5 incredible body transformations in MMA

The world of mixed martial arts is one where your most important asset is your body. Sure, all great MMA fighters have a great mental gameplan but that is for nought if you don’t have a physical vessel capable of carrying out that gameplan.

Over the years, we have seen plenty of fighters make drastic changes to their bodies in order to become better fighters. One of the biggest reasons a fighter’s career starts to decline is because they don’t take care of themselves and keep themselves at the peak of their physical powers.

For some, it’s losing unnecessary extra pounds, while for others, it is bulking up and heightening their body’s power levels. Whether it’s bulking up or bulking down, there have been some pretty great examples of how an MMA fighter is supposed to take care of their body.

With that in mind, let’s dive into this list of five incredible body transformations in MMA:

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#1 Jon Jones

Jones underwent a physical transformation for his comeback

Jon Jones is one of the most naturally gifted fighters on the planet today. The guy is a genetic freak who also has an incredible mind for the sport of mixed martial arts. Another thing about Jones is that he knows exactly what is needed for him to ensure he’s never caught by the chasing pack.

Following his victory over Daniel Cormier, Bones decided that he needed to bulk up in anticipation of a rematch against DC. And, that’s exactly what he did through a gruelling seven-month workout where he shed his relatively skinnier frame for a ripped and muscled one, as we can see above.

While the rematch with DC didn't happen due to Jones’ problems with doping violations, he did put his new body to work before all the controversy against Ovince St. Preux at UFC 197 to pick up the Interim UFC Light Heavyweight Championship.

#2 Conor McGregor

McGregor looked in prime physical condition at UFC 205

Conor McGregor made a name for himself in the 145-pound division in the UFC as he steamrolled the Featherweight division en route to a devastating 13 second knockout of Jose Aldo for the UFC Featherweight Title.

Then, he moved up to 170-pounds for his two matches against Nate Diaz. The first one was a shock defeat, which he quickly avenged with a brutal decision victory in the rematch at UFC 202.

And, finally, The Notorious One moved to the 155-pound division – which many consider as his ideal weight class – where he put Eddie Alvarez to bed and pick up the UFC Lightweight Title, becoming the first person in UFC history to simultaneously hold titles in two different weight classes.

You can see the changes in McGregor’s body here:

Conor McGregor official weigh in comparisons

Top - 154.4lbs for #UFC205

Bottom Left - 145lbs for UFC 194

Bottom Right - 168lbs for UFC 196 pic.twitter.com/AslaT2tNX5

— Chamatkar Sandhu (@SandhuMMA) November 11, 2016

McGregor has proven to be a master at transforming his body as the situation requires.

#3 Ronda Rousey

Rousey looked in incredible shape before the Nunes fight

Ronda Rousey was considered to be the best MMA fighter in the world before her shock defeat at the hands of Holly Holm in 2015. Rowdy was the UFC’s golden girl and her confidence looked absolutely shattered after said defeat.

After disappearing off the face of the planet for a year, Rousey announced her return to the Octagon against Amanda Nunes in 2016. In addition to this announcement came pictures of Rousey’s incredible new body.

While pictures circulated the internet of her overweight frame in the month’s following her loss to Holm, Rousey had undergone a dramatic transformation to show off a sleek new frame that looked ready to kill.

Here are some before and after pictures:

Before: Rousey during her hiatus

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After: Rousey in the build up to the Nunes fight

Unfortunately, it seems that her mental preparation and technical preparation was nowhere near as good as her physical one, as she got destroyed by Nunes in just 46 seconds. Tough luck, Ronda.

#4 Alistair Overeem

The Reem cut down on his muscle mass severely following a doping violation

Alistair Overeem is one of the most celebrated MMA fighters of all-time due to his exploits in the Heavyweight division – both around the world with different promotions as well as with the UFC.

The Reem is one of the biggest, baddest men on the planet, but if you look at the above picture, he isn’t quite as big as he used to be. This is because he failed a drug test in the buildup to UFC 146 where he tested positive for elevated ratio of testosterone to epitestosterone at 14:1, well over the legal ratio of 6:1. Overeem duly blamed it on a doctor’s prescription and was forced to serve a 9-month suspension.

His return from suspension saw him lose three out of his next four fights, but the Dutch fighter rediscovered his form in his new body to go on a four-fight win streak till he was defeated by reigning UFC Heavyweight Champ, Stipe Miocic

#5 Vitor Belfort

Left: Belfort on TRT ; Right: Belfort off TRT

Since his debut in 1996, Vitor Belfort has been one of the pioneers of mixed martial arts and one of the leading men in the UFC. This was especially true in 2013 when Belfort absolutely mauled Michael Bisping, Luke Rockhold, and Dan Henderson all in the same year to go on a run for the ages.

The problem arose shortly after that, though, as the Nevada State Athletic Commission took the decision to make Testosterone Replacement Therapy illegal – something Belfort was known to use. The results after this decision were there for all to see.

As you can see from the image above, Belfort lost an incredible amount of muscle and hasn’t hit the heights he did in his TRT days, losing three out his next four fights.