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UFC fighters rank among some of the fittest athletes on the planet. Naturally, the majority of them appear to be in phenomenal shape. Of course, there are always a handful of notable exceptions to this rule.
Over the years, particularly in the UFC heavyweight division, we have seen a number of fighters who simply don’t look in shape at all. Despite that, they are still highly skilled and dangerous fighters.
The easiest explanation for this is that the heavyweight division’s cut-off is 265 pounds, meaning that even larger fighters don’t really need to diet or cut weight to ensure they stay under that limit.
Regardless, these fighters have proven, time after time, that you don’t necessarily need to look like a bodybuilder to be one of the baddest men on the planet.
So with two such fighters, Derrick Lewis and Chris Daukaus, in action in this weekend’s UFC headliner, here are five UFC heavyweights who were more skilled than their shape suggested.
#5. Daniel Cormier – former UFC heavyweight champion
One of the greatest examples of a UFC heavyweight who was far more skilled and dangerous than their physical appearance suggested was Daniel Cormier.
Now working as a color commentator for the promotion, ‘DC’ cut a path of destruction through both the heavyweight and light heavyweight divisions during his tenure with the UFC, winning titles in both classes, all while sporting what was often referred to as a “dad-bod.”
Standing at just 5’11”, when he first entered the UFC, Cormier would often weigh in for his bouts at heavyweight at around 225 pounds. This led many fans to question why he didn’t just cut weight to fight at 205 pounds.
However, this was something ‘DC’ always wanted to avoid, given that he’d suffered from kidney failure when cutting weight as an amateur wrestler during the 2008 Olympics. Eventually Cormier did make the drop, but even at light heavyweight, he didn’t sport the svelte physique of some of his peers. To put it simply, though, it didn’t matter.
Cormier was always remarkably quick for a fighter of his size, while his low center of gravity certainly helped when it came to his ability to outgrapple the majority of his foes inside the octagon. ‘DC’ also never had any issues with his cardio, rarely appearing to get tired, even during five-round battles. That showed that he certainly wasn’t out of shape.
Instead, as he appeared to confess during a comical music video in 2015, Cormier’s physique was fuelled by his love for food. In this instance, it didn’t appear to do him a lot of harm.
#4. Roy Nelson – former UFC heavyweight contender
Rising to fame in the MMA and UFC world after winning the IFL heavyweight title in 2007, Roy Nelson’s physique was often used as a stick to poke him with. However, the truth is that despite his prominent gut, ‘Big Country’ was, for a time, one of the world’s most dangerous fighters.
While at one point it looked like Nelson would go ignored by the UFC, he eventually made his way into the octagon in 2009 via the 10th season of The Ultimate Fighter.
It was during the reality show that he rose to instant fame, as he faced off with – and comfortably defeated – internet sensation Kimbo Slice in his first fight, proving that he didn’t need to boast huge muscles in order to dismantle his opponents.
From there, Nelson continued to prove his doubters wrong, first by winning the season of TUF by knocking out Brendan Schaub. He then following that with wins over fighters such as Stefan Struve, Mirko Cro Cop and Cheick Kongo in the UFC proper.
Nelson’s physique did continue to draw criticism at times, most notably from UFC president Dana White, who never saw eye to eye with ‘Big Country' and often accused him of not taking his career seriously enough.
However, while it’s true that his conditioning failed him on occasion, this was usually rare. For the most part, Nelson’s low center of gravity and added weight often helped him in the octagon, allowing him to hold larger fighters than him down. Of course, he always packed huge punching power in his hands.
Overall, ‘Big Country’ may not have physically looked like a top-level fighter, but for a time, there was no disputing his spot near the top of the UFC.
#3. Josh Barnett – former UFC heavyweight champion
It’s a little-known fact that the reason that the Unified Rules of MMA, followed by the UFC and the majority of the promotions in the US, has a 265-pound cut-off for the heavyweight division is because larger fighters are allowed to compete at super-heavyweight, which has no such limit.
Of course, due to a dearth of fighters willing to compete above the limit, particularly at the top level, most high-end promotions don’t put on fights at super-heavyweight.
The UFC is no exception, but the MMA leader did put on a single fight at super-heavyweight back in 2000 at UFC 28. The fight in question pitted Gan McGee against future UFC heavyweight champ Josh Barnett. Barnett came into the fight at just under 260 pounds and certainly didn’t look all that svelte despite impressing in victory.
‘The War Master’ would drop to heavyweight for his next four UFC bouts, culminating in his UFC heavyweight title victory over Randy Couture. However, he never boasted a bodybuilder-like physique, instead appearing to be out of shape entirely at times.
However, that was never really the case, as Barnett was powerful, surprisingly quick and possessed excellent cardio for a fighter of his size.
‘The War Master’ left the UFC in 2002 after a failed drug test, meaning he never defended his heavyweight title, but he did return to the UFC for a second run in 2013, defeating Frank Mir, Roy Nelson and Andrei Arlovski.
Unsurprisingly, nothing had changed during that run, either. Barnett still looked soft in comparison to the majority of his opponents, but it didn’t make him any less dangerous in the octagon.
#2. Tim Sylvia – former UFC heavyweight champion
Plenty of UFC fighters over the years have found themselves in hot water for their use of banned substances, even reigning champions. Many of them have come out with reasons for this, with excuses ranging from tainted supplements to niggling injuries.
However, when then-UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia tested positive for stanozolol, an anabolic steroid, after UFC 44, resulting in him being stripped of his title, he was surprisingly frank.
‘The Maine-iac’ candidly admitted that he’d taken the banned substance not to help him inside the octagon, but to attempt to transform a less-than-impressive physique into something more marketable to the fans.
It was almost hard to argue with Sylvia’s logic. While he clearly didn’t need help to defeat his opponents – at the time, he was 16-0 with three knockout wins in the UFC – it was an understatement to say that he didn’t exactly look like a bodybuilder.
‘The Maine-iac’ was slapped with a six-month suspension from the Nevada State Athletic Commission for the infraction. While he did appear to slim down greatly during his second run as UFC heavyweight champion from 2006 to 2007, he never did sport the ripped physique he once craved.
Not that it mattered, he was still one of the most effective heavyweights of his era and was far more skilled than his physique suggested, having no issue in fighting over five rounds and rarely tiring out.
#1. Cain Velasquez – former UFC heavyweight champion
When it comes to heavyweights with amazing cardio, one name stands out above all the rest in the UFC, former heavyweight kingpin Cain Velasquez.
The former Division I All-American wrestler with Arizona State was renowned for his endless gas tank. Many of his peers marveled over his technical ability even before he entered the UFC in 2008. When he debuted, though, fans who’d heard about his reputation but had never actually seen his fights might’ve been surprised.
Not only was Velasquez a smaller heavyweight, usually weighing in at around 240 pounds, but he hardly boasted an impressive physique, looking more like an average gym-goer looking to lose weight than a professional athlete.
However, inside the octagon, all of the reports from his peers proved to be true. Not only was Velasquez capable of pushing a pace torrid enough to make the majority of his opponents wilt, he was also a remarkably technical fighter, both standing and in his grappling.
It came as no surprise to see him routinely smash larger opponents like Cheick Kongo and Ben Rothwell and it was also no shock to see him dethrone the hulking Brock Lesnar for the UFC heavyweight title in 2010.
While various injuries would mount up for him, preventing him from really fulfilling all of his early promise, Velasquez remains perhaps the most skilled heavyweight fighter in UFC history, a fact that completely belied his less than impressive physique.
