How is an athlete like Roy Nelson successful despite being considerably overweight?

Answer 1

It is possible for an athlete to be overweight and still fit. Fitness is often misunderstood to be the same as leanness, and while the two often go hand-in-hand, they are different concepts.

Leanness is the lack of adipose tissue, or more generally, the ratio of non-adipose ("lean") tissue to adipose ("fat") tissue. A muscular athlete is often considered lean, even with more body fat than a thinner athlete, because the added muscle tissue is lean, and slants the ratio in favor of leanness.

Fitness is the ability to accomplish a certain task. Fitness is often associated with leanness or muscularity, although this association is only correct if the task being referenced requires leanness or muscularity in order to be accomplished, such as running and lifting. Fitness could mean the diametrical opposite if the task is a pie-eating contest or a water-displacement competition. Fitness could be intellectual, psychological, or spiritual as well.

In the case of overweight athletes, they are not lean, nor do they often appear particularly athletic. They are often very strong (muscles hidden under the fat), and have trained themselves aerobically such that their excess weight does not overly hinder their fighting prowess.

Additionally, the added weight of an overweight competitor can be an advantage in other ways, including MMA. A heavier opponent is harder to move, turn, or grapple with due to their larger size. This is the primary concept with the advent of weight classes, and the reason that you will almost never find overweight competitors in the lighter weights; they need every ounce of body weight to count.