Trying to decide what weight division to pick? In the world of UFC 4, the weight class you fight in so often shapes your fighting experience. Every division brings different styles & clashes that range in skill, strategy, power & speed. Here, we’ll explore the intricacies of each division, uncovering the strengths and challenges they offer & guiding you to your perfect fit.
1. Strawweight:
Weili Zhang vs Rose Namajunas
At 115lbs women’s strawweight presents a roster full of speed & agility in abundance as the lightest of them all.
Nearly everyone has quick reflexes & a diverse arsenal of techniques as their size doesn’t really limit them from throwing any type of strike. This goes for their stamina too as you can get away with throwing or missing a lot of big strikes without gassing as quickly as you would with more weight. The power difference & overall skill disparity between the few top-tier fighters in the division such as Weili Zhang, Rose Namajunas, Joanna Jędrzejczyk, and the rest of the division is extremely clear.
If you don’t want to use the elite of the division, you’ll have to lean into the specific advantages of jiu-jitsu specialists like Mackenzie Dern the wrestling of Tatiana Suarez, or your created fighters' main discipline early on, in order to compete with those elite names, to give a few examples.
Women's Strawweight Review:
- A high level of speed and agility is never more prevalent
- Jiu-jitsu transitions are rapid as lighter women are often quicker & more difficult to submit
- Technical striking with a diverse arsenal of techniques is prioritised over hoping to land singular devastating strikes
- Requires a balance of striking and grappling skills as fights usually go longer
Choose Women's Strawweight if:
- You love fast-paced fights as nine times out of ten you’ll find yourself in them
- You like to mix it up as you’ll often have to transition between striking and the ground game over the course of a 5 round fight
- Fluid striking combinations & a lot of footwork are your strengths - You’ll have to outthink & outwork your opponent on the feet rather than bombarding & overpowering them
- You don’t mind a lack of big names or elite-level fighters outside of the top three or four
2. Women’s Flyweight
Former UFC Flyweight Champion Valentina Shevchenko in UFC 4
At 125lbs, women’s flyweight is one of the newer and undoubtedly thinnest rosters with just 15+ fighters to choose from on the active roster.
There’s more of a balance of speed and power here compared to strawweight, with much of the same advantages in quickness remaining, if not diminished slightly with a bit more strength in its place. Valentina Shevchenko and Alexa Grasso are two of very few elite options here, with Joanna Jędrzejczyk.
From a career mode perspective if you're a striker, focus heavily on your grappling because most fighters are well-rounded or grappling-based, and if you’re a grappler, focus on your striking to rise above the majority, and for when you face Valentina or Joanna.
Review:
- Thin talent pool - Very new weight class with prime Valentina at her best & new champion Alexa Grasso, but very few elite options
- 15 fighters mean rematches will be common for online & career too
- More grappling talent or well-rounded fighters with few elite strikers in the division
Choose Women’s Flyweight if you:
- You don’t mind the limited fighter pool as it makes fewer options for big/exciting fights
- You don’t mind frequently facing the same fighters in online or career mode
- You’re okay with going straight into bigger fights without as much time to prepare for them in career mode, with fewer warm-up fights available
3. Men's Flyweight
Brandon Moreno vs Deiveson Figueredo
At 125 lbs men’s flyweight is the lightest men's division but doesn’t lack a punch with a lot of elite fighters to choose from. A far cry from the scrutiny the division had faced for lack of star power as it’s witnessed an upswing in talent and competitiveness despite boasting the shortest roster in UFC 4.
Counterstriking is key in the longer technical battles that you’ll often be in so learn & utilise slip counters, parries, and well-timed evasions. With most fighters in the division being well-rounded it’s important to mix up your game plan too, even if you’re not a fan of or using a straight grappler, throw in takedowns to keep yourself unpredictable.
Review:
- Blazing Speed and Agility mixed with explosiveness: Their smaller size allows for rapid movement & they have a lot of explosive power despite this
- Technical Mastery - The division mirrors real life as high-level technical skill is prioritised over brute power
- Most fighters possess precise footwork, crisp striking combinations, and fluid grappling techniques -
- Despite good options, still a very thin talent pool overall
Choose men's flyweight if:
- You enjoy fast-paced fights as that’s how the majority will go
- You enjoy intense longer technical battles as it’ll take more knockdowns to finish the fight because it’s such a low weight & the lower the weight classes, the more technique is crucial to separate yourself
- You’re comfortable with dynamic striking exchanges & rapid transitions in grappling as you’ll have to keep up with your opponent in these to not get overwhelmed
4. Women's Bantamweight
Newly retired former UFC Bantamweight & Featherweight Champion Amanda Nunes in UFC 4
The biggest women’s division in the game, bantamweight presents an interesting style clash with solid speed & agility retained but with far more power coming at you.
The weight class has a storied history with the biggest names in women's MMA making their names at bantamweight so that there’s a perfect mix of elite challenges & interesting matchups for both online & career mode. It also has a general depth of quality fighters to build up to that.
Although they retain good speed with it being such a low weight, brute power & strength is way more advantageous here than in other weight classes so avoid getting caught & don’t rely on rushing ground transitions.
Review:
- Striking Power - Women's Bantamweight fighters possess impressive striking power, allowing for devastating knockout potential more than the other women's divisions.
- Competitive Roster - there are several elite strikers, grapplers, and styles within the division along with a lot of depth behind that
- Championship Pedigree - The division has seen dominant champions like Amanda Nunes as well as Ronda Rousey available, amongst other legendary figures like Cris Cyborg too
Choose women's bantamweight if:
- You like a mix of speed and agility but with more power than any other women's division meaning - fast-paced fights but with bigger consequences & danger when getting hit
- You have a well-rounded skill set and can adapt to different fighting styles - in a bigger division you’ll face a lot of different styles frequently
- You have good defence to prepare yourself for the amount of high-level/powerful strikers in the division
- You like the idea of dethroning big names in career mode from past and present eras
5. Men's Bantamweight
- Exciting Fight Style: The Men's Bantamweight division often produces fast-paced, action-packed fights with a blend of technique, power, skill, and speed
- Elite fighters from every discipline/background in the game
- In the debate for the most stacked division in the game when it comes to solely current-era fighters - A perfect mix of styles, elite-level fighters, depth, and exciting younger fighters to use or fight against
Choose men's bantamweight if:
- Wrestling and grappling are important aspects of your fighting style - There’s plenty of fighters from every background but wrestlers can dictate where the fight goes the easiest, and there’s a shark tank of them here
- You want to compete against skilled opponents and challenge yourself in a highly competitive weight class - If you select this weight class for career mode, it'll be tough fight after tough fight, with no easy options
6. Featherweight
5-star club UFC Featherweight Champion Alexander Volkanovski in UFC 4
Everywhere you look at featherweight is an elite & lethal striker, more often than not they have excellent jiu-jitsu too. There are good wrestlers available, but these are few and far between here in comparison to many other divisions.
Focus on being versatile, featherweight definitely benefits the exciting & fluid fighter whether that is striking or grappling. So be offensive and aggressive & push the pace but with that being said don’t go over the top with stamina wasting.
Review:
- Another option for the most stacked weight class in the game - A multitude of fighters who could be champion at any given moment
- The peak of the division has some of the greatest fighters of all time, Alex Volkanovksi, Max Holloway & prime featherweight Conor McGregor - All make perfect selections or exciting opponents for you
- Exciting Fight Style - The fighters available and styles more often than not lead to really fast-paced matchups with a mix of both explosive and fast strikers throughout the division
- Benefits the great strikers with offensive jiu jitsu
Choose featherweight if:
- You excel in striking, combining speed and power in your attack - You’ll need every approach
- You enjoy fast-paced, action-packed fights with a mix of styles
- You can maintain stamina well - You’ll get picked apart on the feet if you don’t
7. Lightweight
Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Dustin Poirier in UFC 4
Lightweight has been the gold standard of the modern UFC era and it still reflects this as one of the best divisions in the game on UFC 4. Maybe it’s seen its peak with Conor McGregor, Khabib & Tony Ferguson either moving on or slowing down but it still presents a fairly stacked roster of that generation & the new era to choose from.
Conor McGregor once referred to the lightweight division as the ‘stuck in the mud division’ and I wouldn’t go that far but the speed difference to featherweight in UFC 4 is very clear & the power jump is too. Make up for that with fast combinations that you’ve memorised and if you’re up against a big power puncher or a great wrestler as the division is stacked with them, target specific areas over and over to break them down.
Review:
- Speed is still a big factor but this is the first division where the power levels make a big jump and rocking your opponent with one shot becomes far more common
- Finishes in the earlier rounds are really frequent at lightweight, there’s a lot of devastating strikers & grapplers to choose from
- You have to be well-rounded or you’ll lose frequently
Choose lightweight if:
- You have a well-rounded skill set and are comfortable in all areas of the fight - most fighters are well-rounded here
- You have really strong takedown defence in particular - eventually, you’re gonna have to face Islam Makhachev or Khabib and you have to be prepared
- You have mental resilience - you’ll more than likely have to pull off a lot of comebacks from bad positions against elite wrestlers whether it's online or career & you can’t get frustrated and fold or it’s over
8. Welterweight
Leon Edwards and Kamaru Usman face off in UFC 4
Welterweight at 170 lbs is known for peak athleticism for a reason, directly in the middle of the lightning-fast lower divisions & powerful heavier weight classes. Across the overall history of the UFC & UFC games, it likely is the most stacked division in the sport & it lives up to that l here.
Favourites like Usman and Colby are machines when it comes to pushing a high pace & getting takedowns. Set your own pace on them and make them fight your fight. If that’s with your grappling, then match their own game & beat them at it. If it’s with your kickboxing or muay thai etc, fight at range with effective footwork and damage their legs and body with kicks. If it’s with your boxing, jab & feint to keep them on edge. Whatever style, don’t let them dictate their pace onto you.
Review:
- A lot of fighters get caught between weight classes at welterweight more than any other as separated by 15lbs between those around it so the size of fighters will differ frequently
- Welterweight is home to a lot of stocky & powerful wrestlers with devastating overhands that are cardio machines
- There are countless elite-level title contenders to deal with from Leon Edwards, Kamara Usman & Colby Covington amongst others if you want to rise to the top in career mode
Choose welterweight if:
- You like competing within a stacked weight class - there are a lot of elite-level fighters to choose from
- You can mix good boxing with wrestling as most champions in the division specialise in these two disciplines
- Tactical battles and adaptability excite you as a fighter - you won’t make it far if you’re one dimensional
9. Middleweight
UFC Middleweight Champion Israel Adesanya in UFC 4
Middleweight is stacked with killers in both the current era and previous eras. Anderson "The Spider" Silva, "The American Gangster" Chael Sonnen, "The Axe Murderer" Wanderlei Silva, Robert "The Reaper" Whittaker, Israel "The Last Stylebender" Adesanya & Bruce "It's Time" Buffer… need I say any more?
Take your time to read your opponent, there are so many powerhouses & creative strikers at middleweight that the worst thing you can do is rush into a war. See the style your opponent is bringing & counter it. When you know what your opponent is bringing you can make the best decision over if you want to scrap, snipe, or grapple.
Review:
- Every shot feels noticeably heavier than welterweight and it’s very easy to rock your opponent yet they can still often take a lot of damage before you can put them away
- Striking diversity is prevalent - It has everything from masterful technicians like Israel Adesanya to brute powerhouses such as Paulo Costa & Yoel Romero to everything in between aka Robert Whittaker
- You’ll rarely see a middleweight fight go to a decision as most fighters people choose are prolific finishers
- Pressure fighting is really overwhelming at times as there’s still a degree of speed but so much more power is coming at you now so it’s crucial to pick those fighters off effectively
- Icon versions of fighters like Anderson Silva & Michael Bisping as well as regular legends enhance an already solid roster
Choose middleweight if:
- You don’t mind facing a murderers row of opponents whether online or career as it’s a division stacked with strikers, wrestlers, and grapplers that all have great ability to finish fights easily
- You can stay composed when getting pressured as you’ll have to calmly pick pressure fighters off otherwise you’re at a disadvantage fighting at their pace
- You don’t mind sacrificing the speed of welterweights & below to lean into power and/or precision more as from here onwards it’s the heaviest hitters in the game
10. Light Heavyweight
5-star legend Daniel Cormier in UFC 4
Light heavyweight has likely had its heyday as the most exciting division in the UFC but the game roster does well to boost it. UFC 4 combines a mix of current fighters, heavyweights and middleweights who can or have fought at light heavyweight, and UFC legends such as Chuck Liddell & the late Anthony ‘Rumble’ Johnson, to make the division far more exciting to play again.
Attacking the body is a great option at light heavyweight, stamina really begins to become more and more precious the heavier you go. Light heavyweight presents far more agile fighter selection options to launch body attacks with a range of kicks, as most fighters are rangey as well as being devastatingly powerful yet nowhere near as sluggish as heavyweight. For that reason too, it hurts your opponent way more easily than it would in lower-weight divisions.
Review:
- A recovering but still thin current crop of light heavyweights is redeemed in UFC 4 with the legends of previous eras added to the mix
- There are a lot of fighters with heavyweight-level power mixed in with big middleweights coming up in weight as they meet in the middle at 205 - so the discrepancies in power & durability or speed & stamina can be massive between the two
- Jon Jones & Daniel Cormier are two of the most frequently picked guys at this weight so you’ll likely have to get used to dealing with them, which won’t be easy
Choose light heavyweight if:
- You’re comfortable dealing with both massive knockout artists & lightning-quick technical masters - with the number of fighters from a division above & below here, you’ll face the best of both worlds
- Bringing the division back to its glory days in career excites you
- You love blending past & present eras as in both career & online there’s such a fun scope to do this with the amount of dream fights that can be made
11. Heavyweight
Lineal Heavyweight Champion & ex-UFC star Francis Ngannou vs UFC Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones
Heavyweight is a mix of extreme fun & focus, as you know the grave consequences for you or your opponent when someone messes up.
Fighters often do feel heavily stuck in the mud at times. When you have a faster & more fluid heavyweight such as Cyril Gane, Tom Aspinall, or Sergei Pavlovich, it’s night & day in terms of how free you feel when moving.
Effective wrestling separates you from those who don’t use it at heavyweight, even the most technical strikers are prone to getting rocked at this weight so wrestling negates that risk. Implement it early in fights to lower your opponent's stamina as they’ll be at a massive disadvantage after, or have it as a backup plan if you get rocked. Embrace the clinch too, you’ll need the stamina breaks & it’s an opportunity to dirty box or transition to a takedown.
Review:
- You can’t sustain being rocked upwards of 10 times like you often can in lower-weight classes
- A great blend of legends improves a fairly weak crop of current-era heavyweights available
- Stamina reduces ridiculously quickly if you miss strikes or takedowns or get taken down and struggle to transition
- Fighter selection is often a choice between slow & stuck in the mud but devastatingly powerful in striking, & slightly less power but far more fluid, fast & free
- Ground and pound is devastating and fighters can’t sustain more than a couple of strikes from bottom
Choose heavyweight if:
- You’re comfortable using fighters with & dealing against great knockout power - All fighters you face will have very heavy hands
- You thrive in high-risk, high-reward situations - Higher fight-ending potential at any moment adds more pressure
- You’re an efficient grappler/wrestler - Missing takedowns or reversed/rejected ground transitions has a devastating effect on your stamina at heavyweight
- You have a high fight IQ - it’s important to separate yourself from scrapping without a strategy to limit the danger
