Stout vs. Noons

This is the official discussion thread for Stout vs. Noons. Let's see what you've got.

So they are both effectively admitting that they don't have a future in the LW title picture? It's nice to see some fighters living in the real world and knowing their limits. 

I like that idea.

I wonder if how much weight you have left to cut is something fighters like to keep under wraps. Otherwise I can totally see them talking about it like 

"Just curious, how much weight you got left?" 
"13 lbs, you?"
"12"
"You know what we should do..."

split

Hendo vs. Vitor 6 months or so ago was signed and promoted as a MW bout but they agreed among each other days, if not possibly it was weeks, in advance that neither wanted to have a big cut down to 185 so they agreed on a 205 limit.

Really?  I'm a ****** Vitor fanboy and thought they were fighting at 205 since they announced the fight.

http://www.torontosun.com/2013/11/08/dan-henderson-vitor-belfort-wont-cut-weight-for-bout


I remember a few articles at the time like the link I found above.

* Edited at 04.16.2014, 12:32 AM ET *

Gotcha.

i like stout a lot more but i think noons is quicker in this fight

Looks like someone^ called it :)

* Edited at 04.17.2014, 6:16 AM ET *

i'm mad i didnt pick noons by KO

Me too.

Yet more evidence of how ridiculous weight-cutting is. Neither guy looked noticeably different than they usually do.

Hydration tests and public fight night weights please.

@mule, the irony (and biggest problem) is that these days most fighters don't cut weight to gain an advantage they're "forced" to cut weight just to fight guys their own size on account of everyone else doing the same.

Rarely do we see guys like Benny Dariush and Gunni Nelson who fight at what's almost their natural size, and those guys are talented as **** so they can actually get by (until they reach a certain level).

This case doesn't prove anything, since both guys agreed to not cut the weight. You won't get that a lot.

How could you ask a guy like Tyrone Woodley for instance to say not cut to 170 and fight at 185 and then match him up with some dude who's cutting from 220lbs and will show up close to that weight on fight night?

It'll be very hard to get radical weight cutting to stop. Also, I think it's a risk each fighter has the right to take. Some would argue that with the radical cuts you usually lose more than you gain.

That's why it has to be across the board. I never suggested that one guy should do it. I only ask to start with for public knowledge of fight night weights since we all know they're putting 15+ lbs back on in 24 hrs which is unhealthy as ****. Nothing will change without the public pressure. I realize guys are always going to cut at least some weight and I don't want to stop that. I want to stop the "Anthony Johnson syndrome". It would be nice, for instance, if guys on TUF could actually fight at the weight class on the show that they'll be fighting in later on. If you constantly stay in shape, you shouldn't need a fight camp to make weight. Yes there will always be guys who game the system but I would just like to see a limit to it and the 1st step is to talk about it openly i.e. publicly known fight night weights.

I think more and more fighters (at least the top guys) are starting to understand that all year round good diet and less drastic weight cuts are the better way to go ... not even close to being an optimal scenario, but there is a shift in the right direction ...

I agree but what do you think of my suggestion/desire of being open an honest about fight night weights? That's my biggest pet peeve at the moment. Everyone talks about it but no one will make it public knowledge.

I don't know if it really matters, you can usually see more or less how much a guys weigh on fight night, it's not like disclosing the weight will make a difference ... I think I read somewhere Gleison Tibau walks in about 180(!!!) lbs at fight night ... that's a ******* middleweight.

I guess if you constantly saw giant differences between the fighters and the heavier ones won on a regular basis you could make a case, but I'm pretty sure it kinda evens out with the gained speed, technique and cardio for the ones who don't drain themselves and come in leaner ... I'm pretty sure you'd be "disappointed" to find there's not a real advantage if you saw the actual numbers. As far as I can recall I can't remember a fighter who constantly looked a good 20-30lbs heavier on fight night actually doing consistently well against the higher echelon. They make little runs but eventually find the guy they can't bully and lose steam or get beat on account of lack of hand/foot speed.

Though I'll admit, I'm just guessing based on my memory so I could be totally off track.

EDIT:: Just for the record, I'm pro much less weight cutting and some sort of regulation of it, I'm just not as passionate as you about it, I see it more as a personal preference of mine than an actual necessity of the sport which has much more burning issues that need to be tended to first, imo. If a fighter seriously harms himself cutting weight trying to gain an advantage, it's on him, not the sport and if he doesn't then he also accepts everything that comes with the weight cut. They're grown men in an individual sport.

* Edited at 04.17.2014, 6:38 PM ET *

Noons is obviously more powerful at WW. He should stay there.

And get absolutely ****d, yea thats a smart move..............stay at a weight class with much bigger and better wrestlers with much bigger and more powerful strikers as well. Yea that just where he wants to be............