# UFC exaggerates fighters' heights?



## Javelin (Dec 28, 2007)

Do you think the UFC exaggerates height measurements of some of their fighters because some guys just don't come off as how tall their billed height states. For ex, Hendo looks like he's 5'11 but stats sheets show him as 6'1, Nogueira who's 6'3 looked like he was about 4-5 inches taller than Hendo when they fought, Tim Sylvia looks more near 6'5-6'6 rather than 6'8 and Tito looks like he's 6'1 or 6'0 to me.

I mean has this been a known "thing" cause this would be all news to me if it was.


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## HexRei (Apr 27, 2007)

People's heights can vary. You will be taller in the morning than in the afternoon thanks to spinal compression, and your stance and posture also affect your height- whether you "stand up straight" for your measurement or not. For a tall person this can add or subtract an inch easily. And remember that they are usually rounding one way or the other, so even if someone is a half inch over 6'1" they might get recorded at 6'2".
Beyond that, sometimes there are clerical errors as well. There might even have been some doctoring of numbers in the past, but remember that the athletic commissions are recording this info as well now so I think they are being honest these days.

Sylvia really is like 6'8" though (watch his fight vs 6'"10" Gan McGee for a real perspective) he just hunches over a lot because almost everyone is a lot shorter than him.


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## doburg717 (Apr 25, 2008)

tim sylvia slouches when he fights, when standing up to get his hieght measured hes gna be taller just an idea on why some appear exagerated


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## Javelin (Dec 28, 2007)

Yeah but some fighters look shorter than their stats say even in the weigh ins and staredowns.










Silva listed as 6'2 looks like 2-3 inches taller than Hendo (listed 6'1) and Silva's slouching more than him.


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## xbrokenshieldx (Mar 5, 2007)

For other sports that exaggerates physical characteristics of athletes see-

Reference: Every professional sport


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## BoozeJockey (Apr 11, 2008)

Yeah, it's pretty commonly known that most if not all professional sports exaggerate the height of the athletes. 

The only sport that maybe doesn't is football because i think at the combine they measure the athlete's height down to like 1/8 of an inch, maybe even more accurate than that.


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## Javelin (Dec 28, 2007)

BoozeJockey said:


> Yeah, it's pretty commonly known that most if not all professional sports exaggerate the height of the athletes.
> 
> The only sport that maybe doesn't is football because i think at the combine they measure the athlete's height down to like 1/8 of an inch, maybe even more accurate than that.


Never really thought about the UFC until now since most of their fighters seemed up to size description but I've suspected couple of fight promotions of lying on paper and I think the NBA specs are pretty legit.


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## Greg (UK) (Apr 23, 2007)

Sports exaggerating stats? You mean Patrick Smith really wasn't 250-0 when he fought Ken 'Wayne!' Shamrock....


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## joey__stalin (Dec 31, 2006)

I think they exaggerate fighter's reach as well heh.


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## Rated (Nov 25, 2006)

The records are understandable since the fighter has probably fought in some smaller, unsanctioned fights that Sherdog is not aware of. With that being said, I find it extremely puzzeling to see that some fighter's UFC record has less losses than their Sherdog record. Like I can understand more wins, but how do you deduct losses?


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## Walker (May 27, 2007)

Yup- every sport does it. When Charles "the round mound of rebound" played in the NBA he was listed at 6' 8" when he is really around 6' 4" and Hakeem Olajuwon was listed as 7 footer and he wasn't more than 6' 10". NFL teams are terrible at weight as well, lineman routinely get bumped around 20 lbs. The super fatties in the NFL tend to get bumped down.


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## Ape City (May 27, 2007)

xbrokenshieldx said:


> For other sports that exaggerates physical characteristics of athletes see-
> 
> Reference: Every professional sport


That isn't a reference. :dunno: Think of a reference like a citation.

Here is an example of a reference:

GSP is listed by some websites as being 5"10.

reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georges_St._Pierre


The only instance where I have really questioned a fighters height is the ever-changing height of Anderson Silva...or is it Hendo...either way they did not look 1 inch off from each other at any point during that fight.


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## ballsagna (Sep 23, 2007)

Apecity said:


> That isn't a reference. :dunno:



right over your head


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## grapplegod (Jun 25, 2007)

Javelin said:


> Never really thought about the UFC until now since most of their fighters seemed up to size description but I've suspected couple of fight promotions of lying on paper and I think the NBA specs are pretty legit.



Nah the NBA is acually the worst...most 7 footers are acually around 6'10 Duncan,Ewing,Hakeem etc; I've met
Allen Iverson and there's no way he's 6'

Rich Franklin is every bit of 6'2 though.


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## Ape City (May 27, 2007)

ballsagna said:


> right over your head


Which part of it went over my head exactly? The part where you used bad grammar or the bad joke?

Are you impying that I did not understand your post was a joke? 

I obviously knew you were making a joke, I was just pointing out that you are using the word incorrectly, making your joke ineffective.

Let's try your joke with correct grammar:

For other sports that exaggerate physical characteristics of athletes see: every other sport.

Get it?

Or are you somehow making a joke using the word reference incorrectly?


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## BloodJunkie (Jun 18, 2007)

I can't speak on all the fighters but I have met a few and I dont think that their stats lie. 

I'm 6'3" and when I met Sylvia in Vegas he was every bit of 5" taller than me...it actually seemed like more than that. 

I also met Tito and he seemed like he was as tall as me ( and his head looked like a buffalo head!! haha )

I've also met some other fighters... Joe Riggs, Mayhem, Jake O'Brien, Hector Ramirez, Razor Rob, etc when I worked for their agent Ken Pavia ( I work for another company that Ken used to own ). I'm not sure what these guys are listed at though.


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## Ape City (May 27, 2007)

raymardo said:


> Heights are very inaccurate in the UFC. Matt Serra is actually 6' 7".


Finally, the truth is heard.


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## ballsagna (Sep 23, 2007)

Apecity said:


> Which part of it went over my head exactly? The part where you used bad grammar or the bad joke?
> 
> Are you impying that I did not understand your post was a joke?
> 
> ...


i did not post the message you responded to. What the poster was getting at was, in general, heights/weights/stats are exaggerated across ALL SPORTS. He was not intending to provide a link or citation. He was comparing how UFC is similar to all other professional sports.

You are giving me credit for a joke I did not make. Please learn to review and cite your quotes appropriately to avoid situations like this.

reference: how to cite a quote


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## wallysworld191 (Mar 28, 2007)

Javelin said:


> Do you think the UFC exaggerates height measurements of some of their fighters because some guys just don't come off as how tall their billed height states. For ex, Hendo looks like he's 5'11 but stats sheets show him as 6'1, Nogueira who's 6'3 looked like he was about 4-5 inches taller than Hendo when they fought, Tim Sylvia looks more near 6'5-6'6 rather than 6'8 and Tito looks like he's 6'1 or 6'0 to me.
> 
> I mean has this been a known "thing" cause this would be all news to me if it was.


shoguns like 5'11''
hendo is the same
randy couture isnt even six foot i dont think
gsp isnt 6 feet.
crocop was like an inch taller than igor (whos 5'8'') but they say hes 6'2'', yeah and im 7'

alot of their heights are way off.


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## Zuke (Sep 22, 2006)

Actually, when Anderson Silva first joined the UFC they underestimated his hieght by a longshot! In the Leben fight they said he was 5'11. He is actually 6'2 - 6'3. So they are not always overestimating.


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## Javelin (Dec 28, 2007)

wallysworld191 said:


> shoguns like 5'11''
> hendo is the same
> randy couture isnt even six foot i dont think
> gsp isnt 6 feet.
> ...


Shogun looked a lot shorter than Forrest Griffin in that fight, but he still looks around 6'0 (at least) to me, I think Couture is around 6'0 - 6'1. I'm pretty sure GSP's billed height is accurate at 5'10 and same with Cro Cop at 6'2. I think the UFC usually ups the heights by an inch or so but some fighters look way off.


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## Vangor (May 8, 2008)

They have Marcus Davis listed at 5'10", but he looks smaller than just about every guy he goes up against. He's about 5'8" max.


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## fullcontact (Sep 16, 2006)

You guys have to remember it is a very inaccurate to estimate different people's heights by watching UFC on pay per view..


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## MMAmatt (Apr 8, 2007)

considering im 6,0 and i stood right beside GSP and hes shorter than me my maybe an inch at most means to me they are right on.

why would they lie anyway.


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## wallysworld191 (Mar 28, 2007)

Ive met alot of the fighters, so im not really judging off of that.

i got a picture of couture next to someone under six foot, and they are pretty close to the same.


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## xeberus (Apr 23, 2007)

Greg (UK) said:


> Sports exaggerating stats? You mean Patrick Smith really wasn't 250-0 when he fought Ken 'Wayne!' Shamrock....


you mean snap, crackle and pop? lol xD


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## Ape City (May 27, 2007)

ballsagna said:


> i did not post the message you responded to. What the poster was getting at was, in general, heights/weights/stats are exaggerated across ALL SPORTS. He was not intending to provide a link or citation. He was comparing how UFC is similar to all other professional sports.
> 
> You are giving me credit for a joke I did not make. Please learn to review and cite your quotes appropriately to avoid situations like this.
> 
> reference: how to cite a quote


What exactly makes you think I had trouble understanding the meaning of the original post I quoted?

I was not refering to the fact he did not provide a link, I was merely stating the way the sentance was contructed was awkward, which affected the point he was trying to make. The way in which the OP phrased his comment was clearly making reference to the way Encyclopedias direct their readers. I was just being annoying and playing grammar police, which I admit I have no business doing most of the time. 

I did mistake you for the person who made the "joke", however.


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## Aaronyman (Mar 1, 2007)

not accusing anyone on this forum, but from my experience, people are pretty damn retarded when estimating people's heights.....

i am 5"9 1/2...and damnit there are some people that think i'm 5"7....some people think i'm 5"11.....i get it all the time....especially idiot canadians who grow up w/ the metric system and think they know how convert it to imperial just by guessing....


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## Ape City (May 27, 2007)

Most Canadians I know could not tell you their height in metric if their lives depended on it. We still use the archaic imperial system for a few things like height. It is mostly because really old people don't know the metric system so there has always been a trickle down effect. 

One day the US will join the rest of the world and use a base 10 math system and we won't have to deal with ridiculous calculations!


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## Aaronyman (Mar 1, 2007)

Apecity said:


> Most Canadians I know could not tell you their height in metric if their lives depended on it. We still use the archaic imperial system for a few things like height. It is mostly because really old people don't know the metric system so there has always been a trickle down effect.
> 
> One day the US will join the rest of the world and use a base 10 math system and we won't have to deal with ridiculous calculations!


hmmmm...i'd agree w/ most using the imperial system for heights....but i think we just understand the unit 'meter' and 'centimeter' and be able to put them to use in practice more than an inch or foot....

(keep in mind i'm 20 years old and grew up with the metric system :thumbsup


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## piratedanger (Sep 16, 2007)

Who knows, I am sure they do.
Action sports have been doing this since action sports started.

I remember for one of the promos last year they were calling Tim Sylvia 6'10.


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## Fedor>all (Oct 22, 2006)

It's like WCW/WWE. Back in the day, they touted the Big Show as 7'4", 500lbs. He's a big guy, but not THAT big.


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## rdrush (Mar 5, 2007)

joey__stalin said:


> I think they exaggerate fighter's reach as well heh.


well the problem with the reach is not that they exaggerate it but what they measure. I think they should do shoulder to finger tip cause that is more of your reach then finger tip to finger tip. You could have a huge fat guy with tiny arms and still have a 75 inch reach, thats the thing that bugs me about the reach stats.


"Originally Posted by Apecity 
Most Canadians I know could not tell you their height in metric if their lives depended on it. We still use the archaic imperial system for a few things like height. It is mostly because really old people don't know the metric system so there has always been a trickle down effect. 

One day the US will join the rest of the world and use a base 10 math system and we won't have to deal with ridiculous calculations! 

hmmmm...i'd agree w/ most using the imperial system for heights....but i think we just understand the unit 'meter' and 'centimeter' and be able to put them to use in practice more than an inch or foot....

(keep in mind i'm 20 years old and grew up with the metric system )"

I will tell you first hand, I am canadian and i have no fuckin clue how tall I am in centimeters. I do not know a single person that doesn't measure their height in feet and their weight in pounds.


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## Ape City (May 27, 2007)

Aaronyman said:


> hmmmm...i'd agree w/ most using the imperial system for heights....but i think we just understand the unit 'meter' and 'centimeter' and be able to put them to use in practice more than an inch or foot....
> 
> (keep in mind i'm 20 years old and grew up with the metric system :thumbsup


Oh ya, for sure! I am actually some sort of weird hybrid I think. For example, I can tell you my height in feet and inches, but I don't really know how long a yard is (3 feet or somthing?). If I measure anything longer than 1-2 feet I use metres...but anything short I use inches usually...but anything shorter than an inch I use mm and cm...oh man, I didn't realize how messed up I was! haha



rdrush said:


> well the problem with the reach is not that they exaggerate it but what they measure. I think they should do shoulder to finger tip cause that is more of your reach then finger tip to finger tip. You could have a huge fat guy with tiny arms and still have a 75 inch reach, thats the thing that bugs me about the reach stats.
> 
> 
> I will tell you first hand, I am canadian and i have no fuckin clue how tall I am in centimeters. I do not know a single person that doesn't measure their height in feet and their weight in pounds.



Ya the way they measure reach is a little bit odd. Can anyone else weigh in on this issue who fights? I am curious if anyone with experience has noticed whether or not "shorter" fighters with stout bodies actually have decent reach. 

For example, I am about 2-3 inches shorter than my younger brother, but when we measure reach from finger to finger I have an extra 1.5 inches on him (I have big shoulders). When we joke around and box/roll it seems like he may have a longer reach than me, which kinda doesn't make sense. 

Perhaps it is the typical MMA stance which is more square to your opponent than boxing?


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## Freelancer (Jul 5, 2007)

The metric system is far better because it's more precise. Us Europeans know it well. I always hated inaccurate height information about fighters. To this day I don't know how tall randy is. He's been listed from 6 to 6'2.


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## Chrisl972 (Oct 5, 2006)

I know that Sylvia is at least 6'8''. I've stood next to him and talked with him for about 10 minutes. That's a long enough time to gage. I'm 6'4'' and he was every bit four inches taller then I am. 

I was not amused when they had the commercial for his PPV with Couture and they were saying "6'10'' GIANT" that's a load of crap, but he is 6'8'' on any given day. 

Here's a picture that I have with Arlovski and as you can see, he and I are very close to the same height. 








]


This leads me to believe that, while they are not above exaggerating on occasion, most of the time they are pretty accurate.

I've met many fighters and no one really stood out ase being that much different from what they are listed as.


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## Ape City (May 27, 2007)

Chrisl972 said:


> I know that Sylvia is at least 6'8''. I've stood next to him and talked with him for about 10 minutes. That's a long enough time to gage. I'm 6'4'' and he was every bit four inches taller then I am.
> 
> I was not amused when they had the commercial for his PPV with Couture and they were saying "6'10'' GIANT" that's a load of crap, but he is 6'8'' on any given day.
> 
> ...



So jealous u got a pick with the Pit Bull! You actually look a tiiiiny bit taller than him!

Sorry for changing the subject but I really wanna find out when he will fight next, and for who! 

PS: Funkyou has the best siggy bet yet! hahah



Freelancer said:


> The metric system is far better because it's more precise. Us Europeans know it well. I always hated inaccurate height information about fighters. To this day I don't know how tall randy is. He's been listed from 6 to 6'2.


It would be pretty hard to fudge numbers if everyone used cm! Maybe we can get a revolution started!


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## Chrisl972 (Oct 5, 2006)

I think I was standing a little closer to the camera, but we were very close in height. Now with that said, I have lost a little weight since then, I'm back to having only one chin!!!:laugh:


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## Ape City (May 27, 2007)

pfff everyone knows double chins are where it's at! OK maybe I should hit the gym too...


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## Rolo1990 (Jan 23, 2020)

HexRei said:


> People's heights can vary. You will be taller in the morning than in the afternoon thanks to spinal compression, and your stance and posture also affect your height- whether you "stand up straight" for your measurement or not. For a tall person this can add or subtract an inch easily. And remember that they are usually rounding one way or the other, so even if someone is a half inch over 6'1" they might get recorded at 6'2".
> Beyond that, sometimes there are clerical errors as well. There might even have been some doctoring of numbers in the past, but remember that the athletic commissions are recording this info as well now so I think they are being honest these days.
> 
> Sylvia really is like 6'8" though (watch his fight vs 6'"10" Gan McGee for a real perspective) he just hunches over a lot because almost everyone is a lot shorter than him.


I think you'll find that mostly all of the UFC's fighters are listed at two inches above their actual heights. Tim Sylvia was 6'5/6'6 max in his younger days and Gan was not 6'10. Due to the UFC using wrong heights for everybody, they confuse us and even themselves. Matt Mitrione was listed at 6'2 in the NFL and he was listed at 6'3 in the UFC. When Matt fought Ben Rothwell (another 6'2 guy), the UFC changed his height to 6'4 because that was what Ben was listed at and both were identical at the weigh in. Heights in wrestling, the UFC, basketball etc are messed up big time, they need a system. There are dozens of wrong heights even today. Juan Adams and Greg Hardy are 6'3 at best though listed at 6'5, Schaub was listed at 6'5 and was 6'2.


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## Rolo1990 (Jan 23, 2020)

BloodJunkie said:


> I can't speak on all the fighters but I have met a few and I dont think that their stats lie.
> 
> I'm 6'3" and when I met Sylvia in Vegas he was every bit of 5" taller than me...it actually seemed like more than that.
> 
> ...


You're not 6'3, that's why. Measure yourself properly. If you're 6'2, you're not 6'3.


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## Rolo1990 (Jan 23, 2020)

Tito Ortiz is actually 6'1


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## Rolo1990 (Jan 23, 2020)

Rolo1990 said:


> You're not 6'3, that's why. Measure yourself properly. If you're 6'2, you're not 6'3.


Tito Ortiz is 6'1


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## Rolo1990 (Jan 23, 2020)

I'm 6'4 and 270lbs and immediately know if a height or weight is wrong


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## kantowrestler (Jun 6, 2009)

Well I'm 5'3 and most of the women listed as taller then me are indeed taller then me so I tend to believe them.


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## Rolo1990 (Jan 23, 2020)

kantowrestler said:


> Well I'm 5'3 and most of the women listed as taller then me are indeed taller then me so I tend to believe them.


Hi, just for kicks look at Google images for Arlovski v Rozenstruik - Rozenstruik is listed at 6'4 and Arlovski 6'3. Rozenstruik is clearly 4 inches smaller. There are many examples of the UFC getting heights wrong, you just need to get your head from where it has gone.


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## kantowrestler (Jun 6, 2009)

Really? I thought they were either the same height or that Rozenstruik was taller.


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## Trix (Dec 15, 2009)

Rolo1990 said:


> Hi, just for kicks look at Google images for Arlovski v Rozenstruik - Rozenstruik is listed at 6'4 and Arlovski 6'3. Rozenstruik is clearly 4 inches smaller. There are many examples of the UFC getting heights wrong, you just need to get your head from where it has gone.


Good point. 

You're thinking of Rozenstruik's last fight with Alistair Overeem though. Not Arlovski.


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## kantowrestler (Jun 6, 2009)

Oh I agree that Overeem was definitely taller then Rozenstruik, though I don't think he was four inches taller.


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## zalan.reilly (May 28, 2020)

Javelin said:


> Do you think the UFC exaggerates height measurements of some of their fighters because some guys just don't come off as how tall their billed height states. For ex, Hendo looks like he's 5'11 but stats sheets show Showbox him as 6'1, Nogueira who's 6'3 looked like he was about 4-5 inches taller than Hendo when they fought, Tim Sylvia looks more near 6'5-6'6 rather than 6'8 and Tito looks like he's 6'1 or 6'0 to me.
> 
> I mean has this been a known "thing" cause this would be all news to me if it was.


You mean Patrick Smith really wasn't 250-0 when he fought Ken 'Wayne!' Shamrock....


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## kantowrestler (Jun 6, 2009)

I think records like Patrick Smith's were one of several reasons why internet databases like Sherdog were created.


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## Trix (Dec 15, 2009)

Dan "The Beast" Severn's MMA record needs more recognition.

Would also be interested to know if Nikita Krylov holds the record for most professional MMA fights in 1 year for that one year he got more than 10 in.


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## kantowrestler (Jun 6, 2009)

Depends on if we include one night tournaments considering that back in the old days working multiple of those would rack up quite a number of fights in one year. As for Dan Severn I agree that he has quite a record with over 100 wins and he actually surpasses Nikita Krylov's record of 10 in one year, he had 12 matches in 2004.


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## Trix (Dec 15, 2009)

Nikita Krylov did 13 professional MMA fights in 2012.






Nikita


Nikita Krylov breaking news and and highlights for UFC Fight Night 220 fight vs. Ryan Spann, with official Sherdog mixed martial arts stats, photos, videos, and more for the Light Heavyweight fighter from Ukraine.




www.sherdog.com





That's the record as far as I know.


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## kantowrestler (Jun 6, 2009)

Actually Travis Wiuff has that beaten at 16 matches in 2003.


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## Trix (Dec 15, 2009)

kantowrestler said:


> Actually Travis Wiuff has that beaten at 16 matches in 2003.



Good find.

I bet Ariel Helwani does not know that. Hahaha.


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## kantowrestler (Jun 6, 2009)

Did Ariel Helwani say it was Nikita Krylov?


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## Trix (Dec 15, 2009)

No.

The way Ariel "Highway to" Helwani interviews people is like he's interrogating them at times. Asking the same question multiple times, rephrased in different ways.

Maybe Travis Wiuff competing 16 times in 2003 is the "valuable information" Ariel is searching for, when he does interviews.


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## kantowrestler (Jun 6, 2009)

Well Ariel Helwani comes from an old school journalistic background and one of the methods to questioning in old school journalism is what sounds like interrogation. Ironically though I was also instructed in old school journalism which is not to use anonymous sources if they aren't willing to go on the record. Also report just the facts.


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## Trix (Dec 15, 2009)

I'm waiting for Ariel Helwani to be photographed digging through trash bins outside MMA fighters homes, trying to get his inside scoop. Hahaha I'm kidding. I just think its funny.


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## kantowrestler (Jun 6, 2009)

Does anybody even do that nowadays? I don't think reporters are anywhere near that desperate for information considering how easy information is to access online. Ariel Helwani is usually the type who will look at stuff online before he digs through trash.


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## Trix (Dec 15, 2009)

I'm just kidding, bro. 

I respect Ariel for doing his homework and following the sport more closely than most.


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## kantowrestler (Jun 6, 2009)

Yeah he is a rare breed of reporter that just doesn't exist nowadays and as Dana White pointed out, the sports news outlets don't rank MMA highly so doing damage to the sport will result in their not having a job. Ariel is always about the sport first. I met the guy once and he's an extremely nice guy.


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## kirapodocumira (6 mo ago)

This shouldn't be a surprise that UFC exaggerates a fighter's height or even weight in some cases. Accessing this information online will be pretty hard, if not impossible, in some situations. When I went with a friend to watch a match, I saw someone using Height Comparison - Comparing Heights Visually With Chart or something like that to compare the height between the fighters. I don't think he was able to figure anything out, but I understand his idea and the reason why he did it. That is rare for reporters who want to know the actual numbers because people rarely care about it.


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## kantowrestler (Jun 6, 2009)

Well they exaggerate the fighters weight every single fight because by the time they're talking into the cage they're 15-20 pounds heavier then they were at the weigh-ins.


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## Trix (Dec 15, 2009)

Some want their opponents to think they will be heavier and taller on fight night.

Than they actually are.


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## kantowrestler (Jun 6, 2009)

Well I think one can tell how heavy someone is when they walk into the cage.


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## timothysmith9 (Aug 24, 2021)

That is very interesting. I think they used to do that but it is not that common now.


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## kantowrestler (Jun 6, 2009)

Yeah somethings have been done away with.


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