5 UFC fighters who revived their careers by changing weight class (and 5 that a change in weight didn't help)
Former interim lightweight champion Tony Ferguson is currently on a four-fight losing streak. This weekend at UFC 279, he’ll attempt to get back on track when he moves to 170lbs to face Li Jingliang.
Is Li Jingliang going to be too much for Tony Ferguson? 🤔
Or will 'El Cucy' shine at welterweight? 👀
Join @bisping, @adamcatterall, and @peety_editor for the #UFC279 Preview Show on YouTube now ▶️
Tony Ferguson isn’t the first fighter in UFC history to move weight classes in an attempt to revive a flagging career. Over the years, we’ve seen fighters both succeed and fail by doing so.
Whether they’re moving up or down in weight, switching divisions is never truly easy – particularly if the fighter moving is already struggling for form.
With that in mind, here are five fighters who revived their career by changing weight class (and five that a change in weight didn’t help).
#5. Robert Whittaker – former UFC middleweight champion
Robert Whittaker might be firmly recognized as the second-best 185lber in the world right now and he’s even discussed a move to 205lbs in recent weeks. However, ‘The Reaper’ actually debuted in the UFC back in 2012 as a welterweight.
The Australian won the 170lbs bracket of TUF: The Smashes by defeating Brad Scott and then started his octagon career well by knocking out Colton Smith.
However, back-to-back losses to Court McGee and Stephen Thompson, the latter via knockout, made him reconsider his future. After one final win at 170lbs over Mike Rhodes, Whittaker moved up to 185lbs in late 2014.
The move was initially met with cynicism, as ‘The Reaper’ didn’t appear physically big enough to succeed as a middleweight, but he quickly proved that idea wrong.
Not only did the move up allow him to hit harder, but he also kept the speed he had at 170lbs, which gave him an advantage over his larger foes – something he continues to enjoy to this day. At the time of writing, his record as a middleweight stands at an impressive 12-2.
𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝕽𝖊𝖆𝖕𝖊𝖗 reigns supreme! #UFCParis https://t.co/9HDMNRT1BB
#4. Rafael dos Anjos – former UFC lightweight champion
When Rafael dos Anjos suffered a devastating defeat to Eddie Alvarez in the summer of 2016, losing his lightweight title to ‘The Underground King’ in the process, it would’ve been easy for him to walk away from the UFC altogether.
After all, ‘RDA’ had been with the promotion for almost a decade and had taken a long road to the top of the mountain. While he was just 31 years old, he’d already achieved more than anyone had expected.
Instead, after falling to Tony Ferguson in his final bout at 155lbs, the Brazilian decided to move up to 170lbs in 2017. It was seen as a curious move given he never looked like the biggest lightweight on the roster.
However, the results were instant and pretty remarkable. ‘RDA’ reeled off three wins in his new weight class, even beating former welterweight champ Robbie Lawler. That was enough to put him into an interim title bout in the summer of 2018.
3 years ago today. Dos Anjos vs Lawler. https://t.co/LYBC9LOXMS
Dos Anjos came up short in that fight, losing to Colby Covington, and a further defeat to Kamaru Usman knocked him out of title contention. However, he remained a high-level contender at 170lbs before moving back to lightweight in 2021.
Essentially, the Brazilian’s decision to move up in weight probably prolonged his octagon career by at least a few years, making it a big success.
#3. Gilbert Burns – UFC welterweight contender
Right now, it’s fair to say that Gilbert Burns is definitely amongst the best welterweights on the planet. ‘Durinho’ holds wins over the likes of Tyron Woodley, Demian Maia and Stephen Thompson, and pushed former champion Kamaru Usman very hard in their 2021 title bout.
@GilbertDurinho with a flurry of strikes in RD 4! #UFCVegas🇧🇷 @GilbertDurinho with a flurry of strikes in RD 4! #UFCVegas https://t.co/qBfeAtePL7
However, if you rewind back just a couple of years, Burns was, at best, a middling lightweight who seemed to be a million miles away from title contention.
Sure, the Brazilian put together a record of 8-3 at 155lbs, but none of his wins came over elite-level opponents. His defeats to Dan Hooker and Michel Prazeres were also hugely disappointing.
After moving up to 170lbs in 2019, though, ‘Durinho’ quickly went from strength to strength. Clearly, not having to cut so much weight did wonders for both his durability and punching power, and it was obvious from his wins over Alexey Kunchenko and Gunnar Nelson that he was very dangerous as a welterweight, even before he began to beat the elite.
In this case, it’s arguable that Burns’ UFC career was saved altogether by his decision to move up in weight.
#2. Dustin Poirier – UFC lightweight contender
When Dustin Poirier made his UFC debut back in 2011 by defeating Josh Grispi, it was probably easy to overlook the fact that it was also his first fight as a featherweight. Prior to that, ‘The Diamond’ had competed at 155lbs, putting together a record of 8-1.
In his early octagon days, it looked like Poirier had made the right decision in moving to 145lbs. He instantly became a title contender and took out the likes of Pablo Garza, Erik Koch and Diego Brandao, as well as a young Max Holloway, on his way up the ladder.
However, a bad knockout at the hands of Conor McGregor in late 2014 triggered ‘The Diamond’ to move back to 155lbs, with Poirier citing that he wanted to focus more on training and less on cutting weight.
The results were pretty dramatic. A bulked-up, heavier-hitting Poirier quickly reeled off four wins in his new division and went on to defeat the likes of Justin Gaethje, Eddie Alvarez and Anthony Pettis en route to claiming the interim lightweight title in 2019.
Poirier has since lost two title bouts to Khabib Nurmagomedov and Charles Oliveira, but he remains one of the world’s best 155lbers and has even avenged that loss to McGregor twice.
DUSTIN POIRIER HAS DONE IT! MY GOODNESS! #UFC257
Quite what would’ve become of his career had he stayed at 145lbs is anyone’s guess, but it’s probably fair to suggest that he wouldn’t have reached the same level of success that he has done.
#1. Charles Oliveira – former UFC lightweight champion
While he no longer holds the UFC lightweight title thanks to a weight-cutting error prior to his win over Justin Gaethje, it’s fair to say that right now, Charles Oliveira is the world’s best 155lber.
This status is a far cry from the point he reached in his career as a featherweight just six years ago, when he was on a two-fight losing streak and appeared to be on the verge of washing out of the promotion altogether.
‘Do Bronx’ initially debuted as a lightweight, but moved down to 145lbs in 2012. While he picked up some flashy wins, he also suffered five defeats in the weight class, all but one coming via stoppage.
When he moved back up to 155lbs in 2017, then, it’s fair to say that his UFC career might’ve been on the line. Since another bad loss that year, though, it’s been onwards and upwards for the Brazilian.
Showing durability and striking power that he never displayed at 145lbs, Oliveira has reeled off eleven straight wins as a lightweight, culminating in his title win against Michael Chandler in 2021.
OH MY GOODNESS!!!!!!!!
🇧🇷@CharlesDoBronxs #UFC262 https://t.co/g0lLQSi1lC
It’s probably safe to say that his decision to move up in weight not only saved his career, but also helped him to become an all-time great, too.
While the afore-mentioned fighters all thrived after moving weight, the following five fighters could not revive their careers by making similar changes.
#5. Joe Stevenson – former UFC lightweight contender
Joe Stevenson entered the UFC in 2005 on the back of a win in the welterweight bracket of TUF 2, but it was as a lightweight that he really made a name for himself.
‘Joe Daddy’ defeated the likes of Yves Edwards, Melvin Guillard and Nate Diaz, and fought for the vacant lightweight title in 2008, losing to B.J. Penn in a brave, but futile performance.
Jan19.2008
10 years ago today,
BJ Penn submitted Joe Stevenson at UFC 80 to become the UFC Lightweight Champion. https://t.co/s1Mq4MxB3N
By 2010, though, it seemed like Stevenson’s best days were behind him. After suffering three defeats in a row, including a surprising knockout at the hands of Mac Danzing, it was clear that ‘Joe Daddy’ had his back to the wall.
So, in an attempt to revive his flagging career, Stevenson dropped to 145lbs for the first time in his career to take on veteran Javier Vazquez. The move turned out to be a huge mistake, as a drained-looking ‘Joe Daddy’ was easily outpointed before being released from his contract with the UFC.
When he briefly returned to the promotion in 2017, it was no surprise that he did so as a welterweight again.
#4. Brandon Vera – former UFC heavyweight contender
When Brandon Vera debuted in the UFC in 2005, it’s safe to say that he had no shortage of confidence. In fact, ‘The Truth’ stated that his goal was to win the heavyweight title, then drop to 205lbs to claim the light heavyweight title too.
Unfortunately for Vera, things didn’t quite pan out that way. After a great start to his octagon career saw him go 4-0, he lost two bouts in a row at heavyweight to knock him out of title contention.
Those two losses triggered ‘The Truth’ to move down to 205lbs, but history basically repeated itself, as after a great start, Vera began to suffer losses to the likes of Jon Jones and Shogun Rua as he moved up the ladder.
By 2013, not only was it clear that Vera wasn’t likely to win the light heavyweight title, but it also felt like his career was beginning to flag altogether. So, in an attempt to stem the tide, ‘The Truth’ decided to hit the weights and bulked back up into the heavyweight division for a fight with Ben Rothwell..
Physically, Vera looked great in the bout, but while he’d put on plenty of muscle, it hadn’t helped his chin. In the third round, Rothwell knocked him out and sent him packing from the UFC altogether.
The move up in weight completely failed to revive Vera’s career in the octagon, although he did go on to win the heavyweight title in ONE Championship, which at least made his bulk-up worth the trouble.
Heavyweight Time @ONEChampionship @PrimeVideo
#OneChampionship #OneOnPrimeVideo1 #WeAreONE https://t.co/YO0bFOLJVR
#3. Renan Barao – former UFC bantamweight champion
Few fighters suffered a fall quite as quick and harsh as former UFC bantamweight kingpin Renan Barao. After one loss to T.J. Dillashaw, the Brazilian literally went from being considered one of the world’s best pound-for-pound fighters to being essentially shot as a top-level fighter.
May24.2014
TJ Dillashaw shocks the world when he finishes Renan Barao by knockout,
& becomes the new UFC Bantamweight Champion https://t.co/KbDnO9IuM0
The truth, of course, was slightly different. Sure, by the time he fell to Dillashaw, Barao had reeled off 32 wins in a row, but he’d also been around for well over a decade, and had taken plenty of damage in those years despite always winning.
Following his first defeat to Dillashaw, Barao won just two more fights in the octagon while losing a further seven. His UFC career ended on the back of five straight defeats, and after missing the bantamweight limit in three of those bouts, it came as no surprise that he moved to 145lbs for his final visit to the octagon.
Of course, the weight move was too little, too late for the Brazilian. In hindsight, he probably should’ve moved to 145lbs following the weight-cutting debacle that ruled him out of an instant rematch with Dillashaw.
As it was, when he did move up, he looked like a shadow of his former self and was easily defeated by Douglas Silva de Andrade. Barao has not fought since, and it’s probably not a bad thing.
#2. B.J. Penn – former UFC lightweight champion
Few fighters have bounced around weight divisions quite so much as former UFC lightweight and welterweight champion BJ Penn. ‘The Prodigy’ won gold at both 170lbs and 155lbs in the octagon. Outside of the promotion, he even competed at 205lbs on one occasion.
However, after retiring in late 2012 following a loss to Rory MacDonald – his second defeat in a row – few fans expected Penn to return two years later, let alone as a featherweight.
While it may seem crazy now, many fans were actually excited for his debut at 145lbs against Frankie Edgar, as the feeling was that if he could beat ‘The Answer’, he could become a fresh challenger for then-featherweight champ Jose Aldo.
Of course, that wasn’t the case. Not only was Penn already miles past his best at that point, but the weight drop drained him horribly and he looked awful in the bout, falling to a third-round TKO.
Remarkably, Penn stuck around for a further four fights at 145lbs following the defeat, losing them all. It’s safe to say that had he never made the move in weight in an attempt to revive his career, his legacy would look a lot better than it does today.
Ryan Hall with the flash submission victory over BJ Penn in round one 😳
DO NOT let him grab that leg, or he'll just take it clean off...
#UFC232 https://t.co/AMa24ZMeQ6
#1. Johny Hendricks – former UFC welterweight champion
At his peak, when he pushed Georges St-Pierre to his limit and then won the vacant welterweight title by defeating Robbie Lawler, Johny Hendricks not only looked like a great 170lber, but also like one of the best pound-for-pound fighters on the planet too.
Unfortunately for ‘Bigg Rigg’, that peak didn’t last too long. After recovering from an injury, Hendricks lost the title to Lawler in a rematch just nine months after winning it. He then suffered a major career slide, losing three of his next four bouts.
Many fans were unsure exactly what had gone wrong for the standout amateur wrestler, but one issue he clearly had was his weight. Put simply, Hendricks struggled badly to hit the 170lbs welterweight limit and two of those three losses saw him miss the mark.
With his back to the wall, then, it came as no surprise when ‘Bigg Rigg’ announced a move up to 185lbs in early 2017 in a last-ditch attempt to turn things around.
Sadly for the former champ, it didn’t work at all. He did beat Hector Lombard in his middleweight debut, but then managed to miss the 185lbs limit for his loss to Tim Boetsch and quickly washed out of the UFC altogether with a loss to Paulo Costa.
Paulo Costa finishes Johny Hendricks with the second-round TKO! Is this the end for Big Rigg? https://t.co/D2QdFL4tYB
Essentially, it seemed like Hendricks lost whatever made him great at some point in 2014 and no move in weight class could help him rediscover it.