UFC Vegas 25 features several fighters who have tried their hands at multiple weight classes in their career.
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.
****Weight where fighters are competing for UFC Vegas 25 appears as highlighted.
Sean “Tarzan” Strickland (22-3 MMA, 9-3 UFC)
Welterweight (170lbs.): 5-3 (UFC)
Middleweight (185lbs.): 3-0 (UFC)
Catchweight (195lbs.): 1-0 (UFC)
Sean Strickland has been on the UFC roster for a very long time. ‘Tarzan’ made his debut back in 2014 in the middleweight division. Strickland was a middleweight champion with the King of the Cage promotion ahead of entering the Octagon. Sean is 6’1″ tall and has a 76″ reach with a lean muscular build.
After two fights in the middleweight division, Sean dropped down to the welterweight division where he has had most of his fights in the Octagon. Strickland had a great run at 170lbs. with the promotion only losing to some of the best guys in the division like Santiago Ponzinibbio, Kamaru Usman and Elizeu Zaleski.
Strickland returned to the middleweight division last year with a win against Jack Marshman before taking a short notice fight and stopping the red-hot prospect Brendan Allen. Because the fight was on such short notice, Strickland and Allen competed at a catchweight of 195lbs. Strickland will be returning to middleweight for this fight as he looks to climb the ranks as an dark horse in the middleweight division.
