Fighting a Heavier Opponent

[dora]

Hi everyone! So, I have got a fight coming up and if everything works out well, I´ll have my 4th fight at the end of August. The thing that worries me is that I will be fighting an opponent probably heavier than me - it should be a fight in the 60kgs cathegory, and I have been fighting at 56-57kgs (my regular weight without basically any weight cuts; I was actually hoping to lose some weight to get to 55, but well). It should be my opponent´s first fight. Do you have any advice on fighting larger fighters? (I know 3kgs is not such a difference, nevertheless that is the thing that worries me the most about the fight). Thanks!

[Kevin von Duuglas-Ittu]

This is a difficult question to answer because it's so broad. A lot of it depends on how you fight, how reliant you are on power. But what I will say is that one of the biggest issues with weight disparity in a fight is visual. Aside from whatever imagined power gain from weight advantage (and in one's first few fights the technique is probably not there enough to turn mass into force to make a significant difference), one aspect that very few people think about is that with all other things being equal it is just going to LOOK like the bigger fighter is having a bigger impact on the smaller fighter, as a matter of perception, even if they are hitting each other equally hard. The smaller fighter tends to get swallowed, visually, to some degree. This means that it is the responsibility of the smaller fighter to visibly move the bigger fighter, either physically, or by making them move. It cannot remain at status quo, visually. This is where the tables turn. If a visibly smaller fighter starts to demonstrate the ability to move someone bigger it suddenly looks a bit like a magic trick. This is something Sylvie takes into the ring against bigger fighters, who she fights a lot. She has to move them. Any stalemate ends up looking like the bigger fighter came out on top.

This is a pretty esoteric answer to a very concrete problem, but how judges perceive things does matter in judging. 

Also, this is just your 4th fight. Just go in there and be the underdog. Scrap hard, know that she has this one advantage, so you go and find yours. As it is her first fight she might have problems holding her breath at times, out of nerves. This will lead to her gassing. Late in rounds is your time. Leading up to the fight in your training practice stealing rounds in the final 30 seconds.

[Nina Nutting]

My second interclub my opponent ended up being 8 kgs heavier than me, she was shorter though, so it didnt turn out to be a problem. 

 

Just make sure your fitness is on point,and run rings around her! 

[Sylvie von Duuglas-Ittu]

Hi everyone! So, I have got a fight coming up and if everything works out well, I´ll have my 4th fight at the end of August. The thing that worries me is that I will be fighting an opponent probably heavier than me - it should be a fight in the 60kgs cathegory, and I have been fighting at 56-57kgs (my regular weight without basically any weight cuts; I was actually hoping to lose some weight to get to 55, but well). It should be my opponent´s first fight. Do you have any advice on fighting larger fighters? (I know 3kgs is not such a difference, nevertheless that is the thing that worries me the most about the fight). Thanks!

I've fought with a lot of weight differences, some small and some pretty significant. The only time I really notice the difference is that it's harder to move your opponent than it would be at your same size. Not crazy hard, just more like, "wait, why isn't that working?" It will work, it just takes more time or you have to use angles more than you're used to. I remind myself to be more patient with bigger opponents, that what I want to do CAN be done, it's just a bit harder so don't give up on it if it doesn't work right away.

But at 57-60 kg a 3 kg difference won't feel like a lot. Don't think about it too much, as in don't worry about it :)

[NewThai]

As mentioned, this isn't such a dramatic weight advantage, and it being her first fight you'll hopefully have the adavantage of experience. Keep breathing and do what you do. :) Maybe try to stay out of clinch earlier on in the rounds as that can be super draining even with a same size opponent.

[Fighting Frog]

Although it's a bit late now, another time train and spar loads with someone heavier than you, so you get used to the feel etc of a heavier/bigger opponent. I find it weird sparring with someone smaller than me or the same size, as my trainers are way taller and heavier than me; and my best friend that I spar with (doing taekwondo) is about eight inches taller than me, extremely powerful, some six stone heavier, and specialises in massive head kicks! She frightens her opponents to death, but if you can find someone like that to work with then I promise you an opponent who is just a few kilos heavier will not worry you one bit.

Good luck!

[dora]

Thanks everybody! I lost the fight (which was yesterday), but really not because any weight advantages (even though there was no weight-in, so I guess the girl was ca 5 kgs heavier than me), but because I was a lot less active than her. At least now I know that heavier opponents are not so frightening!

[515]

You got some extra experience under your belt now :) so you still won a bit!
On to the next one!

Does it happen often in your place (and in other places from people on the forum?) to have no weigh-ins?

[dora]

Yeah, the most important thing for me at the moment is not being demotivated for the future, which I certainly am not, so the outcome doesn't really matter.

 

There are weigh-ins 99% of the time, the match yesterday was just a part of a small boxing event, and there were only 3 muay thai/K1 fights, just to give people an idea of what those look like. I could have said that I don't want to fight unless we have a weigh-in, but I didn't care that much I guess.

[NewThai]

Glad you got to have the experience and take away some positives. Next time you'll be better prepared mentally now that you've had the chance to fight someone heavier.