Weight Cutting, A Necessary Evil?

One of the dividing issues in the sport of mixed martial arts is dealing with the reality of weight cutting.  Weight cutting provides many advantages.  Often times fighters see it as a way to maintain a size advantage over their opponents, but the process of dehydrating one’s body to make the needle move desirably comes with many risks.  Several fighters have had problems making weight even to the point of having been hospitalized due to complications.  However, this is nothing new, weight cutting has been a spectre over many combat sports.  Amateur wrestling for one has created new guidelines for weight cutting after several college students have been injured due to severe hydration, or have even perished as a result.  Boxing dealt with this by making more weight classes available to competitors so that athletes would not be inclined to cut as much weight.  Even in mixed martial arts, commissions like California have begun to crack down on exorbitant and extreme weight cutting by implementing hydration standards for those competing in the state  and Asian promotion One Championship has also implemented similar standards.

While fighters spend weeks in camp getting fit for their bouts and trying to put together strategies for upcoming opponents, looming on the back of their minds is always the concern of making weight.  Although its definitely concerning regarding the larger promotions like Bellator and the UFC.  The true concern should be on smaller regional promotions where safety standards, oversight, and experience may be lacking.  Make no mistake I am not saying that the commissions are slacking on the smaller promotions.  The issue is more what are these inexperienced athletes doing in order to make weight, the ramifications of which may create long-term complications in the future.  This is extremely dangerous for women athletes whose metabolic systems can be completely decimated by the process of rapidly losing weight. 

A few years back Cristina “Cyborg” Justino’s grueling weight cutting process was documented by her coaches. The video was difficult to watch and featured her writhing in pain to make the weight. The video was a stark reminder of the arduous journey it takes to step into a cage on the night.  Even though, she had always competed at a higher weight class, when she was signed to the UFC it was with the hope that she could come down to a lower to potentially compete with then sensation Ronda Rousey.  But the result, were several bouts at a catchweight with unranked opponents. But that in itself is another story entirely.

The reality that weight cutting and nutrition have become such a vital part of an athlete’s development and success in the sport has generated a whole cottage industry behind it.  Names like Mike Dolce and George Lockhart come to mind.  These personalities can often be seen accompanying fighters to the cage or lurking in locker rooms.  These individuals and their companies provide concierge services to fighters dedicated to one goal, making sure a fighter makes weight on the morning before the fight.  These companies prepare meals and provide 24/7 advice to athletes on their rosters.  For more higher profile fighters, these services might provide live in nutrition specialists that monitor every meal an athlete consumes.  These “professionals” measure water intake, glucose, and salt levels in order to make sure that athletes not only make weight,but are able to perform at their best the night of the bout.  And the results are apparent Khabib Nurgomedov’s bout in April with Tony Ferguson had to be canceled because of complications due to weight cutting, which resulted in him being hospitalized for renal failure.  But, he stepped on the scale with no problem in late December after partnering up with George Lockhart’s nutrition team.  However, these services come at an expense, and most of the athletes even competing in the UFC have the funds to acquire them.

But even with these services available to fighters that might not be enough.  Can the dangers and risks of weight cutting truly be eliminated?  The line as to what a promotion can force an athlete to do is a murky one, and there have been several discussions on other forums about this very topic.  Perhaps more divisions would be the answer (akin to boxing which much of the sporting roots of mixed martial arts derive from).  However, some argue that this would dilute the product and fighters would continue to be incentivized to make weight in the more lucrative divisions.  Perhaps the solution is to ban weight cutting altogether? Perhaps the larger promotions can follow California’s standard and implement hydration tests?  They already adopted the state’s early weigh-ins concept.  The sport has evolved dramatically in its nearly 25 year history, and it continues to change with a concern of not only making athlete’s safer, but also creating a more competitive and enticing product.  I’m not saying this problem can be solved overnight.  The issue is to make sure that athletes even the one’s at the regional circuits are being educated in a manner that can lead to prolonged and successful careers.