Why are some MMA fighters fat?

When it comes to MMA, most fighters are ripped and have incredibly athletic physiques. This makes sense considering their profession. Basically, if you’re fighting then you’ll want the best body possible – both internally and externally. This means improving speed, strength, and cardio endurance.

The result of this on the outside typically leads to a ripped six pack, big muscles, and vascular limbs. When we’re talking about professional fighting, this is something that people obviously take very seriously. Remember, your physical well-being and livelihood are on the line.

However, there are sometimes a few exceptions to the norm. These days, you may think that MMA is more efficient than ever, but that’s not always the case. On the extreme end of the spectrum, you will even find fat MMA fighters. Yes, that’s correct. What’s even more bizarre is that some of these fat MMA fighters happen to be the best in the world.

This brings up an entirely different debate on the role of technique when looking at combat sports. In this article, we shall look at why some MMA fighters are fat, as well as the best fat fighters to have ever graced the cage.

Why some fighters get fat in MMA

Gaining body fat for tactical reasons

In the UFC Super heavyweight division, there is no weight limit. This is for those that weigh over 265 lbs, so it’s reserved for naturally bigger fighters. Sometimes, you will see some pretty large weight discrepancies within this bracket – with some weighing far more than others due to the lack of limit. An example of this could be Brock Lesnar who was freakishly large for his size.

So, let’s imagine you naturally weigh 265lbs, but you’re fighting an opponent who is over 300lbs. You may decide that you will gain weight to even the playing field. Sometimes, this means putting on fat which may sound worse than it actually is.

The reason why gaining fat at the higher weights can be useful is that it makes you heavier and more powerful. In theory, this should give you better knockout power, as well as the ability to defend takedowns better. Of course, the downside is that it could affect your cardio and make you more sluggish as a result.

Ultimately, this is the call of each and every individual fighter. On the face of it, gaining fat sounds like a terrible idea – however, if you know you can perform just as effectively whilst carrying a bit more fat then it may be a consideration.

Genetics

One of the lesser talked-about theories as to why we see fat MMA fighters is due to genetics. Some people naturally carry weight differently from others. On the extreme end of the spectrum, you could end up like Benson Henderson. Here, he always looked incredibly lean and in shape for his size. This clearly translated well in the octagon. On the other end of the spectrum, you could take someone like Daniel Cormier.

Whilst Cormier was arguably a better fighter than Henderson, he still carried visible fat. This didn’t affect his performance and he had unnatural movement and takedown skills that made his body work.

Clearly though, DC was never going to get a six-pack or a particularly good looking body. The science behind this is that some fighters carry more fat on their chest compared to others, or they find it hard to burn off. This may look aesthetically unappealing but as we’ve seen in the case of Cormier, it didn’t really change much. Still, anyone that says genetics don’t play a role in fighting is a liar and some fighters seem to carry fat easier than others.

Overtraining

If training is your profession then you can imagine that some fighters over train. If this is done in combination with a poor diet then you could gain fat as a result. In short, this could be possible if you burn muscle due to over training which is then replaced with fat. Of course, this isn’t optimal or ideal and may impact your athleticism.

The trade-off is that if you’re really training that much then in theory, your technique should improve massively as well. Therefore, this is a decision that some fighters may face. Ideally, you should be able to train as much as possible without gaining fat and still acquire technique.

Still, the reality is that some fail to do this and face the consequences. In this case, it could be burning muscle due to burning too many calories without replacing them correctly. This is why working with sports scientists and nutritionists is very important.

Laziness

Perhaps the most common reason why we see fat MMA fighters is laziness. Although the aforementioned reasons are genuine, a lot of the time some MMA fighters are just lazy and lack professionalism. This may be difficult to understand if you’re not around these people – but some just don’t care and don’t take MMA seriously. Usually, this happens with older fighters who are at the end of their careers.

Here, they may take a fight purely to earn money and turn up. So, they don’t train correctly and end up overweight as a result. Some have argued that this is what Butterbean did throughout his MMA career. Arguably, he was the fattest MMA fighter of all time and although he was naturally large, he could have definitely lost body fat and been better at fighting as a result.

In short, some just don’t care and if there’s no weight limit then they’re more than happy to turn up fat. Even if this poses a disadvantage during the fight, it still may not deter them to lose weight. In one fight, Darren Till famously turned up sporting a noticeable belly and lost. Although he didn’t claim this was fat, fans speculated otherwise.

Interestingly, Till has suffered from weight problems throughout his career, so it may have been a case of not being able to get in good shape for a fight. We know Till has been lean whilst fighting before, but this showed that something had gone wrong, despite fighting in a higher weight class.

Who are the best fat MMA fighters of all time?

We shall now list a number of fat MMA fighters who were the best for their size. If you want the fattest without talent then there are a number of overweight fighters in all sorts of different promotions. If you go to a local MMA fight then the chances are that you’ll find one. Instead, the following list is based on those who are fat yet can still pull it off throughout their career without being affected by their size.

Brian Barberena

You don’t get the nickname of dad bod for nothing. And yes, for those wondering Barberena is worthy of his alias. Whilst Barberena isn’t the best MMA fighter ever, he did go on to have a solid career in the UFC and earn veteran status.

Here, he enjoyed wins over the likes of Robbie Lawler, Sage Northcutt, and a number of others. Interestingly, Barberena also fought at welterweight. This is quite different from having a gut at the higher weights but regardless, it didn’t seem to affect his performances or career.

Fedor Emelianenko

Often seen as the heavyweight GOAT, Fedor racked up over 40 wins during his professional career that spanned decades. At one point, he went undefeated for years during the start of his career and had a run that rivaled that of Khabib Nurmagomedov.

What’s more impressive is that he did this whilst fighting at over 100KG and fought some of the best in the world and usually ended up in the winning column. Even during his peak though, Fedor always seemed to carry a little fat on his body. In fairness, this was probably what a natural body was meant to look like as he remained incredibly athletic and strong. Even without these attributes, Fedor was always going to be great due to his dominant technique.

Justin Wren

Another fighter over the 100KG mark, Justin Wren’s nickname said it all as he’s referred to as ‘The big pygmy.’ Like Fedor, it’s fair to say that Wren was naturally a big man more than being massively overweight. Nonetheless, his physique resembled a 40 year old dad rather than a top-level fighter.

With wins over Josh Burns and Juan Torres, Wren helped solidify his spot at the top of the Bellator rankings. What’s even more impressive is that Wren achieved this after becoming addicted to painkillers during his younger days.

Roy Nelson

Arguably, ‘Big Country’ Nelson was one of the fatter fighters on the list. Regardless of how he looked, you would be foolish to fight him. Nelson was not only a real technician in the cage but he also had a chin made of iron. Despite taking some big hits by some of the heaviest fighters in the UFC, Roy Nelson always seemed to find a way to victory.

He did this whilst sporting a noticeably large belly which earned him cult status amongst fans. Sadly, Nelson’s career tailed off towards the later years and he went out with a five fight losing streak. In fairness to Nelson, he never ducked a fight and scrapped with some of the most fearsome UFC fighters and champions ever.

Daniel Cormier

Perhaps the best fighter on the list, Daniel Cormier was a real rarity who mostly relied on his wrestling, despite being in a weight category filled with sluggers. Here, he would use his Olympic level grappling to shoot double leg takedowns on his opponents, before engaging in ground and pound.

This earned him two UFC title belts during his career and aside from dual losses to his rival Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic, he otherwise went undefeated. Retiring with an impressive 22-3 record, Cormier ushered in a new wave of tactics that were based on wrestling and high fight IQ.

Undoubtedly, it will be a long time until we see such a large fighter with such a record as DC’s. Lastly, Cormier was also big enough to laugh at himself and even released a song and video about his love for chicken which was based on his rather round shape.

Josh Barnett

Arguably one of the scariest men in MMA, Josh Barnett always performed with a little extra fat on his body. For the most part, he was in decent shape though, and falls into a similar body type as Fedor and Wren. What’s interesting about Barnett is that shortly after winning the UFC title, he was popped for steroid use. This proves that steroids don’t always translate to a god-like body and sometimes people are unexpectedly using them.

Regardless, Barnett is still considered an MMA legend and was known for his mean style of grappling and submissions that were based on catch wrestling.

Mark Hunt

Mark Hunt is one of those rare fighters who would go against the biggest guys yet was still under 6’0 tall. This is because his body shape resembled a brick which made him an incredibly difficult opponent. Not only did Hunt hit like a truck but his stocky physique made him difficult to take down and get under.

Arguably, Hunt’s body type meant that he was always going to carry extra weight, at least compared to the average person. So, even though he had a clear belly and man boobs – this only played into his hands and he could generate extreme power by using his broad frame. Like Nelson, Hunt would retire with a bad streak towards the end of his career. Although he left MMA with a 13-14 record, he was still highly thought of during his prime and also fought some of the best fighters going. Such is a testament to his fearlessness, Hunt continued to fight despite earning CTE for his troubles.

If you’re a fighter on a diet – then check out this awesome book.