The human body has its limits and towards each extreme there are advantages and disadvantages. For example take a look at Olympic Weightlifters. The little guys lift much more in comparison to their bodyweight than the big guys. Does this mean the big guys are lazy? No, they’re only human.
To understand why fans will ask for an Open-Weight Tournament you have to look at the cultural meaning of martial arts. A martial art is more than just self-defense. It represents the Bruce Lee-like little guys who have the ability to be victorious over stronger and bigger opponents.
While the early-UFC showed the little guy, Royce Gracie, forcing fighters twice his size to submit, today’s MMA has evolved. The big guys don’t just depend on their strength. They also have skills comparable or even exceeding that of smaller opponents; just take a look at Fedor Emelianenko, who many see as the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world.
The important aspects of MMA can be argued to be: speed, strength, technique, and conditioning. Which one is the most important? Conditioning followed by technique then speed and lastly strength (Speed and strength can be reversed, but in truth a slow punch or a slow attempt at a submission is not going to get anyone anywhere).
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So you see, as the importance of an aspect decreases, its correlation to a large fighter increases. With equal skill a bout between a small fighter and a large fighter could theoretically end up being a long fight. But this is only speculation. Or is it?
C.B. Dollaway, granted he is only one weight class below “Rampage” Jackson, submitted him in a playful (or was it?) grappling match. http://www.spike.com/episode/27334/st/2981044
The question pops up of what would happen if two skilled opponents of different weight-classes really fought?
Lets take a look at the Pride Open-Weight Tournament. A true display of skill was seen when Wanderlei Silva a Light-Heavyweight defeated Kazuyuki Fujita, a heavyweight. Yes, the same Fujita who rocked the great Fedor Emelianenko. But again there was only one weight class difference between the two.
Ah, but I will trump thee with the Penn. B.J. Penn to be exact. BJ Penn has fought in weight classes as low as 155lbs and as high as the light heavyweight 205lbs, putting up an impressive fight against UFC’s future Light-Heavyweight contender in Lyoto Machida.
Now before you start screaming vulgarities at the computer screen, I want you to think about what it means to be in any specific weight class. Is Brock Lesnar really a heavyweight if he cuts 30 lbs to reach the 265lb maximum? Or what about Thiago Alves who reportedly walks around at 205lbs and cuts to 175lbs? Or even the overprotected Anderson Silva?
But what about those guys who really do belong to a very light weight class? Well I’m definitely not proposing Miguel Torres fight the likes of Hong Man Choi. All I want to know is who the best fighter is. Is that too much to ask for?
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2 months ago
It certainly is an intriging request to make. How about Penn and Hong Man Choi since Penn is the one defying weight classes and has the speed and agility to tie the big man up in knots like Jack the Giantkiller? I would love to see that fight and even a large mean bull can be paniced and run from the sting of a tiny bee.
2 months ago
I wish there were grand prix still. Boy would I like to see an OWGP in the UFC or some sort of organization but it is probably not something Dana White would be interested in because there could be to many unurpers to the guys hes been trying to market
2 months ago
That would be awsome, I also though the Idea of a UFC Grudge match would be good. Open weight classes so fighters who have a hate on for another fighter in a diff weight could have a go at it and pocket some $$$ as well. I'm sure it would make tons of cash.
2 months ago
I miss the open weight tournaments but, UFC will never do it so they say. The BJ vs Lyoto fight was a classic for me. You raise some good points and many of us feel the same way.
from 2 months ago
For those who haven't seen the Penn/Machida fight, it's still floating around on YouTube. Please watch that fight. BJ was at 195 while Lyoto came in at 215.
2 months ago
Open weight tourneys are great for the fans but wreak havoc to the rosters. Since its mostly top tier guys fighting you end up with 2-4 bare months following one of these as the fighters recuperate or fulfill medical suspensions. Which is why I doubt we'll ever see one in the UFC. Maybe a 2 weight class tourney but never a full open.
2 months ago
I have wished for at least one open weight tournament a year for some time now, knowing full well it would not be allowed by any athletic commission, but it is intriuging none the less. Imagine, GSP, Penn, The Spider, Lidell, Griffen (both of them), fightin for one championship. Nothing less than spectacular this would be. Alas it will never happen. I miss the old days of watching the tiny Gracie take a 45 minute beating from Severens only to tap him when he made a mistake. Or the aspect of conditioning necessary to accomplish a victory in a Pride style tournament. Those days are over though, and may never return to mainstream MMA. Fun food for thought though.
2 months ago
I miss the early days of the UFC when "2 MEN" enter the cage and just FIGHT. Unfortunately, no athletic comission in any of the 50 states will sanction one of these tournaments now. I'm not saying it won't happen. Since the UFC has gone global (UK, Ireland and Canada), they could possibly put together a card in Japan (they've done Japan before). There will be no shortage of ticket sales in Japan because we all know how big MMA is there and how passionate those fans are. And with an open-weight tourny on tap, PPV sales would explode. WOW, I just got excited.
2 months ago
The overseas aspect never really entered my mind. Good point Caesar. Maybe one day. Perhaps UFC 100, how cool would that be. The best of the best. Ive missed my calling as a UFC promotor. Crap.
from 2 months ago
Yeah, there's hope, yet, but I don't see Dana doing something like this. But I've been wrong a million times before, haha.
2 months ago
Dana hates open-weight tournaments. He's publicly bashed them numerous times in regards to the PRIDE tournaments, and as much as I'd love to see them happen, I highly doubt that they will.
2 months ago
IT will never happen. This is one of the compromises Dana White made to get the UFC sanctioned. This was one of the major points the anti-mma protesters were using to keep the UFC and MMA banned in the USA. Dana bashes it to keep them happy.
2 months ago
Never say never. Dream might do it(theyre not as closeminded as the UFC), if they survive long enough that is.
UFC most likely will not do it, because they put way too much value into each of their star fighters, having them fight and lose would be a catastrophe for the weight class.
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