Catchweight Confusion: The Kimbo and Rich divisions
There are currently five weight classes in the UFC. Rich Franklin is not one of them. Neither is Kimbo Slice. Although you’d never know it from the recent trend toward catchweight bouts to accommodate these fighters.
Franklin, who has yo-yoed between middleweight and light heavyweight, fought back-to-back bouts at 195 pounds, going 1-1 against Wanderlei Silva and Vitor Belfort, respectively. The justification for the catchweight was that it would help both Silva and Belfort make smooth transitions from light heavyweight down to middleweight, although neither has yet to make an appearance at their intended destination. It’s also had the unfortunate side effect of leaving Franklin in limbo, neither middleweight nor light heavy.
Now Kimbo Slice, around whom the entire heavyweight-centric tenth season of TUF was constructed and in whom the UFC has heavily invested, is being given similar special treatment. The backyard brawler-turned-MMA fighter is expected to make his Octagon debut at The Ultimate Fighter 10 Finale on December 5 not as a heavyweight or even as a light heavyweight, but as a 215-pound catchweight fighter.
The reason being given is that Slice isn’t able to make the cut to 205 pounds, the weight at which his opponent, Houston Alexander, usually fights. Slice weighed in at 230 pounds when he fought Roy Nelson on TUF, and I’m not sure he’ll even be able to cut 15 pounds. Let me rephrase that: I don’t know if Slice has the discipline needed to cut 15 pounds, that he has the mental fortitude required to curb his diet, to push away from the dinner table, to starve and dehydrate and sweat in those final days and hours before the weigh-in. For most fighters 15 pounds is a cakewalk, a few hours in a sauna wearing a sweatsuit. But Slice isn’t most fighters. He’s never had to cut weight before, so who can say how he will handle it?
Of course, this raises a far more significant question: Why isn’t Slice fighting a heavyweight bout?
Obviously there are criterion Slice’s first opponent must meet. He can’t be too skilled, which rules out almost the entire division, and he must be willing to stand and bang, because nobody wants to see Slice on his back ever again. They probably wouldn’t even consider tossing him Tim Hague, who was on the receiving end of Todd Duffee’s record-setting knockout at UFC 102, simply because of the 35-plus-pound size difference.
But the UFC needs Slice to fight again. He’s a personality, draw, a ratings grabber, no matter his skill level. And if last week’s relatively Sliceless TUF episode is any indication – it was the first in several weeks that didn’t show Slice talking excitedly about getting another chance to fight – he won’t fight again in the TUF house.
So instead, the UFC is rolling out the red carpet by allowing a catchweight bout that is meaningless except as a way to get Slice on the card and possibly in the win column (Slice vs. Alexander is a puncher’s chance kind of showdown that isn’t likely to last more than a round or two). While the UFC and Spike TV may say otherwise, Slice has certainly been getting special treatment, whether it’s by stipulating that his beard is off limits to TUF’s usual frathouse antics or by allowing members of his entourage to be present when he fought Nelson. And I have a hard time believing that any other fighter from TUF: Heavyweights would be afforded a similar opportunity to ease themselves into the Octagon with a fight at the weight of their choosing.
Of course, just as Franklin’s two catchweight bouts have fuelled an argument for the creation of a 195-pound division, this latest catchweight bout lends strength to the position that the UFC needs to implement a new weight class to break up the heavyweight division, which currently spans a whopping 59 pounds. It can be like pitting a lightweight against a light heavyweight. While the case against a new division usually hinges on the fact that there aren’t enough heavyweights in the UFC to warrant it, the current season of TUF is specifically intended to bolster the roster of 265ers. (I’m not saying the flabalanche of newcomers will strengthen the heavyweight division, only deepen it.)
UFC president Dana White has repeatedly said that he’s not interested in altering the current weight classes. If anything, he’d consider adding a division or two to the bottom end of the scale by bringing in featherweight (145 pounds) and bantamweight (135 pounds).
So for now, we’re stuck with the unofficial Rich Franklin class and Kimbo Slice class.
Barrett Hooper is a contributor to FiveOuncesofPain. Barrett lives in Toronto, where he is a National Magazine Award-nominated journalist, and MMA is still remains
unsanctioned. His stories on mixed martial arts have appeared in NOW, Toronto Life, Inside Entertainment and Toro Magazine. Barrett is also the author of his own MMA Blog Fightingwords.ca
| All posts by Barrett Hooper
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Well-Done.
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Special people get special treatment….Is it fair that he has already main evented a couple of shows but now is relegated to the tough house so Dana can at least say he is a TUF fighter? Or how about the fact that he is already PRE MARKETED so Dana doesn’t have to do a dam thing to sell any fight he is in!
You guys all cry about how the other fighters in the TUF house didnt get special treatment…Well the fact is they are NOBODY….including Roy……So why shouldnt Dana sweeten the pot to get Kimbo in the house?
Hot debate. What do you think?
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Well-Done.
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Everyone seems to this this comment sucks so it is hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
Weak-Sauce.
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On a side note the out cry for a weight class between LHW and HW is amazing. No one cared about Brock’s size difference when he showed up, no one cared when Brock lost to Mir, now that he has some wins against credible guys everyone wants to cage him off in his own division that will have maybe at most 4-5 guys who are interested and the only two that I would consider contenders for that title would be Carwin and Brock.
Well-Done.
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I like the catch weight fights, but the questions in my mind are:
1) Are there good fighters out there who have a tough time fitting into the current weight classes (Yes, I think)
2) Would adding a couple of classes (and titles) to the mix help the sport by aiding to better match up fighters in competative fights (again, I think yes).
Hot debate. What do you think?
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Good catch- Editor
that aside, i agree that he’s getting special treatment. catch weight bouts can be interesting if it’s two champions against one another, and i can understand the whole easing someone into a weight class (wanderlei silva and vitor), but this fight is only a means of getting ratings and kinda bothers me…
Hot debate. What do you think?
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Everyone seems to this this comment sucks so it is hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
Weak-Sauce.
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The article is bang on in this issue. This fight and the criteria for a Kimbo fight is to find the least skilled opponent possible to ensure a Kimbo win. Kimbo represents big money as he has this internet following that he’s built and Dana and Co. know what they have.
Until proven wrong they’re going to find another un-skilled fighter after this fight, and if things go their way they’ll feed him to Brock for a massive ppv score. Tim Hague would be far too dangerous for Kimbo as he at least has shown he has a submission game, and we know Kimbo is helpless on the ground.
I have nothing against Kimbo as a person, he seems like a decent guy, if you watch him closely he has one asset and that’s a giant bomb of a right hand. Unfortunately he has nothing else at all so his chances of learning much at this stage are zero.
The UFC knows this and they have to cash in on him now.
All I ask is next time someone rips another organization for propping up fighters they should think about this as a prime example, and there are other examples as well.
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2. I think the weight divisions are fine. Does anyone realize how small the hw divsion would be if they added a 225 lb divsion. Who would fight in it? Carwin, Lesnar, Hague, Duffee. I mean if guys wo are big enough to walk around at 240 plus can make 205(Forrest griffin), then there is no need for 225. If you wanna do catch weight fights there fine, but the division isnt needed. Neither is 195.
Well-Done.
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Yeah…. what he said. Spot on
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you questioned Elite XC for the special treatment they gave Kimbo
and now you are doing the same
i know it is just business but it really hurts your credibility
i am now 100% on Fedor and M1 Global’s side
Hot debate. What do you think?
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Well-Done.
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Did Kimbo actually name one of his sons Kevlar?
If so he is an even bigger moron then I thought.
On the catch weight issue, as far as it pertains to kimbo who cares its not a real fight just a last chance money grab of the bitch. As for real fighters I dont have a problem with a cruiser weight division If there are enough quality fighters to make it viable but not until such time. Having a “super fight” once in awhile is ok at a catch weight provided it is a fight that will or should be evenly matched but not a regular occurance.
Hot debate. What do you think?
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231+ Super Heavy weight
206 – 230 Heavy
186 – 205 Light Heavy
Hot debate. What do you think?
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Some of the comments seem to reflect that the UFC is doing this as a favour to Kimbo, but I think this is Dana’s ultimate revenge. This fight is a blessing for Houston Alexander, who has no ground game, but is dynamite on his feet. I think he destroy’s Kimbo. I don’t want to see Kimbo fight someone with a ground game, we know what would happen… but watching him get taken apart on his feet by a popular, but unskilled UFC fighter… I’m looking forward to it!
Well-Done.
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I think its unfortunate that Kimbo is getting special treatment. We all know Kimbo is a draw and brings in viewers. But I wish the UFC would stick to having the most talented fighters, Kimbo hasn’t really done anything to show he belongs in the UFC. I think the UFC has a solid enough roster to put on other good fights and using Kimbo as a draw is just being greedy.
Also, We all know this season of TUF has been disappointing, I honestly think there are only maybe 2 or 3 fighters from the whole show capable of getting wins against actual UFC heavyweights.
Finally, I have no problem with catchweight fights, but what division would Kimbo fight in after this one???
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I don’t think any argument in favor of a 230 lb. division will convince it won’t dilute an already shallow HW talent pool.
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Apples to oranges my friend. UFC has not claimed that Kimbo is the future of mma, Kimbo is not the face of their org, Kimbo did not fight on the biggest card in UFC history. Kimbo was of course going to get some special treatment in the TUF house. He’s as big of a house hold name as they’re ever going to get on TUF as a non coach (and in most cases even then), any agent in the world would make sure to get something out of it.
Well-Done.
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I am of the belief that the weight classes are fine the way they are. It really sucks for Rich but to bad. If you are going to change them you make cruiserweight at 200 and bump LHW to 215. A 215 LHW takes in the small HW and the big LHW. This also keeps all the divisions 15 pounds apart from LW up ( from LW and below they are separated by ten). Also 215 would keep the real HW where they belong. Again though I like it the way it is.
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My thinking on weight classes is that we don’t need more of them. There are always going to be guys that don’t really fit well into a weight class. So what do we do? If we create more weight classes, it’s kind of a slippery slope, and we could end up like boxing. Just a thought, for what it’s worth.
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i have no prob with catchweight. i fight is a fight. and this would be cool to watch.
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Why not just add 5 lbs. to each division? Middleweight to light heavy has a 20lb difference. All the UFC has to do is add one division.
Heavyweight : 221+
Cruiserweight: 220
Light Heavyweight : 205
Middleweight : 190
Welterweight : 175
Lightweight : 160
Featherweight : 150
Bantamweight : 140
Now every higher weight division is only 15lbs apart. All lower weight divisions would be 10 punds apart. Now Kimbo can fight at Cruiserweight and get pummeled by Couture, Vera, Griffin etc. You get those guys to move up in a division and now Rich Franklin has a home at 205. I wouldnt raise cruiserweight higher because it would dillute some of the talent in the heavyweight division.
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Thatd be the biggest problem. The biggest fight thats gonna happen this year isnt even being fouhgt at a legitimate championship weight class. Manny Pacquiao vs Miguel Cotto is being contested for the welterweight(147) champioship belt, but it is being fought at 145(because for all the hoopla about manny moving up in weight he still needs his opponents to suck themselves as dry as possible.) How funny would it be if Jose Aldo wanted to move up in weight to challenge BJ Penn for the lw title but he made a stipulation in the contract that said the fight has to be contested at 151lbs.
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