All this jumping around is giving me a headache!

Phew. Someone had to say it. Lately fighters have been bouncing up, down, and around in different weight classes, hoping to attain some kind of glory. Most recently Conor McGregor and Benson Henderson tried their best at the 170 lbs Welterweight division coming up from Featherweight and Lightweight respectively. All though it may have been a brave and bold move on both men’s parts, ultimately it was a foolhardy and frankly stupid decision. There’s a reason that weight classes exist in the first place. If you face off against a fighter with similar skills, but has 15 to 30 lbs on you come fight night, then it’s a fair bet that the lighter combatant is likely to come out the loser. MMA isn’t boxing after all. Where in boxing you may have the chanc e to get away with competing in multiple different weight classes, MMA is a different beast entirely, mostly because of the wrestling and grappling aspects of the sport. The heavier fighter is always going to have the advantage. If they are a striking based fighter their takedown defense is going to be considerably enhanced. If the heavier fighter is a wrestler then they’ll likely have the ability to ragdoll a lighter opponent. So what’s the solution to this issue of weight difference? Don’t compete at a higher weight class! Ambition is great and certainly has it’s place in sports, but Benson Henderson’s fight last Friday against Bellator Welterweight champion Andrey Koreshkov proved that a smaller fighter when faced with a heavier fighter of equal skill will always struggle. It something that can’t be avoided and if men like McGregor and Henderson want to build a long lasting and respectable legacy for themselves then they should fight at their own weight class, completely dominate the opposition, then consider a potential move up in weight. Short of doing that, winning against heavier opponents is likely to just be a pipe dream. Do you think fighters should cut weight or fight at their natural weight? Follow Generation Iron MMA on Facebook and Twitter. Also, be sure to share, like, and comment to show your support.

Jonathan Salmon is a writer, martial arts instructor, and geek culture enthusiast. Check out his Twitter and Facebook to keep up with his antics.