5 UFC heavyweights who were more skilled than their physique suggested
UFC fighters rank among some of the fittest athletes on the planet. Naturally, the majority of them appear to be in phenomenal shape. Of course, there are always a handful of notable exceptions to this rule.
Over the years, particularly in the UFC heavyweight division, we have seen a number of fighters who simply don’t look in shape at all. Despite that, they are still highly skilled and dangerous fighters.
The easiest explanation for this is that the heavyweight division’s cut-off is 265 pounds, meaning that even larger fighters don’t really need to diet or cut weight to ensure they stay under that limit.
Regardless, these fighters have proven, time after time, that you don’t necessarily need to look like a bodybuilder to be one of the baddest men on the planet.
So with two such fighters, Derrick Lewis and Chris Daukaus, in action in this weekend’s UFC headliner, here are five UFC heavyweights who were more skilled than their shape suggested.
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#5. Daniel Cormier – former UFC heavyweight champion
One of the greatest examples of a UFC heavyweight who was far more skilled and dangerous than their physical appearance suggested was Daniel Cormier.
Now working as a color commentator for the promotion, ‘DC’ cut a path of destruction through both the heavyweight and light heavyweight divisions during his tenure with the UFC, winning titles in both classes, all while sporting what was often referred to as a “dad-bod.”
DANIEL CORMIER KNOCKS OUT STIPE MIOCIC!!!!
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Standing at just 5’11”, when he first entered the UFC, Cormier would often weigh in for his bouts at heavyweight at around 225 pounds. This led many fans to question why he didn’t just cut weight to fight at 205 pounds.
However, this was something ‘DC’ always wanted to avoid, given that he’d suffered from kidney failure when cutting weight as an amateur wrestler during the 2008 Olympics. Eventually Cormier did make the drop, but even at light heavyweight, he didn’t sport the svelte physique of some of his peers. To put it simply, though, it didn’t matter.
Cormier was always remarkably quick for a fighter of his size, while his low center of gravity certainly helped when it came to his ability to outgrapple the majority of his foes inside the octagon. ‘DC’ also never had any issues with his cardio, rarely appearing to get tired, even during five-round battles. That showed that he certainly wasn’t out of shape.
Instead, as he appeared to confess during a comical music video in 2015, Cormier’s physique was fuelled by his love for food. In this instance, it didn’t appear to do him a lot of harm.