Why is the HW limit 265?

[boyer]

Idk why there is some odd thought process on Sherdog where NFL players can only move for 5 seconds then die.

Tons of HWs have terrible cardio anyway. I don't think every DL/OL would just automatically have bad cardio either. Joe Thomas is a HOF LT for the Browns, one of the best OTs ever, I'm pretty sure he runs triathlons and shit now. He is ripped now actually and lost weight, but was still an elite athlete at 310-320 lbs.

What if someone like prime Shaq wanted to compete in the UFC and actually trained for some years prior? On one hand it's unfair to him that he can't compete and I understand HW should perhaps be "absolute" weight arguably. But it's also unfair to everyone weighing 230-265 lbs and it's just stupid at that point.

There's a line crossed at some point. Otherwise do you want to see Cejudo or Garbrandt go fight GSP or Jon Jones? Because that's basically the gap in size we are talking (relative) between a Shaq / Halfthor and a Stipe, DC, or even Ngannou.

An in-shape Shaq with the hobbyist BJJ he has + like 6-12 months of wrestling and striking would completely rape everyone for a decade at HW.

You ever see Shaq punch? His striking would be about as good as his free thows no matter how much training he had.

 

[Y2Khaos]

Someone who is bigger than 265 can go sign with KSW in Poland. They have lots of fighters like that. They also let their fighters juice all they want. I love it.

 

[RicardinhoPT]

Because nobody wants to see a fat freakshow

 

[arcadeperfect]

Because whoever made the weight classes is an idiot. Weight eventually becomes a hindrance, hence why the best HW fighters are typically in the 235-240 range. If a fighter doesn't feel he has enough size to compete at HW then he can easily make it to LHW, or MW if he's like Paulo Costa.

 

[Regal Boy]

Remove all weight classes and force everyone to get as big as possible.

Any man who's 5'5" or taller can easily get over 220 pounds of martially-functional weight.

There is no such thing as a "bloated x weight".

Let them bang, bro

 

[kellier]

Even if they were at a disadvantage, that's part of the game. HW is there theoretically to show who the best fighter in the world is. If you can't beat a 350 lb hulk because you're 240 lbs, then he's legit better than you.

Professional fighter should be able to avoid a Bob Sapp sized dude's barrage before he gasses.

We haven't seen many Lesnar or Carwin types who are monsters but athletic.

 

[No Skill Gap]

You ever see Shaq punch? His striking would be about as good as his free thows no matter how much training he had.

Well I assume he's never been trained in striking / boxing outside of cardio classes. Did you see how big his hand was?

It's just sheer size and athleticism. He's legit 7'1 + and his hand is the size of Stipe's head. Gonna be tough to even hit him in the head, or take him down, or hold him down.

 

[TheScorpionDude]

I always wondered. Why no super heavyweight or just an open weight class after LHW? I would love a bulky Struve, but he would not be able to compete. Is there a reason the limit is 265? I mean,where can a huge 300 pound specimen even go to if he wants to compete in mma? I dont mean I want to see Emanuel Yarboroughs btw

I'm guessing it's because the lower limit is 206, so they figured that anything above 60 pounds of weight difference would be an overkill.

That's my best guess.

Cause in theory there's the possibility of a 206 pound HW so 60 pounds of "advantage" is all they could legally allow.

If there was a SHW division, then they'd could limit HW to 245 or something, and in theory a 246 pound SHW would fight a 300 pound man at worst case scenario, which is again in the ballpark of 60 pounds.

I don't think there are a lot of people with normal cardio and agility above 300 pounds. The largest "normal" fighters ever are probably Sammy, Choi and Bigfoot.

 

[Nightwish]

Extra roid storage.

EDIT: I always end up staring at your AV.

Hana was beautiful. Too bad she died recently.

 

[Straatblaffer]

Because they Gassed very fast pretty simple

some HWs cut to get to 265, would weight cutting not be worse for their gas tank than just weigh in at 280?

 

[accolyte1022]

Hana was beautiful. Too bad she died recently.

Oh, that is terrible.

Google search and TinEye never returned anything. I just assumed she was someone you knew, thus the anonymity.

 

[Young Joe]

actually they have to make HW limit to 235, if they ever want to make HW more competitive. There is no HW champion historically who could not make 235 in 10 years. Werdum. Cain. JDS. Stipe. Cormier. Alowski. Courture. List goes on.
Fighters that need 265lbs is either juiced as heck or fat as fak.

 

[Nightwish]

Oh, that is terrible.

Google search and TinEye never returned anything. I just assumed she was someone you knew, thus the anonymity.

Her name was Hana Kimura. She was a pro wrestler from Japan who commited suicide this year because of cyber-bullying. She was very charismatic and beautiful.

 

[Ruthfella]

To avoid freaks like Zulu or Sapp

 

[BabyBlue_Bomber]

I would have loved to see the thick version of Schilt from around 2007- 2010 make a 2nd run in the UFC...

 

[accolyte1022]

Her name was Hana Kimura. She was a pro wrestler from Japan who commited suicide this year because of cyber-bullying. She was very charismatic and beautiful.

So young...

 

[TheNinja]

The average weight of an NFL linebacker is 248. All NFL Linebackers are very athletic. Very few starting Linebackers are over 265. If a fighter can not cut to 265 it is doubtful they can compete effectively in a full combat sport. The weight limit protects the athlete and credibility of the HW division.

This being said, I think the limit should be raised to 275 for the few outliers.

you are forgetting about some freakishly athletic and large D-linemen. JJ Watt is like 6'5" 290. Sure he could make the 265 limit by cutting.

DeForest Buckner is 6'7" around 295-300. Warren Sapp was well over 300 during his playing days at 6'2" but was sooooooo quick and strong. Same with Reggie White.

Some of those guys would make Francis look somewhat small.

So there are some very good athletes above 265 but at this point we haven't really seen enough of them to really open it up. If anything make it like 295 or something but totally agreee with you that it should be raise a bit.


But then you'd have Rampage showing up and cutting weight from 310.

 

[boyer]

Well I assume he's never been trained in striking / boxing outside of cardio classes. Did you see how big his hand was?

It's just sheer size and athleticism. He's legit 7'1 + and his hand is the size of Stipe's head. Gonna be tough to even hit him in the head, or take him down, or hold him down.

Haha I went back and watched his exhibition boxing match vs oscar and he didnt look that bad. Howecer you put Ngannou in there against oscar and hed probably end up koing him brutally, just screwing around.

 

[letgodiego]

Realistically it should be open weight. + 265 is super heavy weight but there's never been enough fighters to make a division.

When Cain & JDS came on the scene, they showed the 265 guys had diminishing returns being too big to hang with athletic 240 pound fighters. The smaller heavyweights wouldn't be at a significant disadvantage if competitors who cut to 265 came in at 285, 290.

your totally right, but also I just think they want to avoid the sideshow element. Some of these heavyweights already come in out of shape, think it would increase

 

[rpn453]

Wow, I can't believe how many people support the weight limit now.

I think the UFC HW champion should be the best fighter in the world, not just the best fighter who can make 265.