Openweight

Openweight is an unofficial weight class in combat sports and professional wrestling. It refers to bouts where there is no weight limit and fighters with a dramatic difference in size can compete against each other. It is different from catch weight, where competitors agree to weigh in at a certain amount without an official weight class.

Mixed martial arts

The sport of mixed martial arts originally had no weight classes, and martial artists of different styles and sizes were drawn together to prove which martial art is most effective in unarmed situations. By the early 2000s, weight classes were introduced and became mandatory in many countries. However, Japan became a bastion of openweight fights, nicknamed "freak show fights," with fighters such as Ikuhisa Minowa and Genki Sudo commonly facing much larger opponents.

The openweight division in mixed martial arts (MMA) generally groups fighters above 265 lb (120.2 kg).

Road FC currently has an openweight division. Pancrase originally had a super heavyweight division; it was abolished and incorporated into the unlimited division. Deep currently has an openweight division called "Megaton" although the first champion was Yusuke Kawaguchi, who weighed less than 100 kg. The Japan-based mixed martial arts promotion and sanctioning organization ZST has an openweight division. Dream, now defunct, had an openweight division with tournaments called "Super Hulk Tournament - World Superhuman Championship".

Professional Champions

Current Champions

This table is not always up to date. Last updated on January 17, 2018.

Organization Reign Began Champion Record Defenses
Road FC September 24, 2016 Mighty Mo 12-5 (9KO 3SUB)[1] 2[1]

Professional wrestling

There are many Open-weight tournament transfers in professional wrestling. Some wrestling promotions have officially-designated Openweight Championships (IWGP U-30 Openweight Championship, Global Honored Crown Unlimited Championship, NEVER Openweight Championship, KO-D Openweight Championship) while other promotions ignore weight classes to the point that most, if not all of their championships are effectively openweight. For example, the WWE Championship, traditionally promoted as a heavyweight title, has been held by wrestlers billed as weighing as little as 170 lbs., well below the traditional minimum weight for a wrestler to be classed as a heavyweight.

Judo

Judo has held the World Judo Open Championships where judoka from different weight classes can compete, whereas the ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship holds tournaments every two years with both official weight classes and an "absolute" (no weight) division.

Sumo

In amateur and international sumo events, as sanctioned by the International Sumo Federation, openweight competitions exist alongside 3-4 weight class competitions. In professional sumo, as organized by the Japan Sumo Association, there are no weight classes and thus is de facto openweight only.

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See also

References
  1. "Siala Siliga ("Mighty Mo") | MMA Fighter Page | Tapology". Tapology. Retrieved 2018-01-17.
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