Fortis MMA head coach Sayif Saud sees a trend coming with light heavyweights and has two examples of high-level fighters under his wing leading the way.
Kennedy Nzechukwu and Ryan Spann started their UFC careers in the light heavyweight division and have now made a move to heavyweight. Nzechukwu (14-5 MMA, 8-5 UFC) has already fought twice in his new division.
After dropping two straight at light heavyweight, Nzechukwu moved up in October and made quick work of Chris Barnett at UFC 308. He then turned around and recorded another first-round finish of Lukas Brzeski at UFC 310 in December, which earned a Performance of the Night bonus.
According to Saud, the move has produced a much happier fighter.
“He told me, ‘Coach, I got to go to heavyweight, man. I don’t want to cut the weight. … It makes me miserable,’” Saud told MMA Junkie. “The guy doesn’t complain. He’s had a hard road in life. He hasn’t had an easy set of cards, man. He never complains, but he said it, and I said alright. We went to Mick (Maynard), and he said, ‘Hey, I like it. Let’s do it.’ He’s just liked fight week so much better. He’s just so much happier because he was just miserable. That Thursday and Friday was just miserable for him.
“I think he’s really shining and coming into his own. You’ve got to think, I got Kennedy in the (Dana White’s) Contender (Series) at 3-0, man. He’s grown up in the UFC, similar to Macy (Chiasson), similar to a lot them. They’ve grown up in the UFC. For them to be ranked, and have to go through everything, it hasn’t been easy, right? Because they’ve had to learn on the job, a lot of them. … The heavyweight Kennedy, he’s free, he’s happy, so I’m excited about that.”
Spann (22-10 MMA, 8-5 UFC) will test his skills for the first time at heavyweight in March against Waldo Cortes-Acosta. His last fight at 205 pounds was a first-round submission of Ovince St. Preux at UFC 307, a result that snapped a three-fight skid.
Like Nzechukwu, Saud sees the move for Spann as about not worrying about the weight cut and focusing on skills, but also is indicative of a larger movement. Saud believes there will be multiple light heavyweights making the jump to heavyweight in the coming years, allowing the bigger guys to keep up a higher level of activity.
“It’s funny because Spann always said, ‘I’m gonna go to heavyweight. I’ll go and Kennedy will stay, and we’ll switch off,’” Saud said. “For them to all be now at heavyweight, and it to kind of come to fruition, it’s something they’ve always talked about. Alonzo (Menifield) is gonna stay at light heavyweight, he’s back at the gym. Those guys have the frame for heavyweight. They’re big. They’re 6’5”, huge reach, big, explose guys walking around 230, 245 (pounds) at their biggest. They can handle it. They’ve got the frame for it. So, I think he can do amazing stuff as well at heavyweight.
“You look at Jon (Jones) and what Jon has done. I think we’re ahead of the curve here getting our light heavys into heavy. I think you’re going to see a lot of teams and a lot of fighters try to make this jump now, similar to what we’re doing. We’re just trying to be ahead of the curve, and I think the guys are getting older, they’re better, they’re quicker. They’re very talented and skilled. I think they could do great at heavyweight.”
Beyond the scale, the move to heavyweight also gives Nzechukwu and Spann a longer timeline to compete, as the upper tier of heavyweight fighters have typically been older.
“He’s already a big, strong guy,” Saud said. “It’s about him not cutting the weight and really not focusing on the weight cut part of it. Those guys, 205 for Spann, he can do it, but it’s like I just feel like he can really grow. Also, when a guy is 33, 34 at light heayvweight, he’s a little old. When he’s 33 or 35 at heavyweight, he’s young. It just makes sense for these guys right now.”
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