Mma weight classes ufc

Since then, the promotion has made waves and effectively taken over MMAbreeding some of the UFC's biggest stars with the weight system combined with rankings allowing for the best fights to be made, mma weight classes ufc. There are strict regulations mma weight classes ufc place to ensure that fighters are able to get to their optimum weight safely, and the implementation of weight classes in the UFC attempts to ensure that everyone competes on an even playing field. And here is everything you need to know about the weight classes and what their limits are in both pounds and kilograms. The category was introduced by the UFC and has been a thriving category with fighters able to compete between lb and the upper limit of lb.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship UFC is the biggest mixed martial arts promotion in the world with an estimated value of billion dollars. The promotion came into being in , and it has since revolutionized the fighting business. The UFC started its journey with an eight-man open weight tournament at UFC 1, but as the promotion grew popular, it started adding weight classes to its roster. The heavyweight and light heavyweight divisions were introduced first in , followed by the welterweight division in Three years later in , the promotion announced the lightweight and middleweight divisions.

Mma weight classes ufc

Mixed martial arts weight classes are weight classes that pertain to the sport of mixed martial arts. Prior to state sanctioning, weight classes were not mandatory since the competitions were held without the approval of the athletic commissions. For instance, the Ultimate Fighting Championship introduced two weight classes at UFC 12 : heavyweight, which grouped competitors above lb 91 kg , and lightweight, which grouped competitors under lb. Weight classes underwent many changes in the ensuing years, but the ability of promotions to autonomously decide their own weight classes eventually disappeared after athletic commissions began supervising mixed martial arts. The California State Athletic Commission had worked extensively on regulation, but their sanctioning of MMA was not implemented due to state governmental issues surrounding the process. Since then, to create uniformity, all state commissions in the United States that regulate mixed martial arts have assimilated these rules into their existing unarmed combat competition rules and statutes. For a promotion to hold mixed martial arts events in a state-sanctioned venue, the promotion must abide by the state athletic commission's body of rules for weight limits. The Unified Rules designate limits for fourteen different weight classes in mixed martial arts; all definitions and measurements are in pounds. With no state or government laws regarding weight class restrictions, organizations in other countries are free to schedule bouts with little regard for weight differential. However, due to the increasingly competitive and international nature of the sport, weight limits have been set by the promotions themselves, usually in alignment with the Unified Rules, as maintaining standard weight classes is seen as fair and standard for all competitors. Singapore-based ONE Championship banned weight-cutting by dehydration in December and holds fights based on a competitor's "walking weight", rather than pre-fight weigh-ins. Weight limits in women's MMA mostly follow the Unified Rules' limits, but organizations that recognize women's championships usually only have titles at the lower end of the table. UFC, for example, recognizes women's titles in the strawweight , flyweight , bantamweight and featherweight classes.

In the final against John Dodson, Johnson survived a couple of scares before winning via a unanimous decision. Fighters with diverse abilities can be extremely successful — for example, Ronda Rousey was equally effective with heavy punches as she was with her trademark armbar. Since it would be of no use for us to describe all the categories, mma weight classes ufc, I shall present them to you in one table, which is pretty self-explanatory:.

Like all martial arts and combat sports, the UFC has several weight categories called divisions. In mixed martial arts, a weight class is a competition division that matches fighters against each other at their size. As we know, the primary purpose of weight categories is to equalize the battlefield and enable relatively similar opponents to face each other without anyone having a clear-cut advantage over the other. In this article, I will present to you the UFC weight divisions, as well as all the champions for each of them. There are not many — 8 for men and 4 for women — but that does not make it less attractive. Since it would be of no use for us to describe all the categories, I shall present them to you in one table, which is pretty self-explanatory:. The primary purpose of UFC weight classes is to equalize the playing field and enable relatively similar opponents to face each other without having a clear-cut advantage.

In mixed martial arts, athletes compete in weight classes where they must weigh in at or around a specific weight the day before their fight at the UFC official weigh-ins. The UFC currently has 12 weight classes, all that require fighters to weigh in under a desired limit. Generally, fighters try to weigh in at the exact limit so they can lose the least amount of weight during the weight cutting process while still meeting the required number on the scale. Failure to reach the required weight results in either the athlete forfeiting a percentage of their fight purse to their opponent, an agreement between the two athletes to compete at a non-weight class specific weight catchweight or having the fight cancelled altogether. UFC official weigh-ins are held the day before fight night and require athletes to weigh-in between 9am and 11am local time. Sound confusing? So here is everything you need to know to understand UFC weight classes:. In , former strawweight champion Carla Esparza defeated Rose Namajunas to become the inaugural champion.

Mma weight classes ufc

While there are potentially several more weight classes UFC could use from the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts , these are the nine only that they stick with. Weight classes are needed to ensure a fair competition between two fighters. Though there can be a secret tenth weight class, known as Catchweight — so keep reading to learn more about it. In terms of viewership, research suggests that pay-per-view buyers are most interested in watching Heavyweight fights. This most likely is a remnant from Boxing fans who are used to paying the biggest bucks to get access to the biggest fights. And sometimes that means literally! Women are physically different than men as they are smaller in size, frame, and weight. Potentially, an Atomweight or other similar weight class could be added in the future. But there needs to be enough fighters and enough demand to support it. There are a total of fourteen weight classes possible in mixed martial arts that other promotions can use.

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Although Oliveira managed to win by submission in the first round, the belt remained vacant. Inaugural champion: Demetrious Johnson Demetrious Johnson ruled the UFC flyweight division for nearly a decade, taking out one challenger after another. Discover the best sites for betting on UFC matches:. There are strict regulations in place to ensure that fighters are able to get to their optimum weight safely, and the implementation of weight classes in the UFC attempts to ensure that everyone competes on an even playing field. Watch the Video. Bisping successfully defended his title once before being scheduled to fight the returning welterweight superstar Georges St-Pierre. Zhang Weili is a two-time strawweight champion and she submitted Carla Esparza to kickstart her second title reign at UFC Spreading a thin field across two many weight classes would harm the integrity of the contest — resulting in many mismatches and uncompetitive fights. Jan Blachowicz, which ended in a draw. Among other things, these seriously heavy athletes are less durable than the wiry lower-weight athletes over time, which is partly why we have seen the heavyweight title change hands so many times. For nearly six years, Valentina Shevchenko dominated the flyweight division, dispatching one contender after another. Nevertheless, the fights between the two were by no means walk-overs, as Cormier found ways to affect Jones, even if he could not emerge victorious. Despite his at times unorthodox striking, Jones is also an extremely competent wrestler and a versatile fighter.

Rankings were generated by a voting panel made up of media members.

Watching a welterweight fight, you are equally as likely to see bodyslams and seriously damaging punches and kicks as proficient wrestling. Generally, fighters try to weigh in at the exact limit so they can lose the least amount of weight during the weight cutting process while still meeting the required number on the scale. Three years later in , the promotion announced the lightweight and middleweight divisions. Aljamain Sterling is the current UFC bantamweight champion. In addition, he has a YouTube channel where he talks about his love of esports, one of the fastest-growing fields in the world. So here is everything you need to know to understand UFC weight classes:. He studied print and broadcast journalism at Humber College and has been a lifelong fan of the sport of hockey and the NHL. McGregor won via majority decision, setting up another shot at the lightweight title, now held by Alvarez. Middleweight fights see the balance tip more towards boxing and striking, and slightly away from wrestling. In , former division champion Deiveson Figueiredo was scheduled to fight in a flyweight championship bout against Joseph Benavidez. Ryan Bristlon is a Canadian writer currently residing in Hamilton, Ontario. Zhang Weili is a two-time strawweight champion and she submitted Carla Esparza to kickstart her second title reign at UFC Most successful champion: Valentina Shevchenko For nearly six years, Valentina Shevchenko dominated the flyweight division, dispatching one contender after another. Lesnar beat Couture via TKO in the second round and just like that, Couture had lost the belt for the third and final time.