Selecting a weight class is a big deal in mixed martial arts. Most athletes want to cut down to the smallest size possible, while retaining the physical abilities that will allow them to excel over their opponent. However, some struggle with maintaining that competitive weight. John Lineker and Kelvin Gastelum are two men who face the challenge of competing in new divisions due to issues with weight cuts.
Lineker and Gastelum were poised for big fights at UFC 183. Lineker was supposed to face off against Ian McCall in a bout that could have positioned him to challenge Demetrious Johnson for the UFC flyweight title. Gastelum, on the other hand, was going to battle Tyron Woodley, who was the highest ranked opponent that he was slated to face at that point in his career.
Unfortunately, both men were unable to reach their mandated competition weight. Lineker weighed in at 130 pounds while Gastelum hit the scale at 180 pounds (via Sherdog). Both were forced to forfeit 30 percent of their purse to their opponent as penalty.
Yet, the more important punishment was revealed by UFC President Dana White, when he made it known that both men will have to move to different weight classes.
“Lineker will never fight at flyweight again. He will have to move up to bantamweight,” White said after UFC 183 (via Combate). “Same thing with Kelvin Gastelum. This was the last time he will fight at welterweight.”
The question now is whether or not both men can stay competitive when facing bigger athletes. More often than not, the story is that fighters will look to drop a weight class in order to reinvent their careers when facing a tough skid in another division. Frankie Edgar is a recent and popular example of someone who has moved down a group and attained success.
Of course, that doesn’t mean that these two won’t be successful as they venture into new divisions.
Anthony Johnson is perhaps the most relevant example of a fighter who has saved his career by avoiding weight cuts. The No. 1 ranked light heavyweight is poised to face Jon Jones at some point in 2015 for a shot at the belt just three years after being cut from the UFC for repeated weight issues.
During Johnson’s first run in the Octagon, he failed to make the 170-pound limit on multiple occasions. After failing to make weight for UFC 142, he was released from the UFC, as that was his third strike (via MMA Junkie).
Instead of continuing to struggle as a welterweight, he went in the opposite direction, competing as a light heavyweight and heavyweight in other promotions. After winning multiple fights in a row, he was welcomed back to the UFC and now finds himself in a position to battle for a title.
Gastelum and Lineker should use Johnson as motivation for this next phase of their careers. Competing at a higher weight class is not ideal, but both men have shown that their struggles to make weight are a serious concern. Continuing their success against larger opponents is not a long shot, but they are both in for a true challenge.
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