People that do MMA

TyCooN · Mar 8, 2009

How much muscle weight can fighters gain above their natural weight until it actually becomes detrimental to their performance?

Gradstudent78 · Mar 8, 2009

Originally Posted by TyCooN

How much muscle weight can fighters gain above their natural weight until it actually becomes detrimental to their performance?

I'm not sure of the answer, but keep in mind that for everything but the heaviest weight you have to balance putting on muscle with going up into the next weight class.

Illuminate07 · Mar 8, 2009

depends on the style of the fighter, someone more aggressive(example would be Diego Sanchez) or a wrestler, would need to do a lot of cardio and conditioning so they wouldn't put on a lot of muscle. If you're just going to stand up and throw big punches or simply overpower someone (a la Rampage Jackson) then it doesn't really matter how much muscle you put on

NorCal · Mar 8, 2009

Generally fighters will try to LOOSE weight and fight below their natural weight class. It is rare and almost always results in disaster for a fighter to pack on muscle to fight at a higher weight class. Ninja, an natural 170-185 pound fighter fought in an heavy weight tourney (205+) and had his ass handed to him by a guy who walks around naturally at about 220-230.
Wanderlei fought in an open weight tourney and packed on about twenty pounds to weigh about 230 and went 1-1 but some think that the ass kicking he was handed by a natural HW was what caused his fall form the top. He now is fighting at 195 soon to be 185.

robertorex · Mar 8, 2009

I know we're talking about MMA, but the same is not true for boxing. De La Hoya and Erik Morales both tried to fight below their natural weight against Pacquiao and got their asses served. On the other hand, Pacquiao bulked up for the De La Hoya fight and was able to beat him down.

globetrotter · Mar 8, 2009

tycoon, are you talking competative MMA, or self defense MMA? for the most part keeping a thin but firm body is going to help anything where you are looking at an extended fight. being strong enough to pick somebody up and throw him is a nice trick, though.

TyCooN · Mar 8, 2009

Originally Posted by globetrotter

tycoon, are you talking competative MMA, or self defense MMA? for the most part keeping a thin but firm body is going to help anything where you are looking at an extended fight. being strong enough to pick somebody up and throw him is a nice trick, though.
Competitive. Interesting, so there's no packing on some more weight to fight in the heavier weight class as a fighter becomes more seasoned in the MMA game like they do in boxing?

globetrotter · Mar 8, 2009

Originally Posted by TyCooN

Competitive.

Interesting, so there's no packing on some more weight to fight in the heavier weight class as a fighter becomes more seasoned in the MMA game like they do in boxing?

no knowledge of this side. good luck

NorCal · Mar 9, 2009

Originally Posted by TyCooN

Competitive.

Interesting, so there's no packing on some more weight to fight in the heavier weight class as a fighter becomes more seasoned in the MMA game like they do in boxing?

One thing to realize about boxing is that the weight classes are like three pounds apart so moving up and down is a lot easier.

NorCal · Mar 9, 2009

If you are really going to fight competitively shouldn't you have a coach to answer these questions? He'll know your skills, body type, and size and have a better idea than all SF combined.

TyCooN · Mar 9, 2009

Originally Posted by NorCal

If you are really going to fight competitively shouldn't you have a coach to answer these questions? He'll know your skills, body type, and size and have a better idea than all SF combined.
Nah I don't do MMA. Been boxing for a few months. Seeing all that muscle on UFC made me wonder.

West24 · Mar 9, 2009

it all matters. in boxing many times losing weight a fighter dehydrates himself too much because they either didnt do it properly and had to kill themselves to make weight, or their body just isnt ment to work so hard at that low of a weight. also remember boxing is 12 rounds and not 3 or 5. so the later rounds can wear on someone who pushed to lose weight. on the other hand many boxers can walk around 20-25 pounds above their fighting weight, so going up a weight class may not hurt them as much. either way, its always best to have long lean muscles when you fight. being bulky is generally not good for a fighter.

Tck13 · Mar 9, 2009

Maybe when the extra weight starts to slow you down or if one needs to fight a long fight (higher rounds)...

I was scheduled to have my first Muay Thai fight (amateur) last year before a bunch of **** happened (lost job, injured in motorcycle accident) and I just remember my coach saying at the time that a stronger fighter (more muscular?) will have an advantage against someone smaller of the same skill level.

BUT, I also know that heavier fighters can get tired much quicker because of carrying extra muscle. They can be slower as well. So more muscle and weight would be bad for longer bouts.

West24 · Mar 9, 2009

for me i make sure to stay under 200 lbs to make sure i dont end up in super heavy weight. yeah most of them are fat and out of shape, but some of them are massive and hit hard as ****. my second fight i weighed about 195, the heavy weight division is 185-199, and the guy i fought was probably on the lighter end of the HW division. i spoke to him after the fight and he said he was trying to go down to a lighter weight because HW was too big for him. if i took boxing serious enough i would probably want to go below 185 as i would probably have even more of an advantage at that weight. so generally the lowest weight you can go to healthy is usually the best to fight at.

awxg · Mar 9, 2009

Originally Posted by TyCooN

Competitive.

Interesting, so there's no packing on some more weight to fight in the heavier weight class as a fighter becomes more seasoned in the MMA game like they do in boxing?

Packing in more muscle weight does lose some of its advantages the higher up you go. I'm sure Fedor knows the answer very well.

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