When Chad Mendes and Conor McGregor stepped on the scale on July 10th, both men had likely spent over two weeks cutting weight, as well as at least two days cutting off a dangerous amount of water weight. Neither man was close to 145 lbs when they stepped into the Octagon on the 11th. All of this begs the question, why are day-before weigh-ins still implemented by all major MMA promotions?
From a business perspective, it makes absolute sense. The UFC will be counting on last-minute hype from the weigh-ins to drive up pay-per-view sales. Also, the weigh-ins serve as a reminder for the casual fans that the event is taking place. Most importantly, it gives major promotions the chance to nix scheduled fights before they happen, in case a fighter is grossly overweight.
However, from a perspective grounded in health and science, cutting over 10% of overall weight within a 2-3 day span can have devastating short and long-term repercussions. One major concern is the development of kidney stones. Kidney stones are developed when crystals in urine gather inside of the kidney instead of being flushed out of the body. Because the transportation of these waste products is very dependent on water levels inside of the body, extreme water-weight loss can be devastating to permanent fighter health.
A recent controversial issue concerns the USADA’s plans to ban the use of IVs after weigh-ins. Experts suggest that the effects of UFC weight cuts are so grueling that almost 50% of fighters use an IV to refuel after their weight-cut. If these are indeed banned, fighters will face even more risks each time that they cut weight.
The solution to this problem is to move the weigh-ins to the same day as the fight. Instead of day-before weigh-ins to build hype, promoters should implement stare-downs or some other form of pre-fight intensity. Also, to address last-minute nixes for missed weight, the promotions should increase the structure of last-minute replacements so that fewer fights get cancelled in general.
Extreme weight-cutting to gain an advantage of size and power is a relic of a time where combatants didn’t know the damage they were doing to their own bodies. Old-habits die hard, but changes are necessary to protect MMA fighters. They need to educate themselves that extreme weight-cuts can be detrimental to their performance as well as their health. Take for example UFC LHW Anthony “Rumble” Johnson. He was a massive welterweight, but never made it to the top of his division. At the 205 weight class, he has sacrificed some size but has become an absolute terror to his opponents. Rumble acknowledges that weight-cutting took away so much from his training camps and was the reason why the earlier parts of his career were ineffectual. It’s time for promoters, coaches, and fighters to take notice about changes that need to be made.
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