There will be a lot more Rumble in the Octagon than we’re used to seeing at UFC 142 on Saturday.
Former welterweight standout Anthony (Rumble) Johnson will make his middleweight debut against Vitor Belfort on Saturday after deciding the 40-pound weight cut down to 170 pounds was too tasking.
It’s common to see fighters drop down a weight class in order to seek any competitive advantage they can, but it’s not too often a fighter decides to move up in weight.
Johnson believes the move to 185 pounds will leave him with more energy on fight night and that he will be stronger, more explosive and more dangerous than he was at welterweight.
“Moving up to face Vitor was a new chapter in my life, a new challenge,” Johnson told the UFC. “I’m going to stay here and I’m going to take over this weight class.”
It will be apparent after UFC 142 whether or not the weight gain (or lack of a draining weight cut) is a good thing for Johnson. But in the wake of his move up to middleweight, here is a look at some other fighters that have had success fighting above their natural weight class:
— UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar walks around under 160 pounds, which is smaller than what some featherweights walk around at. However, Edgar is 14-1-1, has defended his title three times and sees no need to cut to 145 pounds when he’s having success at 155. He defends his title next at UFC 144 against Ben Henderson, who has said he wants to put on some weight in preparation for his bout with Edgar.
— Dan Henderson is regarded as one of the pound-for-pound best fighters in the world and a lot of that is due to his ability to have success against opponents larger than him. Henderson walks around at about 205 pounds but has competed against the best fighters at middleweight, light-heavyweight and heavyweight. He holds notable wins over 185-pounders Michael Bisping and Rousimar Palhares, light-heavyweights Mauricio Rua, Wanderlei Silva and Rich Franklin, and heavyweights Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Fedor Emelianenko.
— After years of success at 185 pounds, former UFC middleweight champion Rich Franklin decided to move up to the 205 division because, like Johnson, he felt he would have more energy on fight night. Although he never had the same success he did at middleweight, Franklin closed out the career of Chuck Liddell, the former longtime 205-pound title-holder, by knocking him out at UFC 115 in Vancouver.
— Duane Ludwig and Josh Neer — who fight one another at UFC on FX 1 on Jan. 20 — have both competed and had some success in the lightweight division. However, the weight cut was difficult for them and they instead opt to fight up a weight class at 170 pounds.
— Even the heavyweight division has fighters who elect to compete against bigger men, opposed to cutting weight and fighting competition more their size. Heavyweights like Dave Herman, Cheick Kongo and Fedor typically weigh in at or around 230 pounds, which is much lighter than the Alistair Overeems, Frank Mirs and Shane Carwins of the world. They choose not to make the drop to 205 pounds, whereas certain light-heavyweights like Stephan Bonnar and Forrest Griffin regularly walk around at over 230 pounds in between fights.
On the other hand, some fighters have struggled after dropping a weight class. Jake Shields, a natural welterweight, was the Strikeforce middleweight champion, defeating the likes of Henderson, Robbie Lawler and Jason Miller. But after dropping back to 170 pounds when the UFC signed him, Shields has struggled. In his UFC debut he won a controversial decision over Martin Kampmann and followed that up with losses to Georges St-Pierre and Jake Ellenberger.
It often isn’t the size of the fighter that matters most, rather his skill set that determines the outcome of a fight. At UFC 142 fans will see whether Johnson’s size or skill is the bigger difference.
The UFC’s second trip to Rio in the last five months is headlined by a featherweight title bout between Jose Aldo and Chad Mendes. Canadians Sam Stout and Antonio Carvalho are also on the card, taking on Thiago Tavares and Felipe Arantes, respectively on the undercard.
