Why Do Some Big MMA Fighters Have No Chests?

[Ohioan]

Tra Telligman proved that you don't even need a pec muscle to be a decent pro fighter.

 

[Nova Union]

Alves does indeed have big pecs, and he is a pretty good fighter too

 

[aus101]

^ known for his slow hand speed :icon_chee

Exactly, muscularity does not automatically equal slow/poor movement. Everyone in sports used to think this way, many mma and boxing fans still do.

Is the chest an important muscle when it comes to fighting? I'd say not really, as others have mentioned other, larger muscle groups have more effect.

If I was a trainer I'd still have my fighters perform a horizontal press. Pulling (and using the comparatively larger muscles of the back) is very important in MMA. By training the opposite movement you will ensure all that pulling doesn't lead to muscular and strength imbalances. A lift like the bench press, while maybe not as transferable and relevant a movement when compared to the OHP, will be using larger poundages which will make strength improvements easier to come by.

 

[Frank Edgar]

All the guys you posted are brazilian. Lots of brazilian dont incorporate heavy lifting into their training.

Post pics of some american wrestlers with small chests.

Also, at fight time guys may lose muscle mass from cutting weight.

 

[Rolento]

G sot has some weird looking titties

 

[oceanlife**]

All the guys you posted are brazilian. Lots of brazilian dont incorporate heavy lifting into their training.

Post pics of some american wrestlers with small chests.

Also, at fight time guys may lose muscle mass from cutting weight.

Then how come all of the non-heavyweight Brazilian fighters look like body builders? You don't get massive biceps through endurance type training.

 

[finalboss]

Yes they are, and a good indicator generally.

Actually they are not, stronger muscles are not bigger, they're denser. I could outlift most of the guys in my gym and they have bigger muscles and physiques. Do some research: strength training vs. hypertrophy

 

[jayBMX]

Yes they are, and a good indicator generally.

No, they really aren't. Compare the physiques of power lifters and bodybuilders. While bodybuilders look superhuman compared to power lifters, their numbers don't even come close.

Training for power and training for physique have differences.

Also, I would think fighters would much rather train in fighting than lift weights.

 

[bad seed]

Tyson looked like that before he even lifted weights. Dudes like that dont need periodized training, whey and creatine, and fitness forums to get huge and strong. They just get swole from pushups and pullups.

 

[ventrue]

Why waste oxygen on big pecs? Concentrate on other areas that are more practical for MMA.

 

[Cuauhtemoc]

Bigfoot got pec muscles but his skeleton is so big it doesn't show.
Shogun barely trains for physical conditioning, strength...
Werdum is not big at all in terms of muscles, he is pretty much slightly above average for a 6'4'' guy.

And while size itself is pointless it mostly indicates strong muscles. And the pectoral muscles help a lot with fighting lol.

 

[MadTitan]

All the guys you posted are brazilian. Lots of brazilian dont incorporate heavy lifting into their training.

Post pics of some american wrestlers with small chests.

Also, at fight time guys may lose muscle mass from cutting weight.

You might be on to something here. Guys like Bader, Weidman, Davis, Sonnen, and Rashad are swoll. However, this might just be because climbing to the top in Division 1 wrestling requires more athleticism than achieving similar success in BJJ competition.

 

[D3thr0n3d K1ng]

Becoz they cant bench teh 275

 

[Hog-train]

Back muscles are much more important for fighting.

 

[kebab]

Tyson looked like that before he even lifted weights. Dudes like that dont need periodized training, whey and creatine, and fitness forums to get huge and strong. They just get swole from pushups and pullups.

Nobody needs whey and creatine to get somewhere.
A big chest doesn't make you unflexible either.(most) Brazilians obviously doesn't think it helps their skills in the octagon that much so they don't do much benching.
Shogun is kinda curious since he always had big arms, and obviously does some kind of lifting, but still doesn't have much in the chest area.

 

[Marce Porter]

Nobody needs whey and creatine to get somewhere.
A big chest doesn't make you unflexible either.(most) Brazilians obviously doesn't think it helps their skills in the octagon that much so they don't do much benching.
Shogun is kinda curious since he always had big arms, and obviously does some kind of lifting, but still doesn't have much in the chest area.

I agree on this. Whey protein and creatine are completely unnecessary when it comes to bodybuilding. 25 grams of protein from meat = 25 grams of protein from eggs = 25 grams of protein from milk = 25 grams of protein from whey protein. It doesn't matter where you get your protein, so long as you get it. And the 1 gram of protein per lb. of body weight is also a myth perpetuated by the supplement industries trying to take your cash. Regarding creatine, just speaking from personal experience, it's done nothing for my gains. My gains are the exact same whether I'm taking creatine or I'm not. So I no longer take it.

 

[HaulParris]

If chests won fights, Pudzianowski would be GOAT.

 

[SP1D3R KN33S**]

what do you need a big chest for in mma? you gunna weighlift someone brah?

 

[That209]

TS likes sweaty, muscular men with big chests.

 

[Cygnus-X]

25 grams of protein from meat = 25 grams of protein from eggs = 25 grams of protein from milk = 25 grams of protein from whey protein.

That's not strictly true.