{"id":506161,"date":"2026-02-26T21:34:09","date_gmt":"2026-02-26T21:34:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/506161\/"},"modified":"2026-02-26T21:34:09","modified_gmt":"2026-02-26T21:34:09","slug":"more-ufc-weight-classes-could-save-fighters-lives","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/506161\/","title":{"rendered":"More UFC Weight Classes Could Save Fighters’ Lives"},"content":{"rendered":"

TLDR<\/p>\n

Joe Rogan called for more UFC weight classes after Cameron Smotherman collapsed following his weigh-in
\nRogan argues additional divisions would reduce extreme weight cutting and improve fighter safety
\nThe UFC currently has only eight men\u2019s weight classes, limiting championship opportunities
\nNo fighter has ever won titles in three different UFC weight divisions
\nUFC President Dana White has previously resisted adding more weight classes to the promotion<\/p>\n

Sources: BJPenn.com<\/a> | Middle Easy<\/a> | Bloody Elbow<\/a><\/p>\n

UFC commentator Joe Rogan is calling for the promotion to add more weight classes as a solution to dangerous weight-cutting practices in mixed martial arts. His comments came after bantamweight fighter Cameron Smotherman collapsed following his weigh-in for a scheduled bout with Ricky Turcios.<\/p>\n

Smotherman successfully made weight but collapsed shortly afterward, forcing the cancellation of his fight. While the fighter insisted he hadn\u2019t cut much weight, the incident reignited debate about weight-cutting dangers in MMA.<\/p>\n

Eight Champions Not Enough<\/p>\n

During an episode of \u201cThe Joe Rogan Experience,\u201d the longtime UFC color commentator argued that the current eight weight classes create unnecessary limitations. He believes more divisions would encourage fighters to compete closer to their natural weight.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think for MMA, they really need to recognize this that one of the things that\u2019s going to stop weight cuts is give people more weight classes, give people more options,\u201d Rogan said. \u201cThis idea of only having eight champions in MMA is very, very limiting.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Rogan pointed out that in UFC history, only a handful of fighters have won championships in two different weight classes. No fighter has ever captured titles in three divisions.<\/p>\n

He referenced Alex Pereira as an example of extreme weight fluctuations in the sport. Pereira currently walks around at approximately 240 pounds but previously competed at middleweight (185 pounds).<\/p>\n

\u201cIf they had more options, and they had more weight classes, I think we\u2019d have more competitive fights, we\u2019d have less extreme weight cutting, we\u2019d have healthier fighters,\u201d Rogan explained.<\/p>\n

More Champions Means More Opportunities<\/p>\n

The podcast host believes expanding the number of weight divisions would create more championship opportunities for deserving fighters. \u201cJust more champions is better,\u201d Rogan said. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of guys that could be champions, it\u2019s just there\u2019s not a weight class for them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Zuna\"\/<\/a><\/p>\n

The proposal faces potential resistance from UFC leadership. President Dana White has previously shown little enthusiasm for adding more weight classes to the organization.<\/p>\n

Weight cutting remains one of the most controversial practices in combat sports. Fighters often shed significant amounts of water weight in the days leading up to weigh-ins to compete in lower weight classes.<\/p>\n

The practice can lead to severe dehydration, kidney problems, and other health complications. Several high-profile incidents have occurred over the years, including fighters missing weight or requiring medical attention.<\/p>\n

Rogan\u2019s suggestion comes at a time when fighter safety continues to be a major topic in MMA. The sport has implemented various measures over the years, including earlier weigh-ins and additional medical monitoring.<\/p>\n

The UFC currently features eight men\u2019s weight classes: flyweight (125 pounds), bantamweight (135), featherweight (145), lightweight (155), welterweight (170), middleweight (185), light heavyweight (205), and heavyweight (265). The promotion also has four women\u2019s divisions.<\/p>\n

Other combat sports organizations feature more weight classes. Boxing, for example, has 17 different weight divisions recognized by major sanctioning bodies.<\/p>\n

Smotherman has since recovered from his weigh-in collapse and did not suffer any serious medical complications from the incident.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"TLDR Joe Rogan called for more UFC weight classes after Cameron Smotherman collapsed following his weigh-in Rogan argues…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":506162,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[570],"tags":[64,63,786,785,85],"class_list":["post-506161","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mma","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-fighting","tag-mma","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/506161","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=506161"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/506161\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/506162"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=506161"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=506161"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=506161"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}