KO power by division

by unambig on Jan 21, 2012 11:13 PM EST

EdSoares'Contribution made the claim in another thread that the little guys don't have very much power. That didn't sound right to me since I can think of several great knockouts right off the top of my head. Like Michael McDonald tuning Alex Soto in 56 seconds. Or the recent Aldo KO of Mendes.

But, just to see for sure I went back over the past year all the way to Fight for the Troops 2 (Jan. 22, 2011). Here are those results:

As expected, the big boys have heavy power. But the Lightweights and Welterweights are more likely to get a KO than the Middleweights. And it's true, the lightest weights are due for a few more knockouts, scoring just seven for every 100 fights.

But if you put things into context, getting a KO is pretty rare in general. Middleweights, who carry 50 extra pounds of weight on the Bantamweights, have just two more knockouts. Still, you're unlikely to see someone knocked out cold in a FW or BW fight. It makes you wonder what the percentage might drop to for 125 pounds?

I might follow this up with a breakdown of TKO, submissions and decisions to see if guys are still getting stopped at FW and BW, even if they're not being put to sleep.

UPDATE

Ok, here we go.

Featherweights and Bantamweights are most likely to go to a decision, followed by Welterweights, then Middleweights, etc. If you want to see submissions, watch a Lightweight fight. Make of the rest of it as you will.

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This info is pretty cool.

Good Stuff!

My avatar has Fedor's face of death. :D

by Natas999 on Jan 21, 2012 11:26 PM EST reply actions

The little guys can hit hard for sure.

Just at HW, everyone is big and scary so they all have the power to each other down.

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by Cyclonejoker on Jan 21, 2012 11:29 PM EST reply actions

Nick Denis should ruin those stats soon

Crazy knockout rate.

by Patrick L. Stumberg on Jan 21, 2012 11:29 PM EST reply actions

Obviously heavier weights have a higher KO rate beacause they have more mass to throw

But that’s why the lighter weights are so dynamic and exciting. Much more punishment can be delivered and taken.
But that’s also a downfall. As exciting as it is to see hard puches land, if they don’t damage, it becomes repetitive and uneventful. Less KOs and TKOs.
But, you gotta take the good with the bad: heavyweights provide the KOs but gas easy, bantamweights provide a lot of action but way less KOs.
Now imagine the flyweights (125) comin in. Decisions all day, except for subs or DQs.. Idk bout that yet

by theultimate on Jan 21, 2012 11:48 PM EST via mobile reply actions

Mamoru Yamaguchi: 10 knockouts/26 wins

John Dodson: 5 knockouts/12 wins
John Lineker (fights at bantamweight, cutting to 125 for the UFC): 8 knockouts/19 wins.
Kyoji Horiguchi (fights at bantamweight, probably flyweight sized): 5 knockouts/6 wins.

Don’t be so sure.

by Patrick L. Stumberg on Jan 22, 2012 12:00 AM EST up reply actions

Some smaller guys have ko power, almost all big guys have ko power.

That’s just how it is, but the smaller guys generally have endless cardio and don’t hit as hard. so what we get is long non stop battles.

by Cyclonejoker on Jan 22, 2012 12:55 PM EST up reply actions

Hey don't prove my drunk posts wrong!

Lol, its only becuase heavyweights have more weight in their punches which causes more KOs.
But they all bring it, which is the most exciting factor in MMA, imo

by theultimate on Jan 22, 2012 12:19 AM EST via mobile reply actions

Reply fail

by theultimate on Jan 22, 2012 12:20 AM EST via mobile up reply actions

there's no lay n pray in the 265 division

You are banned from Bloody Elbow.
You can browse the blog, but you can't participate.

Insulting staff and using the word "***" are both completely inappropriate. So long.

by randallhumpfreeze on Jan 22, 2012 1:22 AM EST reply actions

Nice work, but Mike Fagen did this all the way back to UFC 31 a long time ago.

I of course, reposted it back in October 2010.

http://www.mmamania.com/2010/10/2/1726121/finishing-rates-and-weight-class

by D-MoB on Jan 22, 2012 7:46 AM EST reply actions

That's cool, it's interesting to compare the recent trends to the longer term averages

You can’t really distinguish KO versus TKO either, so the research is broken down differently.

Lightweight
T/KO: Now 24.6% Then 22.8% (1.8%)
SUB: Now 27.9% Then 31.4% (-3.5%)
DEC: Now 47.5% Then 45.5% (2%)

Welterweight
T/KO: Now 30.9% Then 34.5% (-3.6%)
SUB: Now 14.5% Then 24.6% (-10.1%)
DEC: Now 54.5% Then 39.9% (+14.6)

Middleweight
T/KO: Now 35.7% Then 37.7% (-2%)
SUB: Now 23.8% Then 31.6% (-7.8%)
DEC: Now 40.5% Then 30.7% (+9.8%)

Light Heavyweight
T/KO: Now 45.5% Then 41.9% (3.6%)
SUB: Now 21.2% Then 17.9% (3.3%)
DEC: Now 33.3% Then 38.0% (-4.7%)

Heavyweight
T/KO: Now 53.9% Then 60.5% (-6.6%)
SUB: Now 15.4% Then 15.7% (-0.3%)
DEC: Now 30.8% Then 23.1% (+7.7%)

I'm not a racist. I hate all people equally.

by unambig on Jan 22, 2012 4:33 PM EST up reply actions

It’s especially interesting about decisions/submissions for the Welterweights. Why do you think that is? Is it that sub defense is getting better? I guess as time goes on fighters are more well rounded and less prone to being submitted.

MMA is like a puzzle, it's just a matter of finding a solution to each situation.

by The Ruiner on Jan 23, 2012 8:40 AM EST up reply actions