Issue 084

January 2012

How fighting in your natural weight class may enhance your performance, just like UFC lightweight champ Frankie Edgar

Rosi Sexton is a leading professional fighter, sports therapist and registered osteopath. 

One of the impossible ideals of martial arts is that technique is supposed to triumph over size and strength. From traditional martial arts to the movies, we love the idea of the smaller guy beating the bigger guy against the odds. But just how realistic is this? Amongst top-level practitioners, it’s often taken for granted that, in the words of an old judo coach of mine, “a good big ‘un ‘ll beat a good little ‘un.” That’s why we have weight classes, after all. 

This is the basis behind the common practice of weight cutting. Diet like crazy, sit in a sauna, lose as much weight as you can for the weigh-in, then put it all back on inside 24 hours so you can be bigger than the other guy on the night. Or, if he’s doing the same thing, at least you won’t be at a disadvantage. 

But what happens if you don’t want to do this? Is there a way to take advantage of the fact that you’re the smaller guy? Can you use the fact your opponent is killing himself to make weight, while you’re coming in fresh? Frankie Edgar believes so. 

Perhaps uniquely amongst current UFC champions (under heavyweight), Edgar doesn’t cut much weight, preferring to fight close to his “walking around weight.” He believes this gives him the edge in speed and stamina, an advantage which becomes especially apparent in the later rounds. And the 155lb boss is a great advert for this philosophy. 

Cutting weight is always a trade-off.Do it well and you can earn yourself a size advantage, but if it impacts on your performance then it may be costly. Nothing kills a fighter’s cardio like a bad weight cut. Even if you get it right, spending several hours in a sauna or in a sweat suit is hardly ideal pre-fight preparation. 

DITCHING THE WEIGHT CUT

If you are considering fighting at your natural weight class, how should you approach a fight against a larger fighter within your weight category? What’s the best strategy against someone cutting weight, who will be significantly larger than you on fight night? 

Smaller fighters naturally have an advantage in pace and speed. The less mass you have to move around, the faster you should be able to shift it. Less to carry also means you should be able to go for longer without getting tired. Not having to starve or dehydrate yourself means you can focus 100% on your fight preparation and performance. The longer the fight goes on, the more these factors will work in your favor. At least, that’s the theory. 

This only works, however, if you turn up in very, very good shape. Being small for your weight class isn’t an excuse to hit the dessert menu or slack off the cardio work – being lean is as important as ever, and top-level conditioning critical.

Any conditioning advantage must also be balanced against the strength and power disadvantage you’re likely to be up against. This is often most dangerous early on, as we saw when Edgar struggled in the first round of both title fights against the much larger Gray Maynard. But survive the initial onslaught, and being the fresher fighter might just start to pay off. 

Fighters who are successful despite being smaller are typically highly mobile with excellent footwork that helps keep them out of trouble. You’ll never see them standing flat-footed in front of an opponent. They set a fast pace, knowing that this will work to their advantage as the fight wears on. And they avoid getting tied up or drawn into exchanges of strength, relying on feints and skillful set-ups to give them openings. Rather than trying to force through a technique that isn’t spot on, they’ll look to break off an engagement as soon as it isn’t working to their advantage, and re-engage on their own terms. 

If this is how you intend to fight, then it should go without saying it’s also how you need to train. Focus on speed, timing your techniques to perfection, correct leverage and thinking several moves ahead. Never, ever ‘brute force’ a move, even against a smaller sparring partner. 

It’s an indisputable fact that, overall, size and strength are advantages in combat sports. So much so that some people regard weight cutting as ‘cheating’ or, at best, ‘playing the system,’ and have argued for rules that would restrict or prevent its use. Frankie Edgar proves that great conditioning and a smart strategy are perhaps the best possible answers.