Like most combat sports, the UFC bouts are structured for two equally weighted opponents to fight to create a fair standard for competition.
These weight classes are sometimes called weight classes, they cover the first four for women’s UFC weight classes and the second through ninth for men.
The full list of the nine UFC weight classes (divisions) is as follows:
Light Heavyweight (205 lbs / 93.0 kg)
Heavyweight (265 lbs / 120.2 kg)
There may even be a temporary catch weight class, so keep reading to learn the full breakdown.
1UFC Men’s Weight Classes Ranked UFC Men’s Weight Classes Rankings Flyweight Divisions Ranking Bantamweight Divisions Featherweight Divisions Featherweight Divisions Researchers Lightweight Division Rankings in World Heavyweight Divisions. MMA)How Fighters Make Weight Missing Weight in UFC Weight Class Moving to Bantamweight UFC History of Weight Classes No Weight Classes Before 1997UFC Weight Classes FAQ Are UFC Weight Classes the Same as Boxing? Which UFC weight class has the most punches? Which UFC weight class has the most fighters? What UFC weight class is 170 pounds? What UFC weight class is 165 pounds? Did the UFC always have weight classes? Why do we have separate weight classes in the UFC? How often do UFC fighters change weight classes? Does weight matter more than skill when they fight? How many weight classes in the UFC? What to read next
UFC men’s weight classes ranked
This is the full list of all eight UFC weight classes kg and lbs for the men in the UFC:
Weight Class (Division) Weight (lbs)Weight (kg) Flyweight125 lbs56.7 kg Bantamweight135 lbs61.2 kg Featherweight145 lbs65.8 kg Lightweight155 lbs70.3 kg Featherweight170 lbs77.8 kg Weight 25.8 kg Weight 25.8 kg. lbs93.0 kg Heavyweight265 lbs120.2kg Uniform Rules of MMA, 2018
A total of eight weight classes are typically available to male UFC fighters.
In terms of viewership, research indicates that pay-per-view buyers are most interested in watching heavyweight fights.
ranks in the men’s UFC weight classes
Below you will find the standings in each men’s weight division in the UFC, updated weekly!
Check out my UFC rankings in all weight divisions for pound-for-pound rankings!
place in the flyweight division
Name: Flyweight Rank Fighter 0 Moreno, Brandon 1 Figueiredo, Deiveson 2 Pantoja, Alexandre 3 Kara-France, Kai 4 Royval, Brandon 5 Nicolau, Matheus 6 Perez, Alex 7 Albazi, Amir 8 Schnell, Matt 9 Kape, Manel 10 Dvorak, David 11 Elliott, Tim 12 Levy, Natan 13 Mudaerji, Su 14 Ulanbekov, Tagir 15 Silva, Bruno Last updated on: 2023-04-21T13:36:39+00:00
place in the bantamweight division
Name: bantamweight Rank Fighter 0 Sterling, Aljamain 1 Dvalishvili, Merab 2 O’Malley, Sean 3 Sandhagen, Cory 4 Yan, Petr 5 Vera, Marlon 6 Font, Rob 7 Cruz, Dominick 8 Song, Yadong 9 Munhoz, Pedro 10 Simon, Ricky 11 Nurmagomedov, Umar 12 Yanez, Adrian 13 Martinez, Jonathan 13 Gutierrez, Chris 15 Nurmagomedov, Said Last updated on: 2023-04-21T13:36:39+00:00
place in the featherweight division
Name: featherweight Rank Fighter 0 Volkanovski, Alex 1 Rodriguez, Yair 2 Holloway, Max 3 Ortega, Brian 4 Allen, Arnold 5 Emmett, Josh 6 Jung, Chan Sung 6 Kattar, Calvin 8 Chikadze, Giga 9 Topuria, Ilia 10 Evloev, Movsar 11 Mitchell, Bryce 12 Yusuff, Sodiq 13 Ige, Dan 14 Barboza, Edson 15 Caceres, Alex Last updated: 2023-04-21T13:36:39+00:00
place in lightweight
Name: Light Rank Fighter 0 Makhachev, Islam 1 Oliveira, Charles 2 Poirier, Dustin 3 Gaethje, Justin 4 Dariush, Beneil 5 Chandler, Michael 6 Fiziev, Rafael 7 Gamrot, Mateusz 8 Tsarukyan, Arman 9 Dos Jalin10, Turn Rafael, Turn Rafael 11 Hooker, Daniel 12 Ismagulov, Damir 13 Moicano, Renato 14 Dober, Drew 15 Dawson, Grant Last updated on: 2023-04-21T13:36:39+00:00
place in the welterweight division
Name: welterweight Rank Fighter 0 Edwards, Leon 1 Usman, Kamaru 2 Covington, Colby 3 Chimaev, Khamzat 4 Muhammad, Belal 5 Burns, Gilbert 6 Rakhmonov, Shavkat 7 Thompson, Stephen 8 Neal, Geoffrey 9 Brady, Sean 10 Luque, Sean 10 Magny, Neil 12 Chiesa, Michael 13 Della Maddalena, Jack 14 Masvidal, Jorge 15 Pereira, Michel Last updated on: 2023-04-21T13:36:39+00:00
place in the middleweight division
Name: Middleweight Rank Fighter 0 Adesanya, Israel 1 Pereira, Alex 2 Whittaker, Robert 3 Vettori, Marvin 4 Cannonier, Jared 5 Costa, Paulo Henrique 6 Du Plessis, Dricus 7 Strickland, Sean 8 Brunson, Derek 9 Dolidze, Roman 10 Hermansson, Jack 11 Gastelum, Kelvin 12 Imavov, Nassourdine 13 Allen, Brendan 14 Muniz, Andre 15 Curtis, Chris Last updated on: 2023-04-21T13:36:39+00:00
place in light heavyweight
Name: light_heavyweight Rank Fighter 0 Hill, Jamahal 1 Prochazka, Jiri 2 Ankalaev, Magomed 3 Blachowicz, Jan 4 Rakic, Aleksandar 5 Smith, Anthony 6 Krylov, Nikita 7 Walker, Johnny 8 Oezdemir, Volkan 9 Craig, Paul 11 Spann Murzakanov , Azamat 12 Reyes, Dominick 13 Crute, Jim 14 Rountree, Khalil 15 Jacoby, Dustin Last updated: 2023-04-21T13:36:39+00:00
place in the heavyweight division
Name: Heavyweight Rank Fighter 0 Jones, Jon 1 Gane, Ciryl 2 Miocic, Stipe 3 Pavlovich, Sergei 4 Blaydes, Curtis 5 Aspinall, Tom 6 Tuivasa, Tai 7 Volkov, Alexander 8 Spivak, Sergey 9 Rozenstruik, Jairzinho 10 Tybura, Marcin Lewis , Derrick 12 Almeida, Jailton 13 Daukaus, Chris 14 Ivanov, Blagoy 15 Romanov, Alexander Last updated: 2023-04-21T13:36:39+00:00
All MMA weight classes in a row (uniform rules of MMA)
While the UFC uses nine different weight divisions for fighters and men, there are fourteen possible weight classes for mixed martial arts.
The full list of MMA weight divisions, as defined in the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts, is as follows:
Weight Class (Division) Weight (lbs)Weight (kg)Sound Weight115 lbs52.2 kgFlyweight125 lbs56.7 kgBantamweight135 lbs61.2 kgFeatherweight145 lbs65.8 kgLightweight155 lbs70.35 kg Lightweight170 kg Lightweight 77.1 kg Super Welterweight175 lbs 79.4 kg Middleweight t 185 lbs 83.9 kg Super Middleweight195 lbs 88.5 kg Light Heavyweight 205 lbs 93 kg Cruiserweight 225 lbs 102.1 kg Heavyweight 265 lbs 120.2 kg Super Heavyweight No Limit No Limit Molecular MMA Rules, 2018
There were nine in total when these weight divisions were first created in MMA’s Unified Rules in 2000.
And super lightweight, super welterweight, super middleweight and cruiserweight were added in 2017.
Before a fight in the UFC, most fighters experience a massive weight cut to drop a few extra pounds to make the weigh-in, only to regroup immediately afterward and fight heavier anyway.
This practice is still in place to get fighters within the approved weight limits for some reason.
But most fighters weigh much heavier than they normally fight, sometimes 10-15 pounds heavier!
That’s why today we see people like Paddy Pimblett making huge weight cuts that lead to fights.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbJvrAfnKQU Video could not be loaded because JavaScript is disabled: Cutting Weight For UFC London | BaddyTV Ep. 12 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbJvrAfnKQU)
Missing weight in the UFC
Sometimes fighters will miss the weight designated for their match.
Move the fight to the catchweight class
Weight class moves to catch weight
The catchweight is used when one or both fighters are unable to meet the standard weight division requirements the day before a fight.
The UFC will check in with fighters regularly in the lead-up to the fight, and if one fighter is unable to make weight, both fighters could be forced to sign a new contract agreement before the contest.
Without this new deal at Catchweight, both fighters could lose the opportunity to fight and make money.
Sometimes the catchweights can be used to plan a fight night from the start, especially when two fighters want to fight each other but usually weigh in very different divisions.
For example, a middleweight fighter challenges a light heavyweight fighter.
A real-life example of this was when middleweight Rich Franklin accepted a catchweight at 195 lbs / 88.45 kg against light heavyweight Wanderlei Silva for UFC 99.
UFC weight class history
The beginning of The Ultimate Fighting Championship was intended to create a tournament where any fighter could fight any other, regardless of size or weight.
It was the perfect fighting match to decide who was the better fighter.
No weight classes for 1997
Until 1997, the UFC officially had NO weight classes.
Every UFC fight night was in the Openweight category.
Openweight meant that any fighter could fight each other if they agreed.
The title was created to create the ultimate champion that anyone could challenge, regardless of weight.
But the Superfight championship and the Openweight weight class were removed in 1997 when the UFC finally introduced Heavyweight to replace the Superfight title and Lightweight.
Over time, other divisions were introduced and actual weights moved as the sport continued to evolve and more fighters were added.
Frequently asked questions about UFC weight classes
Let me answer a handful of the most frequently asked questions about UFC weight classes.
The weight classes in the UFC are not the same as in boxing.
The weight classes in the UFC are not the same as in boxing.
For example, the middleweight division in the UFC has a maximum weight of 185 lbs.
In boxing, the middleweight division is 60 pounds.
Which UFC weight class has the most knockouts?
The heavyweight division has the most knockouts in the UFC.
But surprisingly, the welterweight division is following close behind.
It seems that both of these weights provide the best fighting power to knock out an opponent in the same weight class.
Which UFC weight class has the most fighters?
The welterweight division has the most fighters in the UFC, with 91 active male welterweight fighters.
Close behind is the lightweight list with 90 male fighters.
The largest women’s weight class is the Strawweight division, with 46 active female fighters.
Total 170 lbs is the UFC welterweight weight class.
What UFC weight class is 165 pounds?
What UFC weight class is 165 pounds?
A total of 165 lbs fits the Unified Rules Of MMA’s Super Lightweight weight class.
But the UFC does not have this weight class in its divisions.
Instead, they would fall under the welterweight division’s 170 lbs maximum weight.
Between its first tournament in 1993 and 1997, UFC fights were held in the open weight division.
This meant no weight restrictions and any fighter could fight each other.
Why do we have separate weight classes in the UFC?
Separate weight classes in the UFC are supposed to make the competition as fair as possible.
How often do UFC fighters change weight classes?
UFC fighters rarely change weight classes.
Sometimes a losing streak can prompt a move down a weight class.
Moving up a weight class usually tries to win another title belt, like when Conor McGregor first became champion in the UFC.
Does weight matter more than skill when fighting?
When two fighters go head to head, their skill and weight directly affects the outcome.
But they will always be at risk of serious injury from a heavier fighter’s strike due to their weight. In other martial arts competitions, weight can be even more important.
For example, weight is very important in wrestling. Interestingly, a sports scientist at Berkeley found that since weight classes were introduced in the UFC in 1997, the heavier opponent won only 20% of the time.
How many weight classes in the UFC?
How many weight classes in the UFC?
How many weight classes in the UFC?
There are a total of nine active weight classes in the UFC, which includes both men’s and women’s divisions.
Web History: All UFC Weight Classes Explained in Order
Now you know everything there is to know about the UFC’s weight classes, how they work and their history.
You may now be wondering about the best ways to watch the UFC or how the weight cut works.
The best way to get into watching MMA and UFC
How do UFC fighters cut weight?
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