Size Matters....In a Way

At the head of the Ulitimate Fighting Championship's Heavyweight division lies Brock Lesnar, a 3-1 former WWE superstar. While hardcore fans might wince at this grim reality, there is a reason Brock is on top. The combination of size and skill in MMA is hard to beat, and few are as large as the 280lb Lesnar. His skill lies in his wrestling as his other game pieces continue to grow. For a Heavyweight Brock is somewhat fast as well. The combination of size, speed, and skill in one facet of MMA have catapulted him to the top of the fighting world. But is size a common factor among all UFC division toppers?

LIGHTWEIGHT: BJ PENN (Formerly Sean Sherk)- While Penn is slightly large for a lightweight and Sherk is an absolute monster, Penn uses his incredible skill to win fights in ANY division. Sherk's strength is compacted into his barely 5'6 frame, and he packs on a ton of muscle. But both skill and size have been shown to work in this division.

WELTERWEIGHT: GEORGES ST. PIERRE (Formerly Matt Hughes)- St. Pierre is a huge welterweight with a good degree of muscle and length. Matt Hughes was large for 170lbs as well, and always dominated with his strength. Both had beaten people larger than themselves during their reigns, however. But with Thiago Alves on the horizon for St. Pierre at UFC 100, it seems large welterweights are where it is at. Alves is 5'8-5'9 (about average for a welterweight) but regularly weighs 190lbs before fights.

MIDDLEWEIGHT: ANDERSON SILVA (Formerly Rich Franklin)- While Silva is one of the longest Middleweights in the UFC, other competitors have proven they defeat larger opponents. The former champion, Rich Franklin, was beaten out by Silva in brutal fashion twice in a row. Franklin was larger than Silva. There are several Jiu-Jitsu aces who use skill over size as well, such as Thales Leites or Demian Maia.

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT: RASHAD EVANS (Formerly Forrest Griffin)- Rashad is an average sized light heavyweight, while Forrest Griffin is a long guy, but without much muscle packed onto his frame. It would seem that Light Heavyweight is not dominated by size alone, because champions have varied in musculature and length in the past few years.