Weight Classes - My thoughts

[Lamont Cranston]

115 - Straw weight
125 - Fly Weight
135 - Bantam Weight
145 - Feather Weight
155 - Light Weight
170 - Welter Weight
185 - Middle Weight
205 - Cruiser Weight
235 - Light Heavy Weight
265 - Heavy Weight
265+ - Super Heavy Weight

 

[Wild]

 

[Lamont Cranston]

I think cutting the HW division will stop mismatches. Guys who can make 235 will. Guys under that will drop to 205 and the big boys will me more matched up. Especially if a 235er wants to pop up to hold the HW belt too, or try to.

 

[lookoutawhale]

I do like the cruiser weight division. and a division for giant people could get interesting. I wonder if they would all gas out though.

 

[La Paix]

IMO.....
115 - Straw weight: fold men's division
125 - Fly Weight: never main event
135 - Bantam Weight
145 - Feather Weight
155 - Light Weight
170 - Welter Weight
185 - Middle Weight
205 - Cruiser Weight: begins at 200
235 - Light Heavy Weight
265 - Heavy Weight: begins at 280
265+ - Super Heavy Weight: spectical fights only, not near enough to have a respected division worthy of a belt.

I really don't want more divisions. The more belts there are the less precious it is. So many tools in MMA and I'm a big believer that technique beats size at the highest level of competition. I would LOVE to see an annual open weight tourney of some sort as well.

 

[Zeph]

There just aren't enough good guys who are 205+ to make more divisions. Heavyweight, as it is, is one of the shallowest divisions in MMA and to split them into two divisions would make each division consist of around 15 guys each.

 

[seekntruth]

I prefer

155 Light Weight
180 Middle Weight
205 Light Heavy Weight
206+ Heavy Weight

If you can't compete at these weights, oh well, most people can work within this structure......if your to small to make 155, I have little interest in watching you fight-Sorry.

This is mma, why this sport switched course along the way and evolved into boxing/kick boxing with grappling is beyond me. I would have preferred mma to follow it's own path instead of boxing guys(zuffa co) to dictate this path it's followed.

 

[Zeph]

I prefer

155 Light Weight
180 Middle Weight
205 Light Heavy Weight
206+ Heavy Weight

If you can't compete at these weights, oh well, most people can work within this structure......if your to small to make 155, I have little interest in watching you fight-Sorry.

This is mma, why this sport switched course along the way and evolved into boxing/kick boxing with grappling is beyond me. I would have preferred mma to follow it's own path instead of boxing guys(zuffa co) to dictate this path it's followed.

The reason it has evolved into ultimate kickboxing is because defense in grappling is easier to learn than offense. While in striking the opposite is true, striking defense is much harder to learn than grappling defense. This leads to people being able to win and finish fights much easier standing, which only snowballs the effect, because they see these results and then put more time into it and game plan for that, which once again snowballs the effect.

 

[seekntruth]

The reason it has evolved into ultimate kickboxing is because defense in grappling is easier to learn than offense. While in striking the opposite is true, striking defense is much harder to learn than grappling defense. This leads to people being able to win and finish fights much easier standing, which only snowballs the effect, because they see these results and then put more time into it and game plan for that, which once again snowballs the effect.

As far as in fight, I agree. I didn't explain myself well...I was meaning as far as the sport in general, business/rule set/ structure wise. My bad :sad:

 

[Lamont Cranston]

I don't understand people who say that splitting the HW division up is bad. They said there were not enough women in MMA to have them fight, now we have them and in at least 2 divisions at the top promotion of the sport.

205
235
And 265

These are a natual progression. Guys for the most part who are under 235 are trying to cut down to 205 anyway. Guys too big for that can stay at 235. it evens out the playing field imo. I don't believe that creating 235 ruins anything. "Not having enough good guys" is not an excuse imo either because creating the division itself creates "good guys."

 

[Pitbull9]

Shit do you think we can find enough guys to really fill all those gaps? I mean probably right. Def good job OP especially towards the heavier classes.

 

[Lamont Cranston]

Shit do you think we can find enough guys to really fill all those gaps? I mean probably right. Def good job OP especially towards the heavier classes.

I think the 235 weigh class won't cut the 205-265 division as much as it will give guys a place to call home. So many guys end up in the HW division because they have no where else to go. They can't make 205 but they can't compete with guys at 265. I think this will also deal with guys making wild weight cuts in the HW division.

On top of it all, if guys want, they can fight in both! Cain weighs in at what? 235/240? He could hold 2 belts and Zuffa can really promote the heck out of that!

 

[gasper oliver son]

I don't see the benefit in adding weight classes. It just waters down what we already have. If anything, I want to see less weight classes. I don't buy the argument of guys are 230 and have no where to go. None of the best HWs were anywhere near 265. I think it's pretty safe to say that Cain and Fedor (prime) are so much better than any other HWs that they weren't even in the same dimension as the rest of their HW divisions and they both were 230-240. I just don't see any substance behind that argument.

 

[dacofty]

Well I am sure there's enough guys out there they could get, but when you pay 1 guy (Phill Brooks) 6 to 7 figures and not have a back ground in anything but Theatrical performances it kind hurts. Take what the are paying him and i guarantee you, you can get a boat load of hungry guys for that salary.

 

[NakMuay]

I still favor a switch to height classes. No more scrawny fucks using twiggy reach advantage on regular sized dudes

 

[Lamont Cranston]

I still favor a switch to height classes. No more scrawny fucks using twiggy reach advantage on regular sized dudes

Sadly that leave huge weight discrepancies.

 

[BenAskrensStrikingcoach]

I think the 235 weigh class won't cut the 205-265 division as much as it will give guys a place to call home. So many guys end up in the HW division because they have no where else to go. They can't make 205 but they can't compete with guys at 265. I think this will also deal with guys making wild weight cuts in the HW division.

On top of it all, if guys want, they can fight in both! Cain weighs in at what? 235/240? He could hold 2 belts and Zuffa can really promote the heck out of that!

I think the only issue here is that historically the very guys floating between 205 and 235 have been champions at 265 and have had no issue beating the bigger men. Fedor being a good example, Randy won the HW title at 230 ish, Arlovski isn't a huge HW either and beat bigger men, Cain today, JDS isn't a huge guy for the division. There are loads of examples. A cruiser division only really needs to come along when the sport progresses a few more years and we start seeing more people looking at MMA over sports that typically absorb all the bigger men, like football, basketball etc.

What you are saying is right but not really the time yet.

 

[Lamont Cranston]

As usual, I am ahead of my time.

 

[BenAskrensStrikingcoach]

I don't see the benefit in adding weight classes. It just waters down what we already have. If anything, I want to see less weight classes. I don't buy the argument of guys are 230 and have no where to go. None of the best HWs were anywhere near 265. I think it's pretty safe to say that Cain and Fedor (prime) are so much better than any other HWs that they weren't even in the same dimension as the rest of their HW divisions and they both were 230-240. I just don't see any substance behind that argument.

Didn't see this before I pretty much wrote the same, on an unrelated subject do you have a cracker?

 

[Jonny Quest]

Id like to see less weight classes, but a bigger gap in weight limits. 160-180 for example would be a class. Makes for more interesting fights. I also like the idea of a Super Heavyweight class as well.