Weight makes a difference

[Rojcewicz]

I've been practicing Northern Shaolin Long Fist for about a year now.
Our training consists mainly of stance work, two man drills, and
sparring drills (practicing footwork and combinations). I usually
participate in continues sparring sessions with a couple of the
advance students at least once or twice a week, and when I
do we are usually working with MMA style rules.
Fighting with people who are generally larger than me, guys
would normally be out of my weight class, has demonstrated
to me that weight is a huge factor in any fight. Grappling
though seems to be most effected by it, for it is mainly a
matter of positioning and momentum and as a thinner person
(155 pounds/ 6ft) it can be an extremely difficult situation.

So the question is: How do you feel the removal of weight classes would effect the MMA venue? this is in terms of skill, style, etc.

[sanjuro_ronin]

I have fought in no-weight divisions hard contact kyokushin and VT.
Size is a huge factor, but NOT one that can't be overcome.

I am 5-6, 170 and when I fought Kyokushin I was 150.

[MasterKiller]

So the question is: How do you feel the removal of weight classes would effect the MMA venue? this is in terms of skill, style, etc.

You ever watch any of Pride FC's open-weight tournaments?

[bodhitree]

size does matter, sometimes. Freak matches of skilled vs. unskilled (Fedor v Zulu, Royce v Akembo, Gomi v Butterbean) are fun to watch, but I don't think anyone has any doubt about Fedor v BJ Penn or Mark Hunt v Jens Pulver, highly skilled big guys aren't going to get beat by little guy too often.

[Rojcewicz]

Another question that I feel is extremely interesting is how much of the difference between traditional martial arts and sport fighting has been created by the introduction of weight classes, and related to that, the wearing of gloves.

[sanjuro_ronin]

Weight classes were created to give the "little guy" more of a competitors chance against people his/her own size.
There are still imbalances, reach is a far greater issue in striking than weight in some cases.

Judo originally had no weight limites, but it was "unfair" to the smaller participants so they added them, nothing wrong with that in the sport venue.

It also makes for more exciting matches, I will take a middleweight match in boxing over a HW one anytime.

[Rojcewicz]

Weight classes were created to give the "little guy" more of a competitors chance against people his/her own size.
There are still imbalances, reach is a far greater issue in striking than weight in some cases.

Judo originally had no weight limites, but it was "unfair" to the smaller participants so they added them, nothing wrong with that in the sport venue.

It also makes for more exciting matches, I will take a middleweight match in boxing over a HW one anytime.

true, but to continue on the subject of rules for the sake of sport; how do you feel (and this goes to everyone) gloves have effected the way people fight?

[sanjuro_ronin]

true, but to continue on the subject of rules for the sake of sport; how do you feel (and this goes to everyone) gloves have effected the way people fight?

Gloves allow people to hit more and in most cases, harder, the more padding the more the can throw punches without "concern" for hitting areas they better not hit if they were bare knuckle.
Many people that fight bare knuckle hold back from fear of damaging their hands.
Certainly hand forging plays a much more important role in bare knuckle than in gloves MA.
Gloved fingers rule out "force multipliers" such as one-knuckle and think knuckle punches, but truth be said, the vast majority don't forge their hands well enough to use those anyways.

Even the angle and alignement of punches changes with gloves.

[AmanuJRY]

Gloves allow people to hit more and in most cases, harder, the more padding the more the can throw punches without "concern" for hitting areas they better not hit if they were bare knuckle.
Many people that fight bare knuckle hold back from fear of damaging their hands.
Certainly hand forging plays a much more important role in bare knuckle than in gloves MA.
Gloved fingers rule out "force multipliers" such as one-knuckle and think knuckle punches, but truth be said, the vast majority don't forge their hands well enough to use those anyways.

Even the angle and alignement of punches changes with gloves.

with the exception of Kimbo Slice.

Maybe gloves in sportfighting was the downfall of Iron Palm training.

[Notintheface]

Open weight division= the greatest throws ever!!!!
Imagine the knock outs and how more people would be practicing full body throws. Hell, we might even see a few belly to back suplexs or a power bomb.

[Shaolin Wookie]

Dan Severn, UFC 4. Suplexes a little TKD guy right on his neck, if I'm not mistaken. I only remember that, because it was one of the coolest things I'd ever seen in a full contact tourney.

[Knifefighter]

Dan Severn, UFC 4. Suplexes a little TKD guy right on his neck, if I'm not mistaken. I only remember that, because it was one of the coolest things I'd ever seen in a full contact tourney.

That was Anthony Macias, who was a wrestler, I believe. If I remember correctly, he wasn't that small either, coming in at about 190.

An even more impressive suplex was done by Kevin Randleman in his Pride fight against Fedor.

[LeeCasebolt]

That was Anthony Macias, who was a wrestler, I believe. If I remember correctly, he wasn't that small either, coming in at about 190.

190's pretty small when the other guy is 260.

[ammocase]

Height has its advantages when it comes to stand up. In grappling the bigger man is harder to control but he offers a bigger target cause of his long reaching his limbs, you basically have a bigger target to wrap around, i mean the limbs being exposed is the number one thing grapplers look for. A smaller fighter can be overpowered into a position easily, but their smaller limbs are tricky to grab an work on.

Stand up is usually a taller persons advantage, unless your trained in close combat an are more "comfortable" then your taller oponent within this range. Reach is a big factor, but its only one factor, skill, endurance, strength, agility an speed is also factors which are just as important.

[Shaolin Wookie]

That was Anthony Macias, who was a wrestler, I believe. If I remember correctly, he wasn't that small either, coming in at about 190.

An even more impressive suplex was done by Kevin Randleman in his Pride fight against Fedor.

Which number was that? Pride #, I mean. I was never really into Pride, but they started selling them in package deals for 20 bucks, where you get like 5 Pride tournaments in each package. I bought one and was surprised that I enjoyed them as much as I did (but then, I always thought Sakuraba was the man).