Do you think weight divisions matter in the ufc?

Question

I always heard it aint the size of the dog in the fight but the size of the fight in the dog. so do you think the better fighter will win or will size mean everything in the fight.just wondering what everyone else thought thanks.

Answer 1

What you have heard in my experience is certainly true ,the man who believes  he can win will win,but saying that I'm talking about street survival which shouldn't be mistaken for sports orientated fighting ( ufc ) which includes limiting rules and a referee conveniently poised to intervene for health and safety purposes.

Answer 2

Yes,  bigger people have slower reflezes but can take a hit better but a small person can move around a lot better but is easyer to knockout.  That is why size matters in a nutshell.

Answer 3

Yes, weight classes are essential.  Now that everyone knows the same techniques.  It is very difficult for people to fight larger sized opponents.

Answer 4

I would say yes. Weight divisions are important in MMA events including the UFC and they do matter.

First, you have to understand that UFC will not be sanctioned by any athletic commission if they allow "freakshows" where a 300 pound fighter will get it on with a 150 pounder. That's just not what athletic commissions want to see. UFC would not want to be associated with "no holds barred/no weight class" bloodsport that UFC was known before, they want to become a sport and to become a sport you have to be sanctioned and if you want to be sanctioned then you have to regualate the sport and make some adjustments.

now if we put it skill wise, i would have to agree that the better and more skilled fighter will always win, but as the sport goes on everyone evolves, so imagine all big fighters becoming well rounded and good, and so does the smaller fighters so they cancel each other out but the defining factor is size which the bigger fighter has, so if you put 10 fights, the bigger better fighter will always win against a small better fighter, 8 fights to 10.

So if you put weight classes on these organizations bigger fighters will have to fight people their size and small fighters will have to fight people their speed and agility.

Weight classes are established so one fighter would not have a very clear and great advantage in size or in speed. Skill is an advantage but an intagible advantage unlike size or speed where you can measure both.

Answer 5

Like everyone else said, weight makes a difference.  same skill set, the bigger guy would almost always win.  Put St pierre up against 185lbs like silva or franklin and he would not dominate like he does the 170lbs division.

Answer 6

Size isn't everything, however it does play a significant factor. If you are up against someone who has size and skill and all you have is skill then you are pretty much assured of a defeat unless your skill is vastly superior. Such is the case with the first few UFCs. Royce Gracie would demolish huge guys with skill. However, they were only trained in one art such as boxing, wrestling, or Muay Thai. Gracie's strength was obviously Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, however he had trained in other arts. Gracie's skill was vastly superior to the skill that the bigger guys had, thus he absolutely destroyed them. Also,more recently Frank Mir did an interview discussing his fight with Brock Lesnar. Lesnar is a ridiculous physical specimen. He has speed, size, and skill. Mir said that the only thing that saved him was his skill, but anyone that said size or strength didn't matter did not know what they were talking about.

Answer 7

Royce Gracie defeated Kimo didn't he? Size isn't everything, but Jens Pulver is proof that fighting at the correct weight can really turn the tables. When you fight guys your own weight the fights become more competitive. And besides most guys aren't the caliber of Gracie and would have a very hard time taking down somebody 100 pounds bigger than you are.

Answer 8

thats a generic "rule of thumb" for someone with an acceptable size difference.

if you think a 100lb fighter can defeat a 300lb fighter of equal skill you better pass that **** your smokin' cause I want some!

as for the topic, yes there SHOULD be weight classes in the UFC, weight classes ensure more even handed fights and while there might be some interest in seeing a well-skilled lightweight go against a well skilled middle weight it would still be a ridiculous advantage and people want to see good fights, not lopsided fights.  thats why boxing, wrestling and every sportative art matches people up like that, not because a slightly lighter guy of greater skill can't beat a heavier guy, but because not every fight will be like that (most won't- depending on size diff), but because the ufc wants to put on ENTERTAINING fights.

lopsided fights are not entertaining, you can regulate weight ranges, and they even try to regulate skill levels as well, you don't see many "just turned pro" taking on silvia.  that doesnt' sell tickets.

not that a smaller fighter can't win, it just would happen less frequently (especially if they are both PRO skill level, the greater the weight diff, the greater skill you need and if they are at the pro level, there isn't much higher you could go) and people wouldn't want to watch 20 mismatches that are over in 2 min to see one "upset" where the lower weight class wins.

Answer 9

It sure does but that doesn't mean the bigger guy would always win. Look at some of the freak shows that fight in Japan. They loss quite a bit to average sized heavyweights that weight 100 pounds less.  

One thing I noticed is that people tend to think that the most cut guy will always win but skill plays a major factor.