What are the weight classes in MMA?

What are the weight classes in the UFC and Bellator and what exactly do they represent?

Some of the biggest differences between boxing and mixed martial arts are the weight classes and how they are divided. In MMA there are fewer weight classes, and that’s something that the fighters have been campaigning to change for quite some time.

For this purpose of this, we’ll discuss the weight classes the UFC and Bellator use, since those are the two largest MMA promotions in North America. Some regional promotions may have other weight classes, but overall, the UFC sets the bar for how MMA promotions are run.

UFC weight divisions

• Strawweight (115 pounds) * women only
• Flyweight (125 pounds)
• Bantamweight (135 pounds)
• Featherweight (145 pounds)
• Lightweight (155 pounds) * men only
• Welterweight (170 pounds) * men only
• Middleweight  (185 pounds) * men only
• Light heavyweight (205 pounds) * men only
• Heavyweight (265 pounds) * men only

Bellator weight divisions

• Flyweight (125 pounds) * women only
• Bantamweight (135 pounds) *men only
• Featherweight (145 pounds)
• Lightweight (155 pounds) * men only
• Welterweight (170 pounds) * men only
• Middleweight  (185 pounds) * men only
• Light heavyweight (205 pounds) * men only
• Heavyweight (265 pounds) * men only

Some regional promotions have 165-pound divisions and ultra-heavyweight divisions, but so far, the UFC has not adopted either.

When a fighter weighs-in for a fight they are required to be at the weight (with a one-pound allowance) of their designated weight class. Championship fights do not include the one-pound allowance.

Sometimes, especially in Bellator, fights are negotiated outside of a traditional weight division and those are called catchweight. Catchweight fights are not eligible for title fights.