Chuck's love handles - edge or no?

Underground
1

In the face off photo between Chuck and Randy (top photo at MMAweekly.com's daily news for Saturday), Chuck appears to have love handles - he also looks fit but none too cut in his weigh-in photo. Presumably he has been training hard for this fight, so I don't think we can expect a performance like he gave against Murillo Bustamante. But I do find it interesting that a light heavyweight (not heavyweight like Ricco or Barnett or Sylvia) could come into a title fight in top condition and still have love handles. Does the extra fat in his body somehow give him an edge?

Your thoughts?

2

his body has an odd shape but they dont look like fat love handles to me

3

Chuck always has love handles, except for I think maybe the Tito
fight where he was leaner than normal.

I think thats just how his body looks, and doesnt mean that he
has not been training hard.

4

More like large obliques.

5

I think there called hip bones. That and a less than large lat spread will give that look.

6

More like ass-whuppin' handles, IMO

7

definite advantage, IMO.

8

I've used my love handles to smother people before.

9

ye, if this was a bodybuilding contest that might matter. But guess what, it's a fight. Chuck is a bonified light heavyweight. Even if that was fat, which it looks more like hip bones and muscle, it wouldn't determine how well he was conditioned. Diet has way more to do with the extra fat than conditioning.

10

I see it the other way. They're just another thing Randy can get a hold of to get the take down.

11

it's actually a significant disadvantage. some peoples bodies just will not give up certain areas of fat, no matter how hard they work out. and if they keep cutting calories, their bodies will just take muscle b4 they burn the "trouble spots". this problem gets worse with age.

everybody's body is different, and just because some guys have a sixpack when they work out, doesn't mean everybody does. the guinness book world record holder for situps doesn't have a sixpack. very well conditioned ab muscles - invisible under a thin layer of fat

this is not as big a problem in the heavyweights, but in a weight class, 5 pounds of fat is 5 pounds of muscle he doesn't get to carry. he's effectvely giving up a 5 pound weight advantage to his opponent.

12

"I see it the other way. They're just another thing Randy can get a hold of to get the take down."

yeah, I was wondering when someone would mention that.

13

sherdog has a pic of randy and chuck hugging.....

check out the protruding flesh caused by randys hand, and it looks like there might be a little belly there?

question is, will it make any differance..... who knows until the fight is over....

GO RANDY!!!

14

do u think Wila is grabbing her a handful of those handles?

15

Well, if that is fat, it ain't 5lbs. 5 lbs of fat will fill up an entire 2 litre coke bottle. No way those slightly protruding love handles are holding a 2 litre bottle of fat. Maybe 1 to 2 lbs.

16

"It doesn't seem to hinder BJ Penn's abilities."

it does, it's just not nearly as significant as his massive technical advantage, and other athletic gifts. but you're still giving up 5-10 pounds in dead weight that does nothing but slow you down. a ripped guy doesn't necessarrily have better cardio, but he he can bring 5-10 pounds more muscle into his weight class than a guy who is soft.

it doesn't matter to BJ, he can go fairly even against a top fighter 40 pounds heavier than him, he doesn't worry about 5-10

17

What your body looks like has little relevance to fighting performance. One word FEDOR.

18

truemanc1 makes a very good point.

19

ttt for takedown handles!!!

20

maybe fedor would be better if he was yoked