http://www.mmatraining.com/featured/opening-round-heavyweight-is-thin/

This article makes some good points about why heavyweight is weak and doesn't look to be getting much better in the future either. Maybe suck is a strong word but seriously, how "elite" is the heavyweight division these days? There aren't a lot of guys who seem to be able to put together good streaks and there aren't a lot of up-and-coming dudes either.

What are your thoughts?

My opinion is that the Heavyweight Division is stacked - moreso than it has ever been in the history of the sport. And I think it's going to get better when Strikeforce gets shut down and the best talent there is absorbed into the UFC.

It's going to be hard for anyone to put together a long streak because everyone in the division is dangerous. I think it only adds to the excitement of the division.

And there are up-and-coming guys. A lot of them are just young and aren't fighting as heavyweights yet. They'll get there.

HW divisions are always a bit shallow, finding guys that big who can also fight is never easy. I'll say this, even thought it's a bit thin at times it's a far cry from what it used to be when slugs such as Silvia and Herring were lumbering around. As Devil pointed out, there are some good up and comers, it's just going to take a few years for the contenders and the journeymen to get sorted out.

Really? There are lots of very good HW out there. If your definition of good is a long winning streak, then the LHW division would also look shallow.

Maybe suck is a strong word but seriously, how "elite" is the heavyweight division these days?


These days? The heavyweight division has ALWAYS been considered the weakest division in MMA, particularly the UFC.

Personally I think HW in UFC right now is farrrr better than what it was when Tim Sylvia was champ...

It is the shallowest division in the UFC right now. Most well rounded and experienced competitor right now is Overeem. He will ultimately be THE heavyweight champ, the rest are just benchwarmers.

It is the shallowest division in the UFC right now. Most well rounded and experienced competitor right now is Overeem. He will ultimately be THE heavyweight champ, the rest are just benchwarmers.

What do you expect from the UFC heavyweight division that you aren't getting right now? When is the last time there wasn't a ton of excitment surrounding a HW title fight in the UFC? What would make it better?

When has the HW division ever been better? What is your benchmark?

What is your benchmark?

Personally, I think the heavyweight division was at its peak when Paul Buentello was fighting for a title.

Personally, I think the heavyweight division was at its peak when Paul Buentello was fighting for a title.

Well, the Buentello era speaks for itself. Other than that, I mean.

let's see...

heavyweight, we've got overeem vs lesnar to get jds.

barnett/cormier winner will become a big contender
mir/nogueira is a big contender eliminator

silva/werdum/carwin/kharitonov/russow/herman/kongo/mitrione/schaub are all still relevant, and surely a contender will emerge among them.

let's compare that to, say, middleweight, where it looks like the winner of bisping/miller and mark munoz will be fighting for a title shot.

heavyweight > middleweight, easily.

Also, it's highly doubtful Jon Jones will be able to make weight at 205 forever. That should make for some interesting HW fights down the road.

My opinion is that the Heavyweight Division is stacked - moreso than it has ever been in the history of the sport. And I think it's going to get better when Strikeforce gets shut down and the best talent there is absorbed into the UFC.

It's going to be hard for anyone to put together a long streak because everyone in the division is dangerous. I think it only adds to the excitement of the division.

And there are up-and-coming guys. A lot of them are just young and aren't fighting as heavyweights yet. They'll get there.

Yeah I agree,

The Heavyweight Division is the most stacked it's ever been.

Compared to boxing the Heavyweight scene is thriving.

The UFC could potentially have Cormier, Bigfoot Silva, Werdum, Kharitanov and Barnett joining it's ranks soon enough.

with Junior Dos Santos, Velasquez, Lesnar, Frank Mir, Kongo, Carwin, Alistair Overeem, Lesnar etc.. already in the division i think its fair to say its looking pretty exciting.

I don't think the heavyweight division is the problem. It is the way the UFC shows fights. I mean, we don't get to see a lot of heavyweight fights so people forget who all is in the division. When you look at the names on paper, you have a ton of people in the division that could be the champ at any given moment. Stacked division!

@Devil, just curious why you don't think that Bones Jones will be able to keep making weight. I haven't followed him that close. Has he been having issues with weight?

@Devil, just curious why you don't think that Bones Jones will be able to keep making weight. I haven't followed him that close. Has he been having issues with weight?

He's a big Light Heavyweight. His natural weight is probably at least 220. He cuts significantly to make 205 and he fights quite a bit heavier than 205. Plus, he's only 24 and my guess is he'll get heavier as he gets older.

It's not just my thinking though. There's a lot of speculation about an eventual move to HW for him.

Yeah, I figured that age may be a factor. 15lbs is not too hard of a cut, but if he starts walking around any higher than 220, it will make a big difference. I cut from 235 to 205 for a tournament and it was tough, but I'm no world class athlete.

If he went to heavyweight, it would be interesting to see him pack on some more muscle but stay as quick as he currently is.