User:CullHeyward566

FC 78 is fast approaching and it's main event match-up between Rashad Evans and Michael Bisping made me think of fighters who could cut weight to drop to a lower ufc weight classes In that spirit I am going to discuss four UFC fighters who might be well served by dropping weight and fighting below their current class.

I'd like to start at the top, the UFC heavyweight division. There are a couple of UFC heavyweights who could make 205lbs, remember Randy Couture fought as a light heavyweight for a while, he even held the light heavyweight title. There was really only one UFC heavyweight who I would like to talk about dropping weight. Brandon "The Truth" Vera just dropped a three round decision to former UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia. Brandon did not loose this match because of his skill-set. He lost due to Tim's size. Tim pushed Vera against the fence and used his weight to close the distance, essentially negating Vera's superior kicking game. If Brandon Vera dropped down to 205lbs I'm he'd be competing on an even playing field and would probably quickly move into title contention.

The UFC light heavyweight division has the most of guys who must look into dropping weight. There are three that I'd like to discuss, they're Rashad Evans, Michael Bisping and Dan Henderson. You'll note that Bisping and Evans would be the main event fighters at UFC 78. These two fighters are undefeated at light heavyweight.

Michael Bisping is an outstanding fighter, a good striker with an sufficient ground game. Nevertheless, his recent fight with Matt Hamill shows that he can be manhandled by a stronger opponent. Bisping mostly stayed on the outside in this fight and let Hamill control the action. I really believe that this is really because he was staying away from Hamill's strength... with is wrestling, and physical strength. Most of us remember on the Ultimate Fighter when Hamill was overwhelming one other fighters along with his physical strength, a move to 185lbs wouldn't normally only put him into title contention, but would allow Bisping to be stronger than other opponents in that mma weight classes.

Rashad Evans has recently dropped a weight classes. Rashad competed at heavyweight on the Ultimate Fighter TELEVISION series and did perfectly, winning his division, but his recent bout with Tito Ortiz showed that Rashad, despite his superior wrestling skills is a small light heavyweight. Rashad will have no problems matching strength with Bisping at UFC 78, however when fighting the larger light heavyweights like Forrest Griffin, Wanderlei Silva and Tito Ortiz he can get manhandled, essentially negating his wrestling advantage. A move to 185lbs would probably make Rashad an immediate title contender.