Welterweight weight category. Weight categories. Prerequisites for the development of UFC weight categories
At the dawn of boxing, there was no division of fighters by weight. As well as boxing gloves, and helmets, and shorts, and even the ring. At the beginning, two men (regardless of weight and age) went out against each other and beat each other with their fists until someone won. Yes, in the beginning, boxing was not just brutal, but a very cruel sport: the fights lasted for hours, some of the fighters fainted - no one even thought about the categories.
However, closer to the beginning of the 20th century, many spectators, as well as the organizers of boxing competitions, began to notice that more often fighters whose weight is more victorious - there were many reasons for this. Heavyweights were usually taller and had more muscle mass. And the impact force, as is known from physics, depends on the mass and acceleration. Accordingly, the impact force of an adult male weighing 110 kg was decently more power hitting the same fighter weighing 75 kg, at approximately the same speed.
It was decided to make weight categories. And since at the beginning there was only professional boxing, the first categories appeared among the pros. Thus, instead of one single world boxing champion, the World received as many as 10 champions in each weight. And their number has grown to 16 today. If we take into account that there are now as many as 4 boxing associations, then (adding up all the weights) we get approximately 64 World Boxing Champions. Like this.
Now more.
Categories in amateur boxing
Before turning pro, most boxers compete as amateurs. There are only 10 weight categories in amateur boxing and there are no versions (WBO, WBC, IBO) like in professional boxing.
- 46 - 49 kg
- up to 52 kg
- up to 56 kg
- up to 60 kg
- up to 64 kg
- up to 69 kg
- up to 75 kg
- up to 81 kg
- up to 91 kg
- Over 91 kg
in professional boxing
IN professional boxing There are four major boxing associations WBO, WBC, WBF, IBO. According to the versions of these organizations, there are 16 weight categories, in each of which the title of World Boxing Champion is contested. Here they are.
- +200 lbs (over 90.89 kg) - Heavyweight
- 200 lbs (up to 90.89 kg) - First heavy weight
- 175 lb (up to 79.38 kg) - Light Heavyweight
- 168 lb (up to 76.2 kg) - Super Middleweight
- 160 lbs (up to 72.57 kg) - Middleweight
- 154 lbs (up to 69.85 kg) - First Middleweight
- 147 lbs (up to 66.68) kg) - Welterweight
- 140 lbs (up to 63.5 kg) - Welterweight
- 135 lbs (up to 61.23 kg) - Lightweight
- 130 lb (up to 58.98 kg) - Super Featherweight
- 122 lbs (up to 55.22 kg) - Super Bantamweight
- 118 lbs (up to 53.53 kg) - Bantamweight
- 115 lb (up to 52.16 kg) - Super Flyweight
- 112 lbs (up to 50.8 kg) - Flyweight
- 108 lbs (up to 48.9 kg) - Flyweight
- 105 lbs (up to 47.63 kg) - Minimum weight
Some particularly outstanding boxers - such as Roy Jones Jr., for example, received Championship belts in different organizations and in different weight categories. There are also "weight riders" - boxers who in normal life weigh more than during competition - they have to drop excess weight in order to enter your weight class.
As a rule, depending on the promotions, each weight division has its own championship belt, which fighters strive to get. Before each fight, fighters must go through a weigh-in procedure. Depending on the promotion, various deviations from the desired weight of the fighter are allowed. If a fighter does not fit into the weight (too light or too heavy), he may be disqualified and not allowed to fight. Here are the main weight categories of MMA:
from 120.2 kg Super heavyweight
93 - 120.2 kg Heavy weight (Heavyweight)
83.9 - 93 kg Light heavyweight P
77.1 - 83.9 kg Middleweight
70.3 - 77.1 kg Welterweight (Welterweight)
65.8 - 70.3 kg Lightweight
61.2 - 65.8 kg Featherweight
56.7 - 61.2 kg Bantamweight
up to 56.7 kg Flyweight
Most fighters are found in lightweight and their number decreases with increasing weight. This is due both to the smaller number of large people, and the fact that the greater the weight, the more likely it is to get seriously injured in preparation for the fight or during the fight itself. That is why good heavyweights are worth their weight in gold for any promotional organization and many heavyweights continue to perform even after 35 years.
Weight Loss in MMA
To get into the right weight category, some fighters have to gain or lose weight. This procedure is called weight loss and is a complex process that involves doctors and nutritionists. Weight cutting begins a few months before the fight. The difference in weight between competitive and everyday can reach 5-20 kg. This is a serious burden for the athlete's body, so the weight race is no less responsible event than even the preparation for the fight itself.
When cutting weight, various methods and approaches are used, but the main ones are drinking as much water as possible, eliminating meat from the diet, and eating plant foods. During the weight race, the fighter excludes heavy loads and does not actively train, focusing only on his weight. In the last stages of the race, fighters can visit the sauna or use a thermal suit.
MMA champions in several weight categories at once
UFC fighters who won the championship belt in several weight categories: Randy Couture ( Lightweight+ heavyweight, B.J. Penn ( welterweight + lightweight), Conor McGregor (featherweight + lightweight), Georges St-Pierre (welterweight + middleweight).
1.1. Age division of participants. Depending on age, participants are divided into the following groups:
1.1.1. The age of boxers is determined by the year of their birth.
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girls 13- |
girls 15-16 |
19-34 years and juniors |
19-34 years old and juniors 19 - 22 years old |
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First Super Lightweight |
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super lightest |
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super lightest |
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super lightest |
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super lightest |
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The lightest |
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First flyweight |
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lightest |
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First lightest |
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Lightest |
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Featherweight |
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First Welterweight |
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welterweight |
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First average |
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light heavyweight |
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heavyweight |
1.2.1. Official boxing competitions are held in sports disciplines(weight categories) according to the All-Russian Register of Sports.
1.2.2. In competitions for boys and girls aged 12, pairs are made up in such a way that the difference in weight among boxers weighing up to 60 kg does not exceed 2 kg; from 60 to 70 - 3 kg; from
70 to 80 kg - 4 kg and over 80 kg - 5 kg.
1.2.3. Participants in team competitions can perform in an adjacent (heavier) weight category with the right to return to the category specified in the application.
1.2.4. Boxers over 81kg participate in the absolute championships of Russia.
1.2.5. On Olympic Games three weight categories are established for women: the lightest 48-51kg, the light 57-60kg, the average 69-75kg.
1.3. Types of competitions, system, conditions for holding competitions
1.3.1. "Regulations on competitions". The organization and holding of a physical culture event or a sports competition is carried out in accordance with the provision (regulation) on a physical culture event or sports competition approved by its organizers. General requirements for the content of provisions (regulations) are established by the federal executive authority in the region physical education and sports. The provision must not conflict with these rules.
1.3.2. Types of competitions. Competitions can be individual, team or individual-team. In individual competitions, only personal results are determined. In team competitions, the results of teams are determined, in individual-team competitions, both personal and team results are determined.
1.3.3. System. Competitions can be held according to the system with the elimination of the losing boxers after the first defeat or with the elimination after the second defeat, as well as according to the round robin system.
1.3.4. Competition conditions. The following requirements are set according to the age of the participants:
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Age of boxers |
The maximum number of fights per competitions / Number of rest days between fights. |
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Scale of competition |
Up to the Championship/Championship inclusive |
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Federal districts / FSO |
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Boys and girls under 12 years of age Middle-aged girls 13-14 years old |
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Older girls 15-16 years old |
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Middle-aged boys 13-14 years old |
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Senior youth 15-16 years old |
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Juniors and juniors 17 - 18 years old, juniors 19 - 22 years old Men, women |
5/2 | 5/2 | 5/2 |
1.3.4.1. In all cases, a boxer must not fight more than one fight per day.
1.3.4.2. The break between fights must be at least 12 hours.
1.3.5. Conditions for holding competitions of adjacent age groups and categories.
Boys and girls are allowed to fight with boxers of the older age group of the adjacent year of birth. Juniors and girls aged 17 - 18 are allowed to participate in competitions among adults on the basis of a medical report from a medical and physical education dispensary and a statement from a personal trainer. It is allowed to hold fights between boxers of adjacent sports categories. Boxers of the first sports category it is allowed to hold fights with masters of sports and masters of sports of international class. When conducting fights, the conditions must comply with the requirements for the senior age group and higher sports category.
At the beginning of the 19th century, there were still no standard weight categories, no definite framework was established, so boxing fights were quite dangerous for representatives who did not have outstanding anthropometry. For example, in 1823, the Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue established a light division limit of 168 pounds (76.2 kg), while another publication in the same year established a light division limit of 154. pounds (69.8 kg). The main weight categories were developed in 1909 by the National Sports Club London and were part of the Walker Law, which was established by the New York State Athletic Commission in 1920. In 1910, 8 main weight categories were established:
Heavy weight (Heavyweight) -
First heavy weight (Cruiserweight) -
Middleweight -
Welterweight -
Lightweight -
Featherweight -
Bantamweight -
Flyweight -
The separation of the WBC and WBA in the 1960s caused a narrowing of the list of weight classes, at the same time there were more champions. Such changes facilitated the movement of fighters in weight categories.
Weighing
As a rule, a professional boxer weighs more between fights than directly during the fight. "Cutting to fighting weight" is most often a necessary procedure for a boxer during training in a training camp. Weigh-in of boxers takes place one day before the fight. Usually fighters during this procedure are surrounded by television cameras, photographers, since the weigh-in is also part of the show, where boxers can arrange an intense battle of looks and exchange barbs. This element of the show is so important that despite the fact that heavyweights do not have a limit, they are still required to go through the weigh-in procedure.
Usually, if a boxer slightly exceeds the limit of his division, then he is forced to take off all his underwear, if this is not enough, then the fighter goes further to attempt to reduce weight. In the event that a fighter is not able to meet the limits, then, most often, the boxer is fined, and either the fight is canceled or held in an intermediate weight category, where the world title will not be at stake.
The International Boxing Federation (IBF) has a unique weigh-in policy for title fights. In addition to the fact that the fighter must meet the limit of his weight category at the official weigh-in the day before the fight, he is also required to pass the control weigh-in the next morning, on the day of the fight itself, where he must not exceed 10 pounds (4.5 kg) from the limit division. In the event that a boxer refuses to stand on the scales, or does not fit into the weight, then the IBF will not sanction the fight.
intermediate weight
In professional boxing, there are so-called intermediate weight categories (catchweight). For a certain fight in the intermediate weight category, the sides of the boxers must agree on the weight limits and come to an agreement, but not everything is so simple. Sometimes catchweight is used in championship fights, but the belt is awarded to the winner within the standard weight category. An example is the bout between Manny Pacquiao and Antonio Margarito, which took place at a catchweight of 150 pounds. The World Boxing Council (WBC) sanctioned this event as a junior middleweight bout with a 154 lb (69.85 kg) limit.
There are currently 17 weight categories in professional boxing. The weight category names and limits below are approved by the four main sanctioning bodies - WBA, WBC, IBF, WBO.
| Weight in kg (lbs) | name of category | WBC | WBA | IBF | WBO |
| Over 90.72 (200) | Heavy weight | heavyweight | heavyweight | heavyweight | heavyweight |
| Up to 90.72 (200) | First Heavyweight | cruiserweight | cruiserweight | cruiserweight | junior heavyweight |
| Up to 79.38 (175) | light heavyweight | Lightweight | Lightweight | Lightweight | Lightweight |
| Up to 76.2 (168) | Second Middleweight | super middleweight | super middleweight | super middleweight | super middleweight |
| Up to 72.57 (160) | Average weight | Middleweight | Middleweight | Middleweight | Middleweight |
| Up to 69.85 (154) | First Middleweight | super welterweight | super welterweight | junior middleweight | junior middleweight |
| Up to 66.68 (147) | Welterweight | Welterweight | Welterweight | Welterweight | Welterweight |
| Up to 63.5 (140) | Welterweight | Superlightweight | Superlightweight | junior welterweight | junior welterweight |
| Up to 61.23 (135) | A light weight | light weight | light weight | light weight | light weight |
| Up to 58.97 (130) | Second Featherweight | super featherweight | super featherweight | junior lightweight | junior lightweight |
| Up to 57.15 (126) | Feather-weight | Featherweight | Featherweight | Featherweight | Featherweight |
| Up to 55.34 (122) | Second bantamweight | Super bantamweight | Super bantamweight | junior featherweight | junior featherweight |
| Up to 53.52 (118) | Bantamweight | bantamweight | bantamweight | bantamweight | bantamweight |
| Up to 52.16 (115) | Second Flyweight | super flyweight | super flyweight | junior bantamweight | junior bantamweight |
| Up to 50.8 (112) | Flyweight | Flyweight | Flyweight | Flyweight | Flyweight |
| Up to 48.99 (108) | First lightest | light flyweight | light flyweight | junior flyweight | junior flyweight |
| Up to 47.63 (105) | Minimum weight | Mini-flyweight | Minimumweight | Strawweight | Minimumweight |
The history of the emergence and transformation of UFC weight categories
If you look back at the history of the development of mixed martial arts, you can see that initially MMA fights had practically no rules, and the first UFC show was started by the organizers as a kind of tournament designed to determine best fighter and the best technology. That is, there were no established norms for fighting, no UFC weight categories, and the competitions themselves had little to do with sports and looked more like a bloodbath of gladiators destroying each other. In 1993, the debut UFC fight night in Denver took place, after which Nevada state officials urged the organizers to give such tournaments more sports content and, above all, limit violence.
This applies not only to the UFC, but also to mixed martial arts in general. Previously, this discipline of fighting sports was called fights without rules. As part of such competitions, a sumo wrestler weighing 120 kilograms could end up in a cage with a karate master who weighed 75 or even 70 kilograms. Gradually this species sports became more loyal to the human body, the first rules appeared, and with them the divisions. Separate states of America opposed the legalization of mixed martial arts even when they acquired a modern form. The latest such example was the New York MMA ban, which only legalized MMA in 2016.
It is important to know! In the fall of 2016, the long-awaited UFC 205 tournament was held in New York, in which the promotion received the first champion of two weight categories - featherweight and lightweight. They were the phenomenal Irishman Conor McGregor, who knocked out Eddie Alvarez in the central fight of the show and took possession of his 155-pound championship belt.
True, later the featherweight title. In order not to derail the headless UFC 206 event, the organization's leaders announced that the 145-pound weight class belt, obtained by McGregor in a 13-second fight with Jose Aldo, returns to the Brazilian, who at that time owned the interim title in the same category. The remaining vacant interim title was played between Max Holloway and Anthony Pettis in the central fight of the UFC 206 tournament already mentioned above.
The only "one-time" UFC Featherweight and Lightweight Champion in UFC history, Conor McGregor
A lot has changed in the UFC's 20+ year history. It should be noted right away that it was this organization that became the locomotive that pulled all other promotions involved in organizing fights according to mixed rules. Therefore, it is not at all surprising that the divisions that were introduced into the UFC are currently used by less status organizations. In this case, we are talking about Bellator, WSOF, regional American and Asian promotions.
At the moment, eight men's weight categories and three women's are represented in the leading promotion of the planet.
UFC men's weight classes
- Heavy weight
- light heavyweight
- Average weight
- Welterweight
- A light weight
- Feather-weight
- Bantamweight
- Flyweight
UFC weight classes for women
- Feather-weight
- Bantamweight
- Minimum weight
Below you can find a table detailing each UFC weight class.
Prerequisites for the development of UFC weight categories?
The need to divide fighters into weight categories was due to the global process of universalization of athletes, when each of them began to improve himself in all styles. Weight classes in the UFC initially had a completely different look than they do today. Back in 1997, the UFC 12 tournament was held, where only two weight echelons were presented - heavy and light. The first included all athletes whose weight exceeded 200 pounds, the second - those athletes who weighed less than 199 pounds.
The most dominant champion in UFC history Anderson Silva
Before the UFC 14 show, it was decided to call the lightweight middleweight, and the new lightweight division was already introduced as part of UFC 16. At that time, any fighter whose body weight did not exceed 170 pounds could call himself a lightweight, that is, today he would be a welterweight. A couple more years passed, and the bantamweight division appeared in the UFC, which included athletes with a body weight of up to 155 pounds.
By the time of the UFC 31 tournament, the promotion has changed its weight classes in accordance with the requirements of the New Jersey Athletic Commission. At the indicated tournament, the fighters already competed in five echelons: light, welterweight, medium, light heavy and heavy.
The next stage of expansion had to wait about ten years. In 2010, the promotion announced the creation of the UFC featherweight and bantamweight divisions. Two years later, the lightest weight class appeared, and a little later, women's divisions were also introduced - first the lightest, and then the minimum. The weight categories have acquired their final form, which you can accurately and in detail see in the table below.
Table of modern men's and women's UFC categories
| Weight category name (Russian) | Weight class name | weight in pounds | weight in kilograms |
| Heavy weight | heavyweight | 206-265 | 93-120 |
| light heavyweight | Lightweight | 186-205 | 84-93 |
| Average weight | Middleweight | 171-185 | 77-84 |
| Welterweight | Welterweight | 156-170 | 70-77 |
| A light weight | light weight | 146-155 | 66-70 |
| Feather-weight | Featherweight | 136-145 | 61-66 |
| Bantamweight | bantamweight | 126-135 | 57-61 |
| Flyweight | Flyweight | 116-125 | 53-57 |
| Women's Bantamweight | bantamweight | 126-135 | 57-61 |
| Women's minimum weight | Strawweight | 106-115 | 48-52 |
| Women's Featherweight | bantamweight | 136-145 | 61-66 |
Recently champions of weight categories change regularly. So, in 2016, TJ Dillashaw, Fabricio Werdum, Holly Holm, Misha Tate, Luke Rockhold, Robbie Lawler, Rafael dos Anjos, Eddie Alvarez, Dominic Cruz resigned royal powers. The most interesting and long-awaited confrontation of the end of the year was the bantamweight clash, where former division queen Ronda Ruosi acted as a contender. Unfortunately, there was no intrigue in this clash: Rhodey limply lost to the Brazilian Lioness at the very beginning of the first round. This year, two division champions have changed in the UFC. So, the featherweight title was again given to Jose Aldo, but as part of the show, the Brazilian lost it to Max Holloway. In addition, the promotion bosses took away the belt from the women's featherweight champion Germaine de Randamie, citing the fact that the Dutch athlete refuses to sign a contract to fight Christiana Justino.
List of current UFC champions and champions by category
- heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic;
- light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier;
- middleweight champion Michael Bisping;
- welterweight champion Tyron Woodley;
- lightweight champion Conor McGregor;
- featherweight champion Max Holloway;
- bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt;
- flyweight champion Demetrius Johnson;
- the champion of the women's featherweight category will be determined by the result of the meeting between Christiane Justino and Megan Anderson at UFC 214 (07/29/2017).
- women's bantamweight champion Amanda Nunez;
- champion of the women's minimum category Joanna Jedrzejczyk.
UFC women's featherweight division. Cyborg name category
UFC leaders can't create divisions just like that: in order for a weight class to exist, you need stars who can compete in it and bring good money on PPV sales. The latest experience of the company has shown that fighters filling the division are not even needed to make money.
The success of Ronda Rousey inspired the owners of the promotion to search for new celebrities in women's mixed martial arts. After all, in fact, we can say that due to its popularity, Rowdy kept many other fighters not only of the female, but also of the male roster.
In 2016, his famous Brazilian Cristiana Justino, nicknamed Cyborg. She is still considered the featherweight queen of the all-female fighting organization Invicta FC, where the 145-pound class is available. However, due to the too large dimensions of Christian, she never competed in the largest UFC 135-pound echelon at that time. On the contrary, athletes who wanted to fight her gained weight and fought in the intermediate 140 pounds, and invariably lost.
The popularity of Justino and her financial potential prompted the bosses of the organization to establish a new weight category. As part of the UFC 208 tournament in February of this year (see the full results of the tournament), the corresponding belt was played by the Dutch striker Germaine de Randamie and the former champion of the 135-pound division Holly Holm. Ironically, Cristina Justino did not fight in the first title fight in the category that was actually created specifically for her. The reasons are called different. Representatives of the promotion claim that they offered such a fight to the Brazilian, and the latter says that her body could not recover from weight loss in preparation for the previous fight. If we add to the above the fact that Justino, then this whole story becomes even more confusing.
One way or another, the result of the main fight of UFC 208 was the victory of Germaine de Randamie by unanimous decision. It was the Dutch athlete who became the first title holder in the women's 145-pound weight class. However, there are no women's featherweights in the official rankings, because, with the exception of two or three girls, there are no fighters in it.
Later, the promotion bosses took away the belt from Randami due to the latter's unwillingness to defend in the battle with Christiana Justino. The new champion of the category will be determined in the fight between Justino and Megan Anderson on July 29, 2017 at the UFC 214 tournament.
