Jon Jones, the best mild heavyweight in blended martial arts, lastly makes his heavyweight debut towards Ciryl Gane at UFC 285 on Saturday. The transfer is three years within the making and has been mentioned for for much longer. That is for good cause, it is an extremely difficult feat.
Jumping between weight lessons is nothing new within the battle recreation, however escalating from mild heavyweight to heavyweight is especially daunting. There are 10-pound gaps between the six divisions from atomweight to light-weight. The scale will increase to 15-pound increments from light-weight to welterweight and welterweight to middleweight, adopted by a 20-pound hole between middleweight and lightweight heavyweight. The bounce from mild heavyweight (205 kilos) to heavyweight is especially difficult as a result of the heavyweight restrict tops out at 265 kilos. It is a large escalation of bodily threats and one which requires a extra rigorously applied coaching routine.
That is why so few fighters have made their names as twin contenders within the two heaviest divisions. In reality, Jones could make historical past as the primary fighter to begin his at mild heavyweight to efficiently seize the UFC heavyweight title if he overcomes Gane in Las Vegas. Jones’ angle is exceptionally distinctive, however there are a choose few who’ve discovered success on the highest degree throughout MMA’s two heaviest weight lessons.
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Let’s take a better have a look at 4 fighters who paved the perilous path to the land of giants.
Alistair Overeem (Strikeforce, DREAM heavyweight champion)
Overeem is arguably probably the most profitable instance of a fighter that made the full-time transfer from mild heavyweight to heavyweight. Overeem competed in an period the place it wasn’t uncommon for combatants to battle each two months. He was buying and selling blows with Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, Chuck Liddell, Igor Vovchanchyn, Mauricio Rua and Vitor Belfort by the quarter mark of his profession. Overeem was a stable mild heavyweight, however two failed Pride Grand Prix bids advised he’d have hassle reaching the head of a division loaded with future legends of the game.
Overeem made the full-time swap to heavyweight in 2007 following his first profession shedding streak. A shaky 1-1 begin in his new weight class preceded a monstrous tear. Overeem received each the inaugural Strikeforce and DREAM heavyweight championships throughout his reign of terror, plus a kickboxing detour to change into the 2010 Ok-1 World Grand Prix champion. Overeem stopped Fabricio Werdum, Mark Hunt, Todd Duffee, Brett Rogers and Paul Buentello, amongst others. Overeem grew into the heavyweight body completely and developed into probably the most adorned massive males outdoors of the UFC.
Expectations have been by the roof when Overeem signed with the UFC and dispatched former heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar in half of a spherical. Overeem discovered his footing after an unsteady 2-3 begin and earned a UFC heavyweight title shot towards Stipe Miocic. He got here near unseating Miocic however by no means captured UFC gold. Overeem finally fought 20 occasions within the promotion (67 MMA fights general) and made a profitable return to kickboxing in late 2022.
It’s true {that a} UFC title is absent from Overeem’s packed trophy case, however not like a few of his contemporaries on this checklist, he’s by far probably the most profitable of the bunch to solely transfer up in weight.
Daniel Cormier (UFC heavyweight, mild heavyweight champion)
Cormier is an all-star, first-round decide if we broaden the factors to incorporate fighters that began their careers at heavyweight and bounced between divisions. Cormier entered the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix in 2011 regardless of his personal reservations about inexperience and measurement disadvantages. The Olympic wrestler scored a spectacular, sudden knockout of Antonio Silva and dominated Josh Barnett to win the match regardless of self-doubt.
Cormier made his UFC debut in 2013 and shortly after dropped to mild heavyweight. The change of surroundings was largely as a result of his loyalty to teammate Cain Velasquez, the UFC heavyweight champion on the time. Three fights into his mild heavyweight run and Cormier was already combating Jones, arguably the best to ever do it, for the UFC mild heavyweight championship. Their rivalry ranks as probably the most bitter, bad-blooded feuds in fight sports activities and features a bodily brawl on the UFC 178 press tour. Cormier misplaced the battle, however Jones’ subsequent encounters with the legislation and doping violations left a void that Cormier comfortably stuffed.
DC defeated Anthony Johnson for the newly vacated mild heavyweight title in his subsequent battle and made profitable defenses towards Alexander Gustafsson, Johnson and Volkan Oezdemir. He misplaced a rematch to Jones earlier than the Oezdemir battle, however Cormier was reinstated as champion after Jones examined optimistic for a banned substance.
After beating Oezdemir, Cormier packed his mild heavyweight title and deliberate a visit residence to heavyweight. His greatest buddy Velasquez had lengthy been dethroned as champion and Cormier was able to take the crown. Cormier met Stipe Miocic in a champ vs. champ heavyweight tremendous battle at UFC 226 in July 2018. Cormier shockingly knocked out Miocic in Round 1 to change into the second simultaneous champion in UFC historical past, behind solely Conor McGregor, and is just one of 4 fighters to ever obtain the feat.
Randy Couture (UFC heavyweight, mild heavyweight champion)
Couture would possibly simply be UFC’s unique badass. A 3-time Olympic workforce alternate and three-time NCAA Division I All-American, Couture made his skilled MMA debut at UFC 13 in 1997. A 4-0 begin to his profession included successful the UFC heavyweight championship and the finals of the UFC 13 heavyweight match. Couture had an prolonged run at heavyweight, which included a second stint as UFC heavyweight champion earlier than he dropped all the way down to 205 kilos.
Couture upset Chuck Liddell to win the interim UFC mild heavyweight championship and subsequently beat Tito Ortiz to change into the undisputed titlehilder. He briefly misplaced the title to Belfort however quickly after recaptured the sunshine heavyweight title and took the lead of their trilogy. Couture was within the title combine for nearly everything of his 11-year battle profession. He mastered the artwork of reinvention and after shedding the sunshine heavyweight title to Liddell, went straight again to heavyweight to take the title off Tim Sylvia.
Couture finally had three separate reigns as UFC heavyweight champion and two because the promotion’s mild heavyweight titleholder. And whereas he could not have a seat on the simultaneous champ desk with Cormier, Couture can proudly proclaim himself an originator. There can solely be one “first” and Couture is the primary two-division world champion in not solely the UFC but additionally in any main MMA group.
Dan Henderson (Pride middleweight, welterweight champion)
Henderson solely fought within the heavyweight division as soon as, however what a efficiency it was. Henderson was a heavy-handed wrestler who received Pride championships in two weight lessons and fought for each the UFC mild heavyweight and UFC middleweight titles. Sandwiched between his nine-year UFC run was a four-fight stint in Strikeforce. Henderson captured the Strikeforce mild heavyweight title and was subsequently paired with Fedor Emelianenko, arguably the best heavyweight in MMA historical past. There have been speculations of a catchweight, significantly as a result of Henderson had fought as little as 185 kilos.
“It’s powerful for me to achieve weight,” Henderson mentioned in 2011, per MMA Weekly. “I did weightlifting and loads of consuming; I do not know what else I’m purported to do. I’m not going to really feel outmatched or small in there.”
Henderson formally weighed in at 207 kilos, one pound over the minimal heavyweight requirement. Emelianenko got here in comparatively lean however was considerably bigger at 223 kilos. Henderson’s legendary energy bridged the dimensions hole as he knocked out “The Last Emperor” in Round 1. Henderson subsequently returned to UFC and practically beat Michel Bisping for the middleweight championship in his remaining skilled battle. Though Henderson by no means gave an encore at heavyweight, his temporary cameo was wildly entertaining.
