# Choosing a Weight Class



## TraMaI (Dec 10, 2007)

Okay so I've been training for MMA for over a year (almost two) and I'm almost ready to go into local shows. Originally I wanted to fight at WW, but since I've been training hard for the past couple months I've cut a lot more weight than I expected. As of right now I walk around at 170 and probably have somewhere between 10-7% body fat (judging from a few articles I've seen and my physique, my abs show but aren't totally defined, my arms are toned but not "ripped"). I'm 6' even and I'm wondering if I should just cut down to LW or if I should put on more muscle? For those of you who do fight, how did you pick your weight class? Did you just stay where you landed? Thanks for the help


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## dontazo (Feb 29, 2008)

cutting 25 pounds is brutal ... fight IN WW imo


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## Fedor>all (Oct 22, 2006)

This probably sounds really gay, but have you got any pics?

How do you fare against guys the same weight as you in the gym? If they're bigger than you, and it really makes a dramatic impact on how your perform, then cutting may be your best (and toughest) option if you want to be successful.

Thanks for posting this thread though, I've been wondering the same thing.


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## kamikaze145 (Oct 3, 2006)

I would say start off at WW and get some experience, if you are having problems with people's strength and size and not just technical problems then consider the drop to LW


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## Tripod87 (Dec 30, 2007)

Well if you're at 170 7-10% body fat at 170 pounds, you can probably lose a permanent 2 pounds of fat or so to be around 168. From there, depending if you have actual weight cutting experience (high school wresting as an example), then I would definitely cut down to LW. 13-15 pounds isn't easy, but it's definitely doable if you're willing to sacrifice.

If you do plan on staying at WW though, I really do think you need to seriously bulk up, not so much for the weight issue, but for the strength issue. 6' 170 pounds is relatively small (especially for a fighter). I would shoot for gaining 5 pounds of pure muscle, obviously targetting your core, back and hips the most. I'm not trying to offend you by saying your small or anything, just trying to help you out and let you know what I think about the routes you should go.

Honestly, going either weight class is an option, and one choice is not better than the other choice. But whichever you choose, you will have to sacrifice and work, whether it is cutting weight or gaining weight. Good luck!


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## ManofAction (Oct 29, 2007)

I say go with LW, you will probably have a good reach advantage on most of them. Work the Jab!


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## TraMaI (Dec 10, 2007)

My trainer fights at LW and he's 6'2''.. 

As far as in my gym, I train with about 5 other guys regularly. One is about 165 (fights LW) and I can toss him around easy. Another is around 195-205, and I can beat him fairly easy too, but he's nowhere near my skill (not trying ot be cocky, its the truth, kids been training for almost 3 months). The other guy I actuall have trouble beating is between 175-185. He's probably at about 7-10% too, and he has a shit load of muscle. He's easily stronger than me and almost at my skill level and learnign very quickly. There are a couple others who come out, but they're fairly raw so I don't count them as real competition (ones around 145, the other is another LHW). I have no problrm strength wise with any of them, I think I match up with the MW almost evenly in the strength department. I don't know if that helps anything (fairly random set of data) but yeah...


@tripod:

I'm not taking any offense to any of that, thanks  But one question, how is 6' 170 small for a fighter? I believe GSP is 5'10'' or somethign like that? I also have a fairly stocky build, broad shoulders from when I used to play football. 

I also dont know how much this means but I THINK I have fairly long arms. I have about two inches of reach on my trainer (6'2'' guy), and there's a guy who's roughly 6'4'' I went to school with and we're about even.


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## MJB23 (Jan 26, 2007)

Do you have any prior weight cutting experience like high school wrestling?

If you do then I would cut to 155. 

If not then stay at 170 for a match or two and see how you do there. If you're having trouble dealing with your opponents size then I would try to cut down to 155. 

Ultimately it comes down to what you are comfortable at. If you are comfortable fighting at 170 then stay at 170 and try to gain some more muscle. If you think you can make the cut to 155 in a healthy way then cut but you have to listen to your body and if you can't cut that much weight don't do it.


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## Tripod87 (Dec 30, 2007)

TraMaI said:


> My trainer fights at LW and he's 6'2''..
> 
> As far as in my gym, I train with about 5 other guys regularly. One is about 165 (fights LW) and I can toss him around easy. Another is around 195-205, and I can beat him fairly easy too, but he's nowhere near my skill (not trying ot be cocky, its the truth, kids been training for almost 3 months). The other guy I actuall have trouble beating is between 175-185. He's probably at about 7-10% too, and he has a shit load of muscle. He's easily stronger than me and almost at my skill level and learnign very quickly. There are a couple others who come out, but they're fairly raw so I don't count them as real competition (ones around 145, the other is another LHW). I have no problrm strength wise with any of them, I think I match up with the MW almost evenly in the strength department. I don't know if that helps anything (fairly random set of data) but yeah...
> 
> ...


Well, you actually kind of proved my point heh. You have to remember that GSP probably walks around at 185-190 and is only 5'10". Same with guys like hughes who is even shorter, but still walk at/around that weight. So the fact that you walk around at ~15 pounds under them _and_ are taller than them by ~2-3 inches does imply you are quite small for your height. Now of course I don't expect you to be like those guys, they are professionals. But you do need to gain some more muscle mass to fight at 170 imo.


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## Zuke (Sep 22, 2006)

Here's a crazy idea:

Instead of asking a bunch of guys on a forum. As your coach!! See the guys you train with and make an educated guess. Go see a professional. This is not shit to ask a bunch of 19yr olds on the net.


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## SuzukS (Nov 11, 2006)

dontazo said:


> cutting 25 pounds is brutal ... fight IN WW imo


Dude Lightweight is 155lbs and so he'd actually be cutting 15lb which isn't so bad. 



TraMaI said:


> I'm not taking any offense to any of that, thanks But one question, how is 6' 170 small for a fighter? I believe GSP is 5'10'' or somethign like that?



Yes GSP is only about 5'10" but he cuts from about >190lbs if I'm not mistaken, which would really make him a fairly big welterweight. Regardless, I'm sure there wouldn't be too many guys cutting serious weight in the smaller shows so it shouldn't be so much of a problem at this stage, obviously if you turn pro and fight at some of the more bigger promotions then you'd likely face guys who cut a serious amount of weight and at that stage you'd likely want to consider cutting to lightweight. Until then, I'd recommend fighting at welterweight and seeing how you fare against those fighters and decide whether to cut or not after that. Perhaps the best option is to ask your instructor. It doesn't sound like a lot of guys here actually do that, but you should ask him what he thinks you should do.


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## mma17 (Jun 4, 2007)

I would actually get an exact reading of your body fat percentage so your not guessing, but your probably pretty close in your guess of 7-10%.


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## TraMaI (Dec 10, 2007)

Well the guess is just an estimation from the wiki article on body fat precentage. It probably would help to get an exact reading lol.

I get what you guys mean about me being small now though. I totally forgot GSP walks at like 190. I walk around at like 180-85 though, but I've just beentraining really hard lately so I got my weight down around there. I'll seriously consider cutting to LW though, it's been a factor I've been thinking about a lot latel, as most of the lightweights around here are around 5'6'' or so. Remember too, this is just local shit, not anything too big so the competition isnt anything astounding. There's ONE gym in the town next to the events and I went up there and beat quite a few of them fairly easily too, so the competition level isnt al that high. Although there is a gym up north (I think they come from Battle Creek, Michigan) who seem pretty ******* serious, but mostly its an open event. Meaning people can (and do) walk in and get a fight. After about 3 or 4 fights there I'm going to try and get better fights, just testing the waters right now and seeing if I can do this as well as I think I can. Thanks for all the advice though guys 


And lastly, to the guy who poasted on the last page telling me to ask a coach. I have, he told me to fight were I feel comfortable. And a lot of these "Ninteen year olds on he net" know a hell of a lot about MMA and I'm guessing (hoping) that about 30% of thee people who post regularly on here actually fight


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## CopperShark (May 13, 2006)

Personally, I'd fight at what you are comfortable at.. 

Unless you are like me, and you like to fight the big guys! 

I come up in weight as much as I can.


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## truebluefan (Oct 22, 2007)

Restoring the thread


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## kantowrestler (Jun 6, 2009)

*Cutting*

Compared to what some of theses guys cut, 15 pounds is not bad. You think of guys like Forrest Griffin or Anderson Silva who cut down over 20 pounds to get to their weightclasses, and how they do that without killing themselves I don't know, 15 pounds is not bad. Randy Couture does that to get to lightheavyweight and he looks just fine!


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## Uchaaa (Apr 22, 2007)

You are not a pro fighter, dont hurt your body. I would recommend you to fight at ww.


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## Drogo (Nov 19, 2006)

It depends on how serious you plan on being with this. If you want to really try to go far then you want to win every fight. Any loss is a setback. If that is the case then it is easy, if you can cut to LW, do it. Being larger than your opponent is always an advantage. If you have no intention of making a career out of this then cutting 15lbs (or more) is a needless strain on your body. 

And GSP didn't walk around at 190+, for the majority of his career he walked around at 185 so he was only cutting 15lbs. It is only recently that he has been trying to get his weight up, presumably for a move to MW, and now he is walking around at about 200.


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## kantowrestler (Jun 6, 2009)

*Bodily Harm*

If all the wrestlers who have cut weight, including myself, thought about the fact that this wasn't going to be their career, they would've done it! And that doesn't even include wrestlers from past decades who cut much more weight than wrestlers nowadays because of weight cutting regulations. There really should be regulations at the higher level, but no one has died from cutting weight for MMA yet so they probably won't until they do.


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