MMAPredictions

It’s funny. We’re often made to believe, especially in the United States, that bigger always means better. Why get a 16 ounce soda when you can upgrade it to 32 ounces for almost nothing? You won’t drink it all, and certainly don’t need it, but we’re told that bigger is just inherently better.

Most knowledgeable mixed martial arts fans would agree that as a whole, there is not really any comparison between MMA’s version of the supersized, the heavyweight division and well, any other division. It offers less bang for the buck on almost all counts. To be sure, it does contain an interesting and exciting fighter like Fedor Emelianenko. Yes, he is exciting. Yes, he is dominant. But can you name three or four other fighters in the heavyweight division who you can describe that way?

Here’s a quick breakdown of the different weight divisions for those who need a recap:

• Flyweight: under 125 lbs.
• Bantamweight: from 125 lbs. to 135 lbs.
• Featherweight: from 135 lbs. to 145 lbs.
• Lightweight: from 145 lbs. to 155 lbs.
• Welterweight: from 155 lbs. to 170 lbs.
• Middleweight: from 170 lbs. to 185 lbs.
• Light Heavyweight: from 185 lbs. to 205 lbs.
• Heavyweight: from 205 lbs. to 265 lbs.
• Super Heavyweight: over 265 lbs.

Currently, no large MMA promotions use the Super Heavyweight division nor the Flyweight division. World Extreme Cagefighting, aka the WEC, does hold matches for featherweight fighters.

In considering which division holds the most excitement for fans, one has to back up for a moment and ask what weight grouping has the most talent to draw from? As there are less humans who walk around over 200 pounds, it’s less likely one will find a really large and talented number of people in that division who choose to train MMA for a living. So what weight groups have the largest pool of people to draw from? The average adult male is about 5′10″ tall (at least in the USA), and when healthy is around 170 pounds. It is around these numbers that a much larger number of people can be found in mixed martial arts, because there’s a much larger number of people like this doing, well, just about anything. There’s just more of them.

With the most talent to draw from, lower weight classes like the lightweight division will be the showcase for the best mixed martial artists as it is in boxing. For a while, fans did not even have the option to watch fights in major organizations at this weight. After a long hiatus caused when Jens Pulver walked away from his UFC lightweight title belt, the UFC brought back the lightweight division. Luckily we can now find the agile, and skilled fighters again in action in many places.

Urijah Faber	Chris Horodecki	Hermes Franca

What do you think? Is the lightweight division where we’ll likely see the best MMA action? Speak your mind in the comments below or on our MMA Forums! Oh, and to be fair, yes, I too get the biggest soda offered to me. It doesn’t make sense, but I do.

- Caleb