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Super Heavyweight Fighters
MMA’s super heavyweight class refers to bouts fought in excess of 265 lbs. (120kg). While it is a properly designated weight class under the Unified Rules of Professional Combat, the super heavyweight class remains largely out of use in professional MMA. The world’s largest fight promotion, the UFC, does not hold super heavyweight bouts, and few if any major MMA promotions that offer such bouts recognize a standing champion. Instead, super heavyweight bouts are generally reserved for shows featuring single-attraction or, put more derisively, “freak show” billings between travelling personalities that alternate between MMA and other sporting and quasi-sporting activities that together pay the bills (and, in some instances, pay a lot more than just the bills).
Because fights at super heavyweight are few and far between, and because those that are sanctioned tend to lack in legitimate prestige, bigger fighters who are serious about making their names in MMA and who are physically capable of doing so generally cut to 265. Brazilian standout Antonio “Junior” Silva, for example, fought initially at over 300 lbs. before disciplining himself to make weight at 265, where he has found much success in Strikeforce and elsewhere. Semmy Schilt and James Thompson have made similar decisions at various times in their MMA careers.
In part because of its unique cultural fascination with the spectacle, Japan has led throughout the years in hosting the highest profile super heavyweight fights, at events such as Pride’s former annual “Shockwave” New Year’s Eve shows, and in K1-sanctioned MMA bouts and Dream. Though contested at super heavyweight, many of these bouts involved the theme of the “little man” taking on the giant at a weight differential of 100 lbs. or more. Royce Gracie, who defeated Akebono by submission; “Minotauro” Nogueira, who bested Bob Sapp after a legendary struggle of legitimate interest to the MMA world; and Ikuhisa Minowa, who leglocked both Sapp and Hong Man Choi for wins at Dream 9 and 11, respectively, have all taken a turn with Japan’s unique superheavyweight “David vs. Goliath” format and lived to tell the tale.
As the average size of high level MMA athletes has increased in recent years and weight cuts have become more substantial, serious utilization of the super heavyweight class in coming years is not out of the question.
