyweights out by having them cut to LHW.

 

[StopDucking]

130 pounds (59 kg) - Flyweight (Mighty Mouse Land)
140 pounds (63.5 kg) - Bantamweight (Cruz vs. Frankie!)
150 pounds (68 kg) - Featherweight
160 pounds (72.5 kg) - Lightweight
170 pounds (77 kg) - Welterweight
180 pounds (81.5 kg) - Middleweight (Kelvin's new home)
190 pounds (86 kg) - Cruiserweight (Franklinweight)
205 pounds (93 kg) - Light Heavyweight
225 pounds (102 kg) - Heavyweight
265 pounds (120 kg) - Super Heavyweight

For now I say put in a 225 or 230 class

125
135
145
155
165
WW becomes 175
185
195
205
225
HW caps at 300 >

http://forums.sherdog.com/threads/why-there-is-no-need-for-a-225-lbs-weight-class.3431955/

 

[chunglii]

So your ideal setup would be like this:

125
135
145
155
165
175
185
195
205
265

Arriving also at ten weight classes in total. Basically our proposals are very similar.
Advantages for your proposal are: Ten pound increments almost all the way through. That's very consistent and easy to remember.
Disadvantages at the extremes though: 125 is too low to have enough quality contenders (whereas I would suggest 130). And the heavyweight division could be incredibly heterogeneous. (A counter to that would be that we're not exactly seeing a ton of talent there anyway, so why split it). I still like the idea of a weight class around 225/230.

Either way I would be happy with your suggestion, but still think mine has a few advantages by shifting everyone up by 5 pounds.

mine is better because it involves the least amount of re-naming weight classes. the divisions stay the same, except for one, and 2 new ones are added (idk what we'd call 165 but 195 is definitely Franklin weight). it's slightly less confusing.

Could add a 225 and call it Cruiserweight.

 

[superpunch]

I think it just sucks for guys in the 230s who are undersized or have to make a big cut.
A class up there makes sense
The only reason they don't do it is cause the lack of talent. But I don't think anyone would complain if they stuck in a 230 class
What are your thoughts ? Just add 230

Sucks for them but the fans want to know who the best fighter in the world is. 205 already dilutes that enough

 

[Koloth]

http://forums.sherdog.com/threads/why-there-is-no-need-for-a-225-lbs-weight-class.3431955/

I only read the opening post and you make good points. However, if the objective is to eliminate unhealthy weight cutting that leads to suboptimal athletic output (say, weight cuts above 10-15 pounds), then pointing at HW and saying: "It's not uneven, all the lighter guys are cutting 30 pounds to LHW anyway! So they're not being stomped, you see? It's very even!" kinda misses the point.

 

[BenRichards]

All I know is there needs to be a middle ground between lw & ww to mw & lhw. Way too many killers at lw & ww, there's easily room for another division between them.

Same with mw, it has enough killers to spare. If a weight class was created between mw & lhw, I believe it'd flourish. In the end if there was a "Franklin weight" then you could probably move lhw allowance up 10lbs and uncap hw

 

[Milgrim]

Let's not water down the talent pool any more than it already is.

 

[ReturnoftheKing]

The UFC absolutely needs LESS divisions, not more.

TS gave two examples, both stupid. Franklin was MW champ and could have been LHW champ as well. Kelvin is just fat and lazy, and he just destroyed a top MW.

 

[wchew20]

They do need to make a 225ish class. Way too big of a gap between 205 and 265. I can't fathom why this hasn't happened already.

 

[Threetrees]

Also @Koloth

There is already a new weight class system in place by the California State Athletic commission.

The UFC is just (wisely) not choosing to adopt it at this point because they don't feel like they have the talent to fill them PLUS they're in the process of scaling back the amount of events they do.

 

[navywrestler]

265+ is the next weight class I would like to see a lot of ncaa national champions and heavyweight world champs that cant make the 265 cut could step in. and college olinemen who were high school state champs that are great dedicated athletes. and nfl even.

 

[Dana_is_your_GOD]

I think we need a weight class for EVERY LB.

101
102
103
104
105
106
...
200
201
etc

 

[Koloth]

Also @Koloth

There is already a new weight class system in place by the California State Athletic commission.

The UFC is just (wisely) not choosing to adopt it at this point because they don't feel like they have the talent to fill them PLUS they're in the process of scaling back the amount of events they do.

I'm not familiar with that new system?
Could you give me the outline or a link?

Btw it's not my intention and I dont think my proposal implies the need to expand the UFC's roster. Right now there are about 580 fighters under contract, right? I'd love for the UFC to be an elite organisation where only the best of the best figgt. Say around 40 per weight class. That would be at maximum 13x 40 = 520 fighters, but in all likelihood less than that because you wont find 40 deserving Women's 115 or 140 pound fighters or 40 deserving male bantamweights. So I'd actually like the roster size shrunk ever so slightly.

Anyway, more weight classes = more fighters is clearly a non sequitur. There would simply be a better distribution of existing fighters over more granular weight classes.

 

[screaminleeman]

What should those weight classes be?

Male:

130 pounds (59 kg) - Flyweight (Mighty Mouse Land)
140 pounds (63.5 kg) - Bantamweight (Cruz vs. Frankie!)
150 pounds (68 kg) - Featherweight
160 pounds (72.5 kg) - Lightweight
170 pounds (77 kg) - Welterweight
180 pounds (81.5 kg) - Middleweight (Kelvin's new home)
190 pounds (86 kg) - Cruiserweight (Franklinweight)
205 pounds (93 kg) - Light Heavyweight
225 pounds (102 kg) - Heavyweight
265 pounds (120 kg) - Super Heavyweight


Female:

115 pounds (52 kg) - Strawweight (Queen Joanna)
130 pounds (59 kg) - Flyweight (Queen Shevchenko)
140 pounds (63.5 kg) - Bantamweight (Queen Holly)

I like the even weight 10 pound increment idea up to 190. It would be too confusing to have Light HW being smaller than Crusierweight in Boxing, but bigger in MMA.

Since Boxing coined the term Crusierweight as bigger than LHW, I think the UFC should follow suite if they choose the term.

Franklinweight blows PERIOD! Name it Wandyweight before that!

I did not think anything made less sense capping the HW class until I saw you capping the SHW class.