5 UFC fighters with huge walk around weights

#2. UFC heavyweight fighter Derrick Lewis

‘The Black Beast’ is a powerful UFC heavyweight with a strong, big-boned frame. While that assists his hard-hitting style in the octagon, it can make life difficult in regards to making weight. While fighters struggling to get below 265lbs isn’t all that common (unless you’re Greg Hardy), monsters like Lewis often have to drop as much as 40lbs.

The one-punch KO artist often flip-flops between 295-300lbs in his day-to-day life. In the lead-up to UFC 244, Lewis worked hard to drop from 295lbs all the way to 255lbs. Lewis threw down with Blagoy Ivanov at the event and won via split decision.

All of that fat-burning cardio appeared to do the trick as Lewis avoided getting gassed throughout. As big and strong as Lewis is, such drastic weight cuts will likely prove his undoing as he gets older. Most recently, the man with the most eccentric wrestling defense in the sport came undone against undefeated UFC heavyweight star Ciryl Gane.

Despite his raw explosiveness, Lewis was outmatched by the leaner, quicker ‘Bon Gamin’. It’s safe to say Gane did not have to drastically alter his walk around weight to the same extent, ensuring better health and energy come bell time.

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#1. UFC middleweight fighter Darren Till

Video chronicles Darren Till’s brutal weight cut before UFC Liverpool (@marc_raimondi) https://t.co/IFTrW9a4TT pic.twitter.com/a3i1YurR7C

— MMAFighting.com (@MMAFighting) May 31, 2018

This English Muay Thai warrior weighs as much as 210-220lbs in his day-to-day life. Upon reading that, one might assume he typically fights in the UFC light heavyweight division. Nope. Darren Till is currently a middleweight but, until 2019, fought at welterweight for several years.

In order to make the cut in the 170lbs division, Darren Till had to go on drastic weight cuts even Christian Bale would gawk at. Between starving himself and spending way too much time in steam rooms, Till would essentially turn himself into the human equivalent of a raisin.

Unsurprisingly, such extreme bodily punishment took its toll on Till. After back-to-back losses against Tyron Woodley and Jorge Masvidal, Till finally did his body a favor and moved up to middleweight.

Despite the size difference, ‘The Gorilla’ is still pushing his body beyond its healthy limits. At 185lbs, he still has to burn off a good 20-30lbs for his fights. One of the biggest risks is the potential performance inhibitions caused by such extreme dehydration and malnourishment.

Till has a 50/50 record since returning to middleweight. He scored a split decision victory over Kelvin Gastelum at UFC 244 and a unanimous decision loss to Robert Whittaker in July 2020. Most worrying of all is that both he and his coaches have implied his walk around weight is going to keep rising.

Having missed weight twice in the past, perhaps Till will have to commit to fighting at his actual size in the future.