8 Biggest Body Transformations In UFC
Whether it be USADA or love of food, these MMA stars certainly have changed over the years.
When most people here the word ‘athlete’, they usually associate it with somebody like Usain Bolt or Anthony Joshua. Somebody in ridiculously good shape and at the peak level of physical fitness. However, this isn’t always the case in MMA.
With so many weight categories, fighters will always step into the cage in all different shapes and sizes. Whether it be the small but ripped frame of the likes of Demetrious Johnson or the rounder, larger figure of somebody like Roy Nelson, there is a place in the sport for them all.
Since the introduction of the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) in 2015, there have been many fighters who seem to have not fought the same way they used to. For most it was just their performances that dropped but for some, their entire body shape changed.
But of course, the USADA aren’t the only reason for a fighter’s body shapes changing. Some needed to change drastically in order to make a fight go ahead and others just simply enjoy food too much.
Here are 8 UFC fighters who underwent huge body transformations:
8. Johny Hendricks
Although he hasn’t looked the same since USADA, Hendricks’ body transformation could be attributed to many different things.
At one point in time, Hendricks was one of the scariest men around at 170lb. Going into his title fight with Georges St. Pierre at UFC 167, Hendricks had already defeated some huge names in the sport including Jon Fitch, Josh Koscheck and Carlos Condit.
Following his controversial split decision loss to GSP, Hendricks career took a nosedive. He lost three of his five next bouts and didn’t look like the same fighter we were all so used to seeing.
But the issues didn’t just stop at the results. Hendricks has also had a huge issue with cutting weight recently. Having never missed weight pre-GSP bout, Hendricks went on to miss weight 3 times in an 11 month period! His weight issues also seen his UFC 192 Co-Main event with Tyron Woodley after Hendricks had to be rushed to hospital and put on an IV drip.
‘Big Rig’ will always be a legend of MMA, but it would be a real shame for him to tarnish his career at this late stage.