Issue 146
October 2016
Does an early weigh-in makes things better or worse for fighters' wellbeing? It’s time for hydration tests, rather than messing around with the timing of when fighters get on the scales, says FO editor Nick Peet.
As Miesha Tate raced to the scale in the MGM Grand hotel and stripped bare to make weight for her UFC 200 bantamweight title defense against Amanda Nunes, it was clear that MMA’s contemptuous relationship with the scales shows no sign of abating.
Following California’s lead, the Nevada State Athletic Commission has adopted a 10am weigh-in procedure the day before an event. It’s aimed at giving fighters more time to rehydrate, thus less chance of putting their health at risk from a big cut. But I’m unsure how moving the scales further from the fight will encourage safer weight cuts.
Doesn’t making weigh-ins earlier actually encourage fighters to take more risks because they have more time to recover? And doesn’t it also enable more discrepancy in the actual fight-night weights of the two athletes, by providing the opportunity to add even more size after making weight?
This goes against the whole reason for having weight classes in the first place. They’re defined to ensure fair matches are made. Not making athletes step onto the scales the day of the fight is a fundamental flaw in the entire safety process. Why do we even have weight classes if the rules can be bent so precariously?
When any fighter stands on the scales, whether it’s 24 or 36 hours before their fight, you can almost guarantee they’re dehydrated, at least a little. The problem fight sports must face up to is how we get these athletes fully rehydrated in time for the opening bell?
I believe the way to improve safety is to introduce a hydration test. Every pro fighter competing for a reputable promotion must have a annual full medical, which includes an MRI scan, as well as blood, urine and vision tests. Why not add a hydration test, like in college wrestling?
Greg Serb, executive director of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Commission, agrees. He says: “The NCAA made the change because they realized having weigh-ins well before the event only encouraged (at times) massive weight loss because wrestlers felt they could rehydrate before competition.
“The NCAA found they needed to stop the massive weight cuts (which lead to three deaths in a six-month period) and this would be accomplished by moving the weigh-in to the day of the event – they did not move it further back.”
Hydration tests are simple and cheap. In wrestling, every grappler’s annual medical screening includes one, which identifies the lowest possible weight class they can compete in that season. But this could be done in MMA the week of the fight to ensure athletes aren’t putting themselves in danger by cutting too much weight.
A same-day weigh-in, whether it’s for the actual weight class or to restrict an increase in weight, would ensure a more even playing field when two combatants step into the cage.
It would be similar to Asian promotion One Championship, which introduced new weight-cutting regulations in December, following the death of 21-year-old, Yang Jian Bing. Under its rules, fighters’ hydration and weights are strictly monitored in the weeks before their bouts to guarantee their safety.
The world has accepted that a fighter on performance-enhancing drugs deserves to be punished because they’re gaining an unfair and dangerous advantage over their opponent. But what’s the difference between a jacked athlete and one who weighs 20lb more than the person across the cage?
