We give you a few fighters to keep an eye on during the UFC Stockholm weigh-ins today, as they’ve all changed weight classes in their careers.
Like it or not, weight-cutting is deeply rooted in mixed martial arts. MMA adopted its weight-cutting from the sport of wrestling, where it is presumed to be very advantageous to be the biggest and strongest in your weight class. Known as the ‘fight before the fight,’ most UFC fighters cut anywhere from 5-25 pounds, with some fighters even in excess of 30 pounds.
Weight-cutting is the ultimate test of discipline and willpower. Many fighters in the sport consider it very unprofessional to miss weight. In this series, we will shine a light on fighters who cut a massive amount of weight, who have missed weight multiple times in the past, who have made weight-class changes, along with how the weight-cut and weigh-in could affect possible upcoming match-ups. Basically, every aspect of weight-cutting and how it affects the fight game in the UFC.
Anthony “Lionheart” Smith (31-14 MMA, 7-3 UFC)
Anthony Smith is a perfect example of a fighter that has blossomed since eliminating his weight cut. Anthony Smith entered the UFC at middleweight and fought for the majority of his career at that weight until the lifestyle changes of trying to maintain a low body weight began to catch up with him. With his 6’4″ height and 76″ reach Lionheart had a huge frame for the middleweight division and was an easily adaptable fit into the light heavyweight division. After moving up to light heavyweight midway through 2018 following a loss to Thiago Santos, Smith went on a three-fight win streak. Smith finished Rashad Evans, Shogun Rua, and Volkan Oezdemir all before the end of 2018, lining him up with a UFC light heavyweight title shot. Although Smith wasn’t successful in defeating Jon Jones in his title shot earlier this year, he did go the full five rounds with the champ and had a very strong showing.
Daniel “Kid Dynamite” Teymur (6-3 MMA, 0-3 UFC)
Kicking off the main card is a featherweight bout with Daniel Teymur taking on UFC newcomer Sung Bin Jo. Teymur is 5’5″ and possesses a 69″ reach. For all of Kid Dynamite’s professional mixed martial arts career, he has fought at 155-pounds or at a catchweight of right around 150. In Teymur’s first fight in the UFC, he lost a unanimous decision to Danny Henry, but it was the Fight of the Night. After this fight, Teymur wouldn’t go the distance again losing to Julio Arce and Chris Fishgold both by rear-naked choke in the later rounds. And for both of these fights, Teymur moved down to the featherweight division. It is very important for Teymur to not only make weight, but to get back in the win column or face possibly being released by the UFC.
Frank “The Crank” Camacho (21-7 MMA, 1-3 UFC)
Frank Camacho has just four fights in the UFC and has lost three of those. And all three of these losses took place in the welterweight division save for one in the lightweight division. Camacho not only missed weight for his only win, but he did so weighing in at a whopping 160-pounds. This fight, against Damien Brown, was Frank’s second in the UFC and took place back in November of 2017. The Ultimate Fighter Season 16 participant is 5’10” and possesses a 73″ reach. Camacho’s last time out was against Geoff Neal, where he suffered a loss by head kick. With Camacho now trying his luck again back down at 155, it is imperative that he not only makes weight, but also is healthy enough to get the win as well. With a misstep in either, Camacho could very well be in danger of being released by the UFC, even after signing a new deal with the promotion.
Darko Stošić (13-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC)
Darko is a relative UFC newcomer. The 27-year-old has only one fight in the Octagon and also only has one fight at light heavyweight. Prior to joining the promotion, Darko had only fought in the heavyweight division. Darko’s lone loss was his only fight at 205-pounds, which came before joining the UFC. At 6’0″ tall and possessing a 76″ reach, Darko was undersized for the heavyweight division Stošić’s weight when he fought at heavyweight usually hovered right around 225-230 pounds. In Darko’s last time out, he stopped his opponent, Jeremy Kimball, with ground-and-pound in the very first round in July of last year. Because Darko is likely cutting 25-30 pounds, he is definitely a fighter to watch on the scale.
