What is the IDEAL SIZE for a fighter? (and the square cube law)

also it depends on style, if your a traditional freestyle wrestler (not clinch greco like jones) average height and stocky is the way to go,

gsp, hughes, cormier, koscheck etc are good body types, about 5'10 to 6 foot. Strikers usually favor a taller sort of lanky build but you can't be too lanky. However there are always exceptions, look at manhoef, lombard, tyson etc
 
youngsteinel said:
I think your body TYPE has a lot to do with it. Bones and Anderson are at a big advantage by having long limbs to strike with. I think a lanky body type helps in most sports in general. Michael Jordan, Kevin Durant, Randy Moss, and Megatron are names that pop up in my head with that lanky body type.
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Excellent post. Anderson and Durrant look like more or less average guys, but are able to dominate in their respective sports against opponents who look much bigger/muscular/more explosive and athletic.
 
R0bert0Lu0ng0 said:
durant is great in some aspects, but lacks in others.

id say 5'11 200+
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5'11 about 210 is the average size of the most successful running backs in the nfl. Just like there is an ideal bodytype for various positions in team sports there is also an ideal bodytype for each type of fighting style. (not overall best type bc everyones style is different) Most successful heavyweights have been at at least 5'11 though, guys like cormier, fedor, randleman in his prime were tanks
 
I'm going to disagree with the majority of the poeple int his thread that favor "lanky" builds.

If you look at most lanky fighters, they suck. It's the rare ones that are lanky and have incredible strength that make it work. Anderson, Jones, they are both ridiculously strong and athletic.

Being lanky is certainly an advantage, so lon gas it doesn't come at a price of losing power and strength.
 
Machida vs Ryu said:
I'm going to disagree with the majority of the poeple int his thread that favor "lanky" builds.

If you look at most lanky fighters, they suck. It's the rare ones that are lanky and have incredible strength that make it work. Anderson, Jones, they are both ridiculously strong and athletic.

Being lanky is certainly an advantage, so lon gas it doesn't come at a price of losing power and strength.
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agreed or kendal and roop would be bosses, its the average height well muscled but not overly muscles fighters that do the best in each weight class from statistics..

fw= about 5'7 5'9
lw about 5'9 to 5'11
ww= 5'10 to 6'
mw= about 6'0 6'2
lhw= Jones is the reason so many pick long and lanky but before jones most champions were around 6 feet
HW about 6'3
 
6'0", 235lbs

Fedor_Emelianenko_1000823.jpg
 
Bubblun said:
lol, Aerts is a legend but he didn't exposed Schilt.
Schilt won 3 times the K1 GP, he is a beast.
he has also a good submission game, i would pay to see him in a high level mma match.
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Yes he did. He exposed his weakness- when pressed hard, Schilt breaks. Stay in his range and you're getting killed.

Plus I'm pretty sure he actually won the K-1 wgp 4 times
 
CrashStitches said:
I'd go with 6'2", around 205 walking pounds, with ability to bulk to solid LHW or lean out and cut to 170. Somewhere between Condit and Anderson physique, not the Rumble "dehydrated bodybuilder" look. Sounds like a solid physical base to me. Tall, but not too lanky, and with ability to favorably matchup well physically with anyone from WW to LHW, depending upon age and focus.
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That fighter would get smashed by any top ten HW.

Lanky/Stocky/Normal. Lanky and stocky fighters gain a physical advantage that amplifies their main skill when up against the right opponent. Normal build is the one that never suffers an extreme disadvantage. Jones' ability to wrestle with a lanky build is extraordinary and beyond uncommon. What Anderson has been able to do with his lanky build makes his accomplishments even more impressive, not less.

I think the majority agrees that Fedor is a starting point. I think you can go a little taller and a little heavier. Normal build, 6'1'' to 6'4'' max and 235-250 lbs.
 
for heavyweight (looking at stats from previous champs

about 5'11 to 6'4 235-255

fedor and cormier are both around 5'11 and beat big guys such as silvia, bigfoot, barnet,
JDS and overeem are actually about 6'3.5
couture and cain are actually both around 6 foot
 
MontrealMauler said:
That fighter would get smashed by any top ten HW.

Lanky/Stocky/Normal. Lanky and stocky fighters gain a physical advantage that amplifies their main skill when up against the right opponent. Normal build is the one that never suffers an extreme disadvantage. Jones' ability to wrestle with a lanky build is extraordinary and beyond uncommon. What Anderson has been able to do with his lanky build makes his accomplishments even more impressive, not less.

I think the majority agrees that Fedor is a starting point. I think you can go a little taller and a little heavier. Normal build, 6'1'' to 6'4'' max and 235-250 lbs.
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this is spot on and what I was trying to say
 
Every size basically works in combat sports imo. But you have to fight according to it. Tyson would have sucked if he fought as the Klitschkos and they would suck if they fought as Tyson did. I think it even matters less in MMA since theres more need for pure strength because of the grappling. Being to tall for your weight (Grove) or too short (Monson) isn't good. But a few inches above or below the average is fine.

I think mentality is way more important than size/shape anyway. Just look at AS and Fedor, they got where they are not only due to their physical abilities.
 
6'3" 235


That's where you can still have amazing cardio, and all the strength you could need.
 
Look at the hw rankings from the last 10 years. By and large, the top dogs tend to fall in the 230-245 lbs range.
 
Tall boxers like the Klitschkos, Valuev, Tyson Fury, Helenius etc should not be mentioned when it comes to ideal fighter size. Boxing isn't fighting. The rules heavily favor these slow oafs. Throw a 1-2 & hug until the ref separates you, 1-2-hug-separate, 1-2-hug-separate. The rules make it very difficult for smaller boxers to fight on the inside & dirty boxing(which favors the shorter fighter) is illegal.

The ideal height for MMA fighters is 5'11-6'4

JDS: 6'3
Cain: 6'1
Reem: 6'4
Werdum: 6'4
Cormier: 5'11
Mir: 6'2
Nelson: 5'11
Fedor: 5'11
Nog: 6'2
Crocop: 6'1

You even see this in wrestling, bjj etc. ADD absolute weight champions-

Roger Gracie:6'4
Drysdale:6'3
Estima: 6'3
Galvao: 5'10

Even in Olympic wrestling, the greatest super heavyweights fit this range.

Alexandar Karelin: 6'3
Artur Taymazov: 6'3
Aleksandr Medved: 6'3

By the looks of it, the ideal height for fighting(MMA, wrestling, bjj) is very close to 190cm or 6'3.
 
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