Issue 044
December 2008
The weapon of choice for professional MMA fighters, weight cutting is an often misunderstood art that can tilt the balance of a fight. Frequently the topic of discussion among fans, Fighters Only’s own resident fighter and MMA medical expert Rosi Sexton gives us the lowdown on what weight cutting is all about.
When fighters talk about weight cutting, what do they mean?
Weight cutting is the process of losing weight temporarily for a weigh-in. A lot of this weight comes from water, and the fighter will rehydrate to put it back on again before fight time.
How is that different from dieting or weight loss?
Weight loss is about losing weight in the longer term from fat, or sometimes muscle. This is weight that can’t be put back on in the 24 hours between the weigh-in and the fight.
How much do fighters typically cut?
It varies enormously. Top-level fighters may be cutting upwards of 20lb, and rarely less than 10lb.
That sounds like a lot. How do they do it?
Cutting out carbohydrates is a good way to lose weight in the short term because it leads to a loss of glycogen (the body’s storage form of carbohydrate), which can be quickly replaced. Fighters will also lose water weight by sitting in a sauna, or by exercising while wearing a sauna suit.
Isn’t that dangerous?
Potentially. Extreme weight cuts can put a lot of strain on the heart and kidneys. It is important for the fighter to know what they’re doing and to have medical help available. In practice, cutting a ‘sensible’ amount of weight rarely seems to cause problems, but the long-term effects are unknown.
Isn’t weight cutting like cheating? It sounds like fighters are doing it to try and get an unfair advantage.
Weight cutting is allowed in the rules. Most top level fighters cut weight, everyone is aware that it goes on, and everyone has the same opportunity to do it, so it can hardly be seen as an attempt to gain an unfair advantage.
But if they’re going to put all the weight back on anyway, what’s the big deal with fighters not making weight in the first place? Surely it doesn’t matter if a fighter comes in weighing a few pounds more than his opponent, when they’re going to weigh 20lb over the weight limit by fight time?
Cutting weight takes a toll on the body. You may gain a size and strength advantage, but it comes at a cost. The more weight you cut, the bigger the impact on your performance. This puts a natural limit on how much it makes sense for you to cut. A fighter who doesn’t make weight doesn’t have to pay this cost in full – meaning that they do gain an unfair advantage.
Wouldn’t it be better if nobody cut weight?
Absolutely! But the difficulty is that it is difficult to prevent. All other things being equal, someone who cuts weight has a definite advantage over someone who doesn’t, which means that as soon as one fighter starts doing it, others have to do the same to remain competitive.
Wouldn’t a weigh-in on the day of the fight help? Surely fighters wouldn’t cut so much weight if they had to fight straight afterwards.
It’s true that a same day weigh in would reduce the amount of weight cutting. However, some fighters would still cut, perhaps out of necessity if they found themselves unexpectedly over the limit. This could lead to fighters competing while dehydrated, and would greatly increase the risks.
What else can realistically be done to prevent fighters from going too far, and to make the process safer?
Various suggestions have been made, such as monitoring a fighter’s weight in the weeks leading up to a fight; requiring the fighter to weigh-in on several consecutive days; testing whether the fighter is adequately hydrated before the fight. None of them are perfect, and it looks unlikely that there will be any change to the current state of play anytime soon.
Why should I drink an isotonic sports drink
When an athlete sweats, water is lost from the blood first, then the fluid bathing the cells and eventually from inside the cells.
Dehydration causes blood volume to drop but because the body must try to maintain the blood supply to activate muscles and vital organs, the heart rate increases. This results in early fatigue and overheating because of inadequate blood supply. If an athlete does not stay hydrated they also increase the risk of injury and increase their risk of heat illness, which can potentially be fatal.
Water is not always an adequate way to effectively rehydrate mainly because it lacks electrolytes and carbohydrates to refuel the body. Isotonic sports drinks such as Gatorade contain electrolytes like sodium, potassium and chloride which are all lost through sweat. They also often contain carbohydrates to give working muscles more energy to help fight fatigue.
For further information on hydration visit www.gatorade.co.uk
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