Weightcutting in hindsight. important as ever

2016 is here with a bang!, with that comes resolutions. Perhaps a discount on a year subscription to Fight Pass, heh, maybe implements new weight cutting rules, and new weight classes. These regulations will be a key factor in how fights are won in 2016.

Whether you support the changes or not, oddly enough I find that people on both sides of the argument don’t understand the process of weight cutting or the real reasons behind it. Well first these fighters are legit athletes, say your average skinny joe weighs 170 pounds goes to the mma gym and becomes an athlete 185 pounds of muscles… well so are all his opponents in the 185 pound weight class. I find that not everyone can be Goku. It best explains the chaotic nature competition and ranking and pay… but pay is an article unto itself. However by fighting slender fighters’ even fighters of greater skill, the difference in strength and power is an advantage.

He or she does this by basically going on a salt -free and low carb diet for 7 days and drink 2 gallons of water per day. In the final 5 day there is a gradual water restriction which helps shed the required amount of weight to sneak into a different weight class. Now a fighter who fails his first session at weight cutting will often times use a sauna, enema, or get naked, anything to shed those last few pounds.

There are consequences though, in one study Tim Ferris, a science stud, used this regimen on himself after in the day after the weigh cut his physical performance dropped 20%. That is huge and disadvantageous in a competitive environment.

Do all fighters fight at 80% of their best each time?

While; admittedly this was Ferris’s first and only attempt, not really fine-tuned, a mma artist spends hours in striking, grappling wrestling, exercising, and faces chances of injury in each phase that’s could be a wishful number. We may not see it but no fighter fights at 100%.

Since everyone weight cuts in mma it is really a big deal a fighters when a fighter doesn’t make weight. Remember the bigger man drops weight to get a strength increase and as such has some level of diminishment in his performance and that is a benefit to the smaller fighter. The smaller fighter is not at his best why should the stronger fighter be closer to form. In my time learning to analyze fights I’ve noticed that the last minute catch weight benefits the bigger fighter while the struggle to make a second weight attempt, success or not, does cause a significant change in his or her performance. Lawlor vs Hendricks 2 & 3 are a good example of the latter.

So let’s recap Lawlor and Hendricks weight cut to various degrees then they rehydrate and carb up to their original. Wait?

They walk in to the cage at 170 lbs right?

The Tale of the Tape said they were both around 170 right?

No, that is misconception. They fight at their original weight, 190 lbs. In this regard UFC is very much like the days of old. When anyone could regardless of size could fight anyone. Currently, most fighters only cut one or two weight classes. The true weight difference between a fighter can vary as much 60 lbs. Depending on the weight of the person that is a drop of 4-6 weight classes!

Retired fighter Chael Sonnen weighs 240 lbs off season but used to cut 55 pounds to reach middleweight (185). Current Featherweight Champion Connor Mcgreggor cuts 25 pounds. Of course, Anthony Rumble Johnson is a more perfect example. He fights at light heavy weight which means he is probably a natural heavyweight. Everybody cuts for an advantage. But, for years he fought at welterweight (170)

So far, I’ve only been talking about fighters who drop weight, but fighters go up in weight as well. For this we return to Rumble. At welterweight he had tremendous power but, because of the stress from the weight cut, he would gas after 5 minutes. Under Pressure from fans and management he was nudged, forced to fight closer to his natural weight. Many had hoped to finally see him go past the first round. Only to get a shock that Johnson had put on pounds of muscle to compete against similar size and bigger opponents.

When he fought (ironically) the smaller fighter and Champion Daniel Cormier he quickly gassed and grew tired after an amazing first round. Really summarizes the current state of weight cutting. Fighters are cutting ridulous amounts of weight to gain an advantage and others gaining weight just to match the strength and power of a bigger fighter.

Weight cutting has become central to every fight. So and so has a great chin, power, takedown defense, cardio, all the attributes I tie to a certain fighter it’s quite specific to the people they fight and the weight they cut. These new regulations and classes should minimize the amount weight cut. Should makes fights more even but can fighters live on even records. So I have my fear. It is my fear that the new Champions and Challengers of 2016 won’t just be the best fighters on this earth. But someway somehow are able to continue deep cuts without apparent deficiencies.