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Really ?

I don't see how. Mir weighs about 255 without cutting, and he's really got little fat on his body to lose. He's still a talented HW that had poor gameplans against guys stronger than him.

First he tries bulking up, now he wants to cut to 205.

I think Brock Lesnar ruined this guy's life.

Mir is fairly lean at 240. I don't think he could make it to 205. Probably 225.

Although he did look pretty small in the interview that he made the statement in.

He should look at what happened to Roy Jones Jr when he went from heavyweight( a small one at that) to back to 175...

MORE DIVISIONS

185-205 and 205-265...that's only three divisions over an 80 pound span.

In boxing, muscle and bulk rarely helps...only rare guys can pull off the body builder physique and be effective. So having a large net for the HWs is OK. But in MMA, guys can be effective at those heavier weights. It would be OK to have a division between 205 and 265.

Posey H8er wrote:I don't see how. Mir weighs about 255 without cutting, and he's really got little fat on his body to lose. He's still a talented HW that had poor gameplans against guys stronger than him.

He's got plenty of fat to lose.

CBR... 50 lbs is still 50 lbs...

cowboyronnie wrote:MORE DIVISIONS

185-205 and 205-265...that's only three divisions over an 80 pound span.

In boxing, muscle and bulk rarely helps...only rare guys can pull off the body builder physique and be effective. So having a large net for the HWs is OK. But in MMA, guys can be effective at those heavier weights. It would be OK to have a division between 205 and 265.

Posey H8er wrote:I don't see how. Mir weighs about 255 without cutting, and he's really got little fat on his body to lose. He's still a talented HW that had poor gameplans against guys stronger than him.

He's got plenty of fat to lose.

They need a cruiser-weight division at 220 or 225. Maybe in a couple years when the talent of the HW division deepens enough to be split.

Ya, I've been thinking that for awhile.
A 220 or 225 division would be great, but would water down the heavyweights even more.

More divisions is a good idea... eventually. The HW division is only just now gaining any sort of semblance of depth. You don't undermine that by adding more weight classes and diluting them all when the talent pool can't yet support it.

I think the UFC is close to being able to do that. It wouldn't just be HWs going down, I'm sure there are some LHWs who would welcome to opportunity to fight at 225. Another year may be long enough. And if it isn't done by the time Strikeforce starts falling apart (maybe it will, maybe it won't) then that could definitely make it happen.

I understand it dilutes. But, as fans, we should be advocating on behalf of the fighters not the organization. It could entirely make or break certain fighters careers - there are talented fighters unfit for either 205 or 185, needing a middle division, and there are fighters unfit to bang with the 265ers (esp the "265ers" cutting down to 265!) who are yet too big for 205.

That 60 pound gap is only becoming more ridiculous as Carwin, Lesnar, etc take over the division.

And not only are we losing out on some potentially dominant fighters, so is the UFC. If 230ers can no longer contend, the UFC has lost them as marketable fighters and are diluting their own talent pool. Nog, Mirko and Arlovski are all 'older breeds' who have had major trouble with the new breeds. Think of the guys we may never have heard of because they didn't get a chance to make their name prior to Brock, Carwin, Big Foot, etc.

Great posts guys, definitely an interesting topic. Eventually this will need to happen, the timing of such a split will be tricky though. I think the urgency of addressing this matter (from UFC's perspective) will depend on how JDS and Cain perform against big guys like Brock and Carwin.

cowboyronnie wrote:I understand it dilutes. But, as fans, we should be advocating on behalf of the fighters not the organization. It could entirely make or break certain fighters careers - there are talented fighters unfit for either 205 or 185, needing a middle division, and there are fighters unfit to bang with the 265ers (esp the "265ers" cutting down to 265!) who are yet too big for 205.

That 60 pound gap is only becoming more ridiculous as Carwin, Lesnar, etc take over the division.

And not only are we losing out on some potentially dominant fighters, so is the UFC. If 230ers can no longer contend, the UFC has lost them as marketable fighters and are diluting their own talent pool. Nog, Mirko and Arlovski are all 'older breeds' who have had major trouble with the new breeds. Think of the guys we may never have heard of because they didn't get a chance to make their name prior to Brock, Carwin, Big Foot, etc.

I agree that there needs to be a new division here, but it has to be handled carefully or you could end up with paper champions. A lot of people like to hate on fighters who can't cut the mustard dropping into a new weight class and this is basically the same thing.

Of everyone who might be interested in fighting at 225, who do you guys think would be "The Man." I have always thought Mir was overrated, but I'm having a hard time finding a better fighter. By the time a change happens I'm not sure Couture, Cro Cop, or Nog will have anything left. Maybe a 225 division would rejuvenate Rampage? Arlovski's ghost, Vera, Kongo, Barry, Struve, and Werdum are candidates to switch, but none of them strike me as champions. Gonzaga might cut even though he's not really undersized. I'm sure I'm forgetting some other solid fighters who could use a change of scenery.

High 5 wrote:Of everyone who might be interested in fighting at 225, who do you guys think would be "The Man." I have always thought Mir was overrated, but I'm having a hard time finding a better fighter. By the time a change happens I'm not sure Couture, Cro Cop, or Nog will have anything left. Maybe a 225 division would rejuvenate Rampage? Arlovski's ghost, Vera, Kongo, Barry, Struve, and Werdum are candidates to switch, but none of them strike me as champions. Gonzaga might cut even though he's not really undersized. I'm sure I'm forgetting some other solid fighters who could use a change of scenery.

JDS, Cain and King Mo?

Anderson Silva could arguably be champion in three weight classes if this occurred.

cgf wrote:

High 5 wrote:Of everyone who might be interested in fighting at 225, who do you guys think would be "The Man." I have always thought Mir was overrated, but I'm having a hard time finding a better fighter. By the time a change happens I'm not sure Couture, Cro Cop, or Nog will have anything left. Maybe a 225 division would rejuvenate Rampage? Arlovski's ghost, Vera, Kongo, Barry, Struve, and Werdum are candidates to switch, but none of them strike me as champions. Gonzaga might cut even though he's not really undersized. I'm sure I'm forgetting some other solid fighters who could use a change of scenery.

JDS, Cain and King Mo?

I forgot King Mo has fought at HW. He's a good option. JDS and Cain might feel differently after they fight Carwin/Lesnar, but right now they seem happy and confident at HW.

I don't think you would find many LHWs moving up to 225. Yes, a lot of them probably weigh 225 or more on fight night, but guys usually fight at the lowest weight class they can make. It's not like a 225 pound division would stop people from cutting weight. Why would someone who usually fights at 205 (225) want to fight someone who is 240, 245, 250, or more on fight night?

Saying it dilutes the divisions isn't advocating for the organization, it's advocating for our own entertainment. I don't want to see the same guys fight each other over and over, nor do I want to lose out on fights that we wouldn't get because of this change.