How To Create Brock Lesnar In Ufc 2

Brock Lesnar: Is He Forcing the UFC to Add the Super Heavyweight Division?

October 20, 2008

Remember the days when the UFC only had two weight divisions: Over 200lbs and under!

This led to Vitor Belfort fighting guys like Scott Ferrozzo, who tipped the scales at 325lbs. The UFC has come a long way since then and the current weight classes have made sense, for the most part.

Enter Brock Lesnar; the man is a freak of nature. When he isn't cutting weight he reportedly carries more than 280lbs on his 6'2 frame. While he cuts to the division's maximum of 265lbs, he puts it all back on before stepping into the octagon. That will give him a 50 to 60lb advantage over Randy Couture.

This creates an imbalance of epic proportions; one the UFC surely can't allow to continue long-term. It will have guys cutting, in considerable magnitude, to get into the light heavyweight division.

The heavyweight division has too much of a spread. The division starts at 205lbs and goes up to 265lbs. Sixty pounds is simply too much. What is the incentive for Randy Couture, should he lose, to stick around? He can cut twenty pounds and be more competitive in the light heavyweight division.

The proceeding statement was a theoretical one. In actuality, the division is overcrowded with talent. But the point remains. Brandon Vera realized he had no business in the heavyweight division and looks phenomenal at 205 lbs. Well his physique does, not his performances.

Any fighter who weighs 225lbs, or under, will want to cut weight and avoid men like Brock Lesnar or Shane Carwin. They simply can't compete with fighters who outweigh them by so much. The UFC doesn't want a mass migration into the light heavyweight division.

Thus, the need for a super heavyweight division will be necessary. The problem for the UFC will be one of getting the timing right. Currently there aren't enough fighters to fill out a super heavyweight division. Hell, there are barely enough fighters to fill out the heavyweight division.

But, there will come a tipping point. As mixed martial arts gains in popularity, it will begin to attract athletes of all shapes and sizes. It will compete with the NFL for linebackers and offensive lineman.

Perhaps one day we will have a division called the megaweight division: 300lbs and over!

Personally, I would like to see the heavyweight division end and the super heavyweight division start at 250lbs. Again, 205 to 265lbs is too much of a spread and too much to ask of fighters. That would be like having a welterweight division that started at 155lbs and went to 185lbs.

While Dana White is reluctant to add proposed changes to the current divisional landscape this is one that I think will happen whether he likes it or not. While fair and balanced competition is a major reason, safety for the fighters involved is the definitive reason.

The UFC has evolved since the days of its two weight class system. It is only a matter of time before they evolve again. Fighters like Brock Lesnar and Shane Carwin will make sure of that.