Darren's blog

Very well written, thank you for sharing this! Spot on.

I would add just one more to your list, if I may: sometimes, if you are unlucky, you might a sort of injury that makes taking on guys too far above your weight class dangerous.

Good point about injury even though I get a turn on wrestling "bigger" men than me I had some nasty injuries that kind of makes me re-consder my favorite pastime. 🤕👍

Then there's the other part, where bigger guys avoid smaller guys or discontinue an ongoing match because they don't want to be beaten/are being beaten by a smaller guy which makes them feel emasculated...

I don’t mind losing to a smaller guy at all. The issue I’ve seen on Meetfighters is that when a smaller guy wins, some feel the need to be very vocal about it in their match recommendations section. Instead of focusing on the experience and the connection, they use that limited space to talk about the score and how they “dominated” the bigger guy. That’s what creates the problem—not the loss itself, but how it gets framed afterward.

Is that issue the norm? Or just a few guys? Regardless, in the reverse case big guys are very vocal sometimes when they win and size difference was part of it. Is that case ok then? Should just take it?

Really nice piece.

I only do for-fun matches or holds exchange and find when it comes to being more competitive my weight limit exists at a point not much heavier than I am.

I met a guy who was almost 20 kg heavier and he cold throw and fold me like I weighed nothing.

I’ve always had a preference for larger opponents but that’s no doubt due to being predominantly ‘jobber’, so getting a return on them didn’t really matter (just being enough to present some level of resistance) 😎

This paragraph....

"When the size difference is noticeable, the power exchange just isn’t the same. You end up thinking more about holding back than actually fighting. There’s always that worry of going too far without meaning to. And honestly, when you know the other person can’t quite return the same level of intensity, the competitive edge fades. It doesn’t bring the same satisfaction as facing someone who can match your pace and push you right back."

you said you don't want to look down on them but that is exactly what you are doing. You assume every single guy like that will not be at your level, that it won't be enjoyable for you, and worse yet that they are so defenseless that would damage them.
That is... sorry... but pure arrogance. You put them in boxes before you even have the chance to know what would actually happen.

I guess you are the kind of guy that would feel extremely surprised and probably ego-hurt when someone that is "lower" category than you, because of height, size, etc, can actually fuck you up. Which it is in itself another form of arrogance.

Yes, professional weight classes exist for a reason, but not for the ones you described here.

This post brings the community backwards, not forward, in my opinion.

Thanks for taking the time to share your perspective.

Just to clarify my point wasn’t that smaller fighters are weaker or “beneath” me. I’ve sparred and fought with plenty of guys lighter than me who were far more skilled, and I’ve taken losses from them too.

What I was talking about is the dynamic of the fight, not the skill level of the opponent. Some people enjoy matchups where the physical attributes such as size, power, pace are more evenly matched because it feels more like a back-and-forth challenge instead of having to constantly adjust intensity.

That’s just my personal preference, nothing to do with assuming someone smaller is defenseless or unskilled. Everyone has their own style and comfort zone.

Cheers, Darren

Isn't that kind of exactly what you said in the post tho? hahahA
I fail to understand the purpose of your post then. Of course everyone has preferences. I think almost no one denies that.
But having to provide such a long explanation why you don't fight anyone outside your "category" begs to think that you have to justify yourself somehow.

Hit me up if you want to have a better conversation about it. Cheers.

Okay, this conversation has run its course.my post stands! Some of the nuances about fights only hit once you’re actually in the ring, which, from what I gather, isn’t something you’ve done yet.

Poor thing you, assuming what people have and haven't done before. If you are going to react so bitchy about it I expect that you at least fight once a day and have done it for many years now. I was actually trying to answer politely and respectful but the moment you felt a little bit of push back from what you say you react this way? Can't even imagine how you would react if someone smaller wins then...
Keep that mentality up, you will get very far for sure 🤣

Your post shouldn't stand Darren. Your post is nonsense. You don't have to adjust fight intensity because an opponent is smaller. They may be much better at fighting that you are. So why would you reduce your intensity if they're already better than you?
You say it's about the intensity & having to adjust intensity...again, if they're better than you, why would you be doing that?
Two of the guys I met for a match this year were about 40kgs heavier than me. But I had to reduce my intensity substantially because they weren't very skilled. But based on your logic, they also then supposed to reduce their intensity too because I'm smaller? That's ridiculous

Hey Hustler, thank you for your time to point out your criticism or point of view. Really appreciate it.

But I think you’re responding to a point I didn’t actually make.

I never said smaller fighters are less skilled, or that intensity should automatically be reduced just because of size. I’ve trained with lighter guys who were far more technical than me, and in those cases the intensity naturally matches theirs.

What I was talking about is the fight dynamic — how size differences can affect pacing, control, and the way a round feels. Sometimes the bigger fighter has to adjust. Sometimes the smaller one does. Sometimes neither needs to.

That’s why I ended my post by saying it depends entirely on the individual fighters involved.

Cheers, Darren

You clearly wrote, over and over, that the bigger guy has to scale back because the intensity is not good enough for you based entirely on the size difference....
Do I need to provide some quotes?

No, you don’t need to quote anything. I know exactly what I wrote.Hahaha

And what I wrote was about how the fight feels, not about automatically scaling back just because someone is smaller. The context was about match dynamics, not a blanket rule about size.

When I said the intensity can change with a noticeable size difference, that wasn’t me saying “bigger guys must always tone it down.” It means the pacing can shift depending on who you’re facing — sometimes because of size, sometimes because of skill, sometimes because of both.

That’s why I also said it depends entirely on the individual fighters involved.

If you read the whole post, the emphasis is clearly on personal preference and balance, not on assuming anything about a smaller opponent’s ability.

Cheers, Darren

Oh wow.....

"you know the other person can’t quite return the same level of intensity"

"doesn’t bring the same satisfaction as facing someone who can match your pace and push you right back."

"You end up thinking more about holding back than actually fighting"

"becomes one-sided"

Hahaha

Quoting isolated lines without the rest of the context doesn’t change what the post actually said.

Those sentences describe how certain size gaps can affect the feel of a match — not that smaller fighters can’t return intensity. The full post makes that clear, especially the part where I said it depends on the individual fighters and their style.

If you read everything together instead of lifting random lines, the meaning is pretty straightforward.

Cheers, Darren

Here's an entire paragraph which literally says it.....

"When the size difference is noticeable, the power exchange just isn’t the same. You end up thinking more about holding back than actually fighting. There’s always that worry of going too far without meaning to. And honestly, when you know the other person can’t quite return the same level of intensity, the competitive edge fades. It doesn’t bring the same satisfaction as facing someone who can match your pace and push you right back."

I’ve explained my perspective enough times.
I’ll leave the conversation here✌🏽

Your disparagement of smaller fighters is completely clear.
The question is whether it's deliberate or it's just so deeply developed in you that you genuinely can't see it.

I sense a LTR developing Bros!!😋🥳🎉😉

LTR?...Darren ruffled up some feathers here....damn...egos were hurt not depending on the size though....his post found it's mark....👍

This article really resonates with me. I’m 177 cm tall and weigh 130 kg, which is considered quite big for an average Vietnamese person. On MeetFighters, there aren’t many people from Vietnam, and so far I’ve been turned down many times (mostly with silence) when I contacted someone for a match. In countries like the U.S., size doesn’t seem to matter as much, but in Vietnam I guess I need to lose some weight if I want to find an opponent.

Jumping in here. I have nothing thoughtful or witty to say. But it's just that having enjoyed over 20+ years in this "not-so-underground anymore, underground wrestling" community, I want you to know that I have heard, felt, and thought almost all of the incites offered by all of the other posters, especially Darren, but also Alejkov and Hunter. And when words come from Silex, who is an old and dear internet friend from the days of Vangar and the other original "MF's, some of us genuflect in appreciation and honor.

It's personal. You feel what you feel. You desire what you desire. So be it. It's ok. Let's us never grow too feable-minded to not appreciate the fact that other people may feel differently and desire different things. So be it. It's ok. All within the confines of the law, common courtesy, and the same level of respect that I would expect from others.

Remember, this is supposed to be fun.

Al

Awwww,

You really make my day AI.

Thanks Daddy. Seriously, this means a lot.
That’s all I was trying to say — everyone enjoys different dynamics and that’s okay.
Glad someone understood the intention of the post.❤️

I know what you are talking about Darren, I feel the same way

As do I. I feel the same way as well.

I actually love your description. Thinking always the same

Thanks man and looking good there mate

By the way...

Copyleaks, Chatgptzero and Winston AI say that all the text in this blog post has more than likely (99%) been generated by AI.

The guy cannot even write it seems.

Hey Brother AlejKoh,

Hope you're doing well. I always welcome constructive feedback on my contents, hence thats why every single comment that you made on my post stands until now, but that's doesn't give you permission to personally attack me..I won't acknowledge that.

Yes, I do use AI tools but keep in mind English is my fourth language and it's definitely not my strongest language, so I'm not well versed yet and I use it to ensure I'm saying things clearly and helps me express better to the audience here.

Yet everything I write is still starts based on my own ideas and experience. Nothing more or less.

I personally don't know what kind of struggles you're going through now and make you attack me with such words.

But all I can say is I hope things get better for you. I'm wishing you well and hoping you find peace❤️

Anytime you write and publish anything there will always be detractors, or those that disagree – so you should expect them. But there's a difference between disagreeing through constructive criticism and making a contemptuous post. The way you tell the difference is one explains itself through examples and gives solutions. While the other, is just plain hate speech.

For what its worth, I fully understood your post and can fully relate to it. I didn't need the follow up to clarify it. But maybe that's because I share many of the same experiences.

In any event, this IS a blog, which is largely opinion based. Although others are still free to disagree, I'd just hope they do so constructively and without any malice or contempt towards the author for his views. After all, we all have preferences.