Image via UFC
A loss or two are apparently good motivation to drop a few pounds. UFC fighter Dennis Siver, who has competed as a lightweight for most of his 27-fight career, will apparently be moving down for his next bout. MMA Fighting has the info:
Former lightweight contender Dennis Siver is planning a move to featherweight in 2012, sources close to the fighter confirmed with MMAFighting.com. No word just yet on when the 19-8 German fighter will make his debut in the 145-pound weight class.
Siver had won four fights in a row going into UFC 137, and was considered to be a contender in the division. Unfortunately for him, he was submitted in the first round of his bout with Donald Cerrone and was forced to go back to the drawing board. He joins a long list of long-time 155'ers that have decided to drop to featherweight lately, including Tyson Griffin, Cole Miller, and Bart Palaszewski.
0 recs | 77 comments
Siver looks like a brick shithouse @ 155
I can’t imagine this cut will be good for him
Earl Montclair - January 2, 2012
if someone in 2007 said Wandy would become a decent middleweight
No one would believe he could make the cut. As long as he cuts some excess muscle he could make the cut safely. He may be naturally stocky but not all of that muscle is natural
sitnam90 - January 2, 2012 via mobile
I definitely think it’ll be hard as hell, but if he does it, then FW just got a lot better.
GreyedOut - January 2, 2012
damn straight
Earl Montclair - January 2, 2012
Siver looks like a
brickBrock shithouse @ 155DamnSevern - January 2, 2012
Losing some muscle might be good for him.
discoandherpes - January 2, 2012
So mini Daniel Craig will be even tinyer ill be interested to see if he can make it
MaZZacare - January 2, 2012
And if he can't...
Then somebody needs to install him as “evil James Bond” in the next 007 flick
nannerb - January 2, 2012
I call him…Mini Me!
Tedd Welch - January 2, 2012
quit humping the laser Mini Me
nannerb - January 3, 2012
Craig’s only 3 inches taller and I’ll bet if they stood side by side Siver would hardly look like a “mini-me” next to him.
Machiel Van - January 3, 2012
Then he learned Ross Pearson just fought and won at 145
and realized that dropping weight wasn’t going to save him.
pdl - January 2, 2012
Great addition to the weight class
rscott94 - January 2, 2012 via mobile
This reminds me of when I heard the news that Kawajiri was dropping down to FW. My first thought was, “he’s already a brick shithouse, he’ll be a monster at FW”. The same applies for Siver. I think the FW division got a helluva lot more interesting.
andrew861 - January 2, 2012
Kawajiri has looked pretty good at FW, which surprises me considering he’s cutting all the way down to 143.
His wrestling has looked sharp though, he put an absolute clinic on Miyata, and tapped him out after relentlessly pressuring him and dictating the fight
Robert V-U - January 2, 2012
Fact Check
He actually competed at welterweight and was submitted by Cerrone
rancid - January 2, 2012
Fact Check
He competed at 155lbs which is lightweight.
bigdmmafan - January 2, 2012
I think he’s making separate statements there. Both are correct.
Tim Burke - January 2, 2012
Yep
He fought and lost to Jess Liaudin at Welterweight.
KJ Gould - January 2, 2012
Who should Siver fight 1st..?
I say Korean Zombie or Hominick
The KO Kid - January 2, 2012 via iPhone app
needs a tune-up to see if the cut weren't too hard on him
like palasewski
the guy with the big nose - January 2, 2012
nah
throw him in right away. he’s top level talent and i don’t doubt for a second that he’s bringing anything but his a-game.
Victor Rodriguez - January 2, 2012
Jason Young or Erik Koch would be fun matchups.
George Roop would make a ton of sense as the upper echelon gatekeeper of 145. I’m not sure which of those fights is a favorable matchup for Siver but that’s what is out there.
pdl - January 2, 2012
Roop's the one guy who'd still have a reach advantage on him...as a Siver fan, I'd prefer he start elsewhere.
Snatchl - January 2, 2012
Let Darren Elkins wrestlefuck him then.
pdl - January 2, 2012
Siver has shown some pretty good takedown defense especially with his build. Elkins would actually be a pretty good matchup, and I think that Siver would defend the takedown and beat Elkins standing.
chrisbboy82 - January 2, 2012
the cut can make his a-game lacking
and I just realized it’s supposed to be “wasn’t” right? stupid second language
the guy with the big nose - January 2, 2012
i completely agree that a greater weight cut might have an adverse effect on his overall game, i just don’t believe in ‘gimmie fights’. it’s ridiculous.
you’re in the big leagues. there should be no such thing.
and don’t worry. second language or not, your English is fine.
Victor Rodriguez - January 2, 2012
Siver vs Cub Swanson.
For all the stand n wangers.
Anthony Peer - January 2, 2012 via mobile
Do you really want Cub to die?
MicahtheCynic - January 2, 2012
Both coming off of loses, so not too bad.
discoandherpes - January 2, 2012
i like this idea
Robert V-U - January 2, 2012
If he can safely and efficiently make the cut
Then he could be a real threat at 145. I don’t really understand the move – it’s not like he was getting muscled around at 155, but if he thinks that’s what he needs then go for it.
Patrick Wyman - January 2, 2012
these cuts are easier for 55ers
cause its only 10 pounds. If one doesn’t find success in lightweight they can more easily make the move to featherweight, more easily than one could make the move between lightweight-welter-middle-light heavy. 15-20 pounds is a lot harder on someones body and the size difference is more noticable in those higher weight classes
Sonnyshit - January 2, 2012
???
As a percentage of body weight, it’s about the same.
VenusBlue - January 2, 2012
Yup
That’s why wrestling has more light weight classes and gradually the difference is greater.
halitosis - January 2, 2012 via mobile
I think this is smart
It looked like he tried to make up for his height and reach at LW by bulking up.
I think his fighting style would benefit if he lost a bit of muscle.
av1o3 - January 2, 2012
I feel like he’s gonna need to drop a lot of upper body muscle (or at least he should so he can have an easier cut). I don’t think his power will suffer much (mainly cause I don’t think he has much), but if he can move quicker with less muscle than he can maybe land more of those slick spinning kicks
Robert V-U - January 2, 2012
Siver is only 5'7"
Cutting to 145 should not be that difficult for him. He’s also 32 so this is probably his last chance to make a run at the top of a division. I like his odds better at FW. His solid TDD will be even better due to a strength advantage, and he may get a little quicker with less bulk. I think he comes up short against the better strikers of the division, but can have some success against the grapplers. I think a fight with Hominick would be pretty damn entertaining. It would either get the Machine back on track or give Siver a big win vaulting him into the top of the division.
IWillPartyHard - January 2, 2012
Siver is going to find the speed advantage of basically all his oppopents at FW too much
Our Bovine Public - January 2, 2012
Not too sure about that
Siver will probably get faster by dropping a class. He has too much unnecessary bulk that hinders his speed.
av1o3 - January 2, 2012
Or maybe he's too big at 155
And would be way too big for 145.
SSreporters - January 2, 2012
Depends on how he plans to get to 145
If he’s going to just dehydrate himself there then he’s fucked. If he plans on dieting and losing some unnecessary muscle then I think it would be a good thing.
av1o3 - January 2, 2012
Dennis Siver vs Manny Gamburyan.
Siver can make an immediate impact on the division with a win over Gamburyan. Lightweight is too crowded anyway. I like this move.
The Armchair Juggernaut - January 2, 2012 via mobile
I wonder if he gets cut after last weekend though
He’s lost three in a row now.
av1o3 - January 2, 2012
Featherweight isn’t too deep and Sean Shelby usually gives guys second and third chances. I think he’ll set up a fight like Phan/Gamburyan just to save one guys job.
discoandherpes - January 2, 2012
Siver's striking is incredibly overrated
And way too slow for the fast 145ers.
Why the hell is he dropping there anyway?
Ummm….Siver vs. Erik Koch.
SSreporters - January 2, 2012
Its really not
He has a unique striking style, and is definitely a top 5 striker in LW.
The LW wrestleboxers’ hands are so horrible that if Siver could Hulk his way out of being taken down at LW it was a long night for his opponent.
The Lethal Haze - January 2, 2012
He was soundly outstruck by Ross Pearson
Whose striking is very good but not elite.
He was stomped on by Guillard and owned by Cerrone.
At this point I’d say Edgar, Guillard, Cerrone, Diaz, Pearson, and possibly Stout all have better striking than him.
Much of his hype is the spinning back-kick, which doesn’t land nearly as often as I wish it would.
SSreporters - January 2, 2012
Owned by Cerrone, ok
Every time Guillard fights is a coin toss. You can’t accurately predict any of his fights, because he’s such a loose cannon. That fight honestly doesn’t mean as much to me as the three rounds against Pearson, and I could see either Guillard or Siver getting KO’d in a rematch.
I honestly don’t think he could beat Guida, Maynard, or other top control specialists. I think it was insane that people wanted to see any of those matchups, as Siver’s TD defense isn’t that good and he’s absolutely horrible off of his back.
I said he was top 5, your rankings put him at top 7. That’s not overrated, he has really good striking compared to most of the rest of the wrestleboxer heavy division. The karate base is really just something Rogan harps on and is annoying. But his hype is off of his TD defense and unorthodox striking.
The Lethal Haze - January 2, 2012
if he thinks he can make it more power to him
T.P. Grant - January 2, 2012
that said
I don’t think it is a good move for him him. He will be a plodding mass of dehydrated muscle if that cut doesn’t go well and just a big target the faster featherweights.
T.P. Grant - January 2, 2012
Unless he slims down. Then I think it’s a good move.
discoandherpes - January 2, 2012
I hope this isn’t just in response to the Cerrone loss. If he has been mulling it over for a bit and done all of the test cuts well though, I can’t wait to see another fighter make his way into FW. It needs some love honestly.
Empty Thoughts - January 2, 2012
SIVER VS. NAM PHAN!!! Book that shit dana!
They are both coming off of losses, and it would be a great fight for Denis’ style.
Snatchl - January 2, 2012
Can’t an Asian brother get a little love?
Tedd Welch - January 2, 2012
Rather than have to watch Nam Phan lose another fight, I hope they just cut him
Robert V-U - January 2, 2012
one problem I have with MMA
Is that in boxing, boxers naturally move up in weight as they age and look for tougher competition. In MMA, fighters are quick to drop a weight class after a few losses.
Personally, I think Siver looked good at 155 and should just continue to develop his game. A loss to Cerrone is nothing to be ashamed of.
At any rate, best of luck to Siver in the featherweight division
nannerb - January 2, 2012
It helps that there are more weight classes in boxing. In MMA a jump from Lightweight to Welterweight is 15lbs (weigh-in day). That’s a significant amount of mass to put on between fights. In boxing, a jump between Super Welterweight (154lbs) and Middleweight (160lbs) is just 4 pounds (obviously). So that sport lends itself better to incremental weight gains. That, and boxing spreads talent out more. Imagine if the UFC adopted boxing’s weight classes. Those divisions would each be very weak, meaning the top guys would need to continually move up in weight to fight other top guys. So it is in boxing.
POW - January 2, 2012
I think you mean 6 lbs, but I get what you are saying.
It’s not the weight increments or the amount of weight classes I’m disputing, it’s the DIRECTION. That fighters look to drop weight in an effort to find more success. Jose Aldo, who I think is top 5 P4P, looked awful during his UFC 129 weight cut. Personally, I don’t like to see fighters killing themselves to make weight. I think BJ Penn, Frankie Edgar, and Royce Gracie are great examples of fighters that can achieve great success by not being the bigger, more athletic fighter.
nannerb - January 3, 2012
Royce Gracie shouldn’t be brought up in this discussion… he fought when nobody had any idea what jiu jitsu was. When he fought Hughes, it clearly showed that his technique wasn’t enough.
With that said, Penn and Edgar are good examples, but are the exceptions rather than the rule.
Shnak - January 3, 2012
I think Royce Gracie is a great example. Yes, I agree he got smashed by Hughes, but I don’t think that takes away from his past accomplishments. It’s not a fair assessment since Royce was at the end of his career and Hughes was in his prime.
In regards to “the exception vs. the rule argument”, I can’t really go anywhere with that.
If I list a mid-level fighter as an example, the fighter’s mediocre-to-decent track record isn’t strong enough to support my agrument. I can’t use a C-level fighter or anything less for obvious reasons. So I need to use high-level fighters with success against larger opponents. So, I guess what I’m trying to say is – agree to disagree?
What about Shinya Aoki? Does that work?
nannerb - January 3, 2012
The reason we get that in boxing
is because guys start in the right weight class to begin with. With such a deep amateur system they start really young and slowly start to bulk up (think Rory McDonald). If these guys who drop to 145 were boxers they probably would have started their careers there in Boxing, indeed even lower, and moved up from there.
Stiff Jab - January 3, 2012
Perhaps. Looking at this old picture of Siver, he probably could’ve competed at 145lbs when he was younger. The key word is younger. He’s not that size anymore.
Again, my point is the direction of weight classes MMA fighters are moving towards.
I agree with you 100% that if there were a deep amateur system, then someone like Rory would start to move up in weight as he aged and bulked up.
But what we are seeing is guys are aging and naturally bulking up – and then cutting to a lower weight class when the going gets tough.
Siver’s loss to Cowboy was because Cowboy saw a hole in his game (i.e. he keeps his right hand down) And so Cowboy game planned for it. He didn’t lose because he couldn’t match strength with him.
nannerb - January 3, 2012
Dennis Siver is a ONE TRICK PONY.
How many ELITE grapplers has he faced? Zero.
He beat a couple of overrated grapplers who are not even contenders anymore. He’s got good kickboxing but not much else. He’s a one trick pony.
Put Dennis Siver against an ELITE grappler and he’ll fold like a cheap lawn chair.
Dana has purposely let him SLIDE up the ladder without having to face great grapplers because he needs more Euro fighters to be top contenders. A Euro fighter is worth three times his weight in gold to the UFC since you can’t have a Euro show without Euro fighters on the card these days.
That’s why Gustafsson was given an easy fight at UFC 141, so that he can keep his nice record intact for a possible main event or co-main event when the UFC goes to Sweden in 2012. Matyushenko was basically FED to him as a light appetizer.
Siver is irrelevant and won’t amount to anything in the featherweight division since there’s too many grapplers who will dry hump him or submit him. Expect Dana to feed him cans mostly for a while.
Who_Has_Crushed_More_Cans_Than_Fedor - January 2, 2012
I feel as though The Janitor was a pretty logical progression for The Mauler. It is the exact same career arc as they put Jon Jones on. Matt Hammill and then Vladdy. And Jon Jones is not European.
Earl Montclair - January 2, 2012
And to give context to each of those matchups...
Jon Jones was a -750 favorite over The Janitor. Gustafsson was between -300 and -330. So that whole “feeding” thing is way less applicable here anyways.
Also, Gustafsson got the win against Hamill.
pdl - January 2, 2012
JBJ beat up Hamil bad
Robert V-U - January 2, 2012
He folded G-Sot like a cheap lawn chair.
discoandherpes - January 2, 2012
Siver’s wins before the Cerrone fight were pretty solid. A winning streak consisting of Fisher, Winner, Sotiropolous, and Wiman is a pretty solid streak. Not great, but solid. He is really not that bad of a fighter.
chrisbboy82 - January 2, 2012
Elite grapplers? Like G-sot?
Chris Hall - January 2, 2012
HOW DARE YOU BRING LOGIC INTO THIS CONVERSATION!
MicahtheCynic - January 3, 2012
Eh, George Sotiropoulos. One of the best grapplers at LW, beat him easily.
He also recently beat a more wrestling oriented fighter in Matt Wiman.
Horselover Fat - January 3, 2012
wish gomo dropped to FW
problably wouldnt make a difference thou
four20 - January 2, 2012
gomi
four20 - January 2, 2012
Jose Aldo look out
You’re about to get kicked……in the liver
NEW-HAMPSHIRE - January 3, 2012
Dennis Siver look out
You’re about to get grabbed……by the foot
UncleMax - January 3, 2012
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