Openweight
Encyclopedia
Openweight is an unofficial weight class in combat sports. It refers to bouts where there is no weight limit and fighters with a dramatic difference in size can compete against each other. It should not be confused with catch weight
Catch weight
A catch weight is a term used in combat sports such as boxing and mixed martial arts to describe a weight limit for a fight that does not fall in line with the traditional limits for weight classes...

, where competitiors agree to weigh in at a certain amount outwith an official weight class.

Judo has held the World Judo Open Championships where judoka from different weight classes can compete, where as the ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship
ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship
The ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship is a competition involving professional athletes who have been successful at the highest levels of jiu-jitsu, wrestling, judo, sambo, shooto and mixed martial arts...

 holds tournaments every two years with both official weight classes and an "absolute" (no weight) division.

The sport of mixed martial arts
Mixed martial arts
Mixed Martial Arts is a full contact combat sport that allows the use of both striking and grappling techniques, both standing and on the ground, including boxing, wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, muay Thai, kickboxing, karate, judo and other styles. The roots of modern mixed martial arts can be...

 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
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

 became a bastion of openweight fights, with fighters such as Ikuhisa Minowa
Ikuhisa Minowa
is a Japanese mixed martial artist and pro wrestler currently competing in Dream as . He was a long time veteran of Pride Fighting Championships and Pancrase and has also competed in other mixed martial arts promotions such as K-1 HERO'S, Cage Rage, UFC, and DEEP. At 5'9" he is notable for taking...

 and Genki Sudo
Genki Sudo
is a retired Japanese mixed martial artist and a kickboxer who, up until December 31, 2006 competed in the Japanese fighting organization HERO'S and before that, the Ultimate Fighting Championship and Pancrase. He is notable for his elaborate ring entrances and unorthodox fighting style. His...

commonly facing much larger opponents.
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK