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Guys like Gastellum and Cerrone experience great success when not having to cut weight. Both guys had great success in lighter weight-classes. However, few would argue how great they looked but going up. They were no longer depleting their body of water and nutrients to make the weight and it showed in their performances, fighting some of the top guys in a weight class higher than the one they were accustomed to.
Joe Rogan frequently pleads for these guys to stay at these higher weightclasses because cutting is deleterious to their health, and they look on top of their game when they're not dehydrated. He's not wrong, it seems like an obvious win-win. But fights like tonight elucidate why this problem is not going to go away any time soon, at least not with the current set of rules.
When Gastellum fought Kennedy (a fight with a contender in the higher weight class), most didn't give him a great chance. He smoked Kennedy and then fucked up Vitor. I found myself confused as to why he was talking about going back to welterweight. After performances like that, what would be the benefit in going back to depleting your body?
Then he gets matched up with Chris Weidman and right from the stare down, I said "Oh shit", that's why.
You may be in your natural weightless, but there is always that guy that chops his leg off to make weight and get that extra size advantage. Guys fighting at their natural weight are facing it two fold. Cerrone experienced that to some degree tonight (fair play to Till, he made the weight and his skill set was always going to be a tough matchup for Cerrone).
Yet to have Till bragging in the octagon post fight., calling himself a light-heavyweight fighting welterweights, we are reminded why guys like Cerrone and Gastellum are going to need to go back to depleting themselves in order to preserve their health and ability to compete. What an irony.
Joe Rogan frequently pleads for these guys to stay at these higher weightclasses because cutting is deleterious to their health, and they look on top of their game when they're not dehydrated. He's not wrong, it seems like an obvious win-win. But fights like tonight elucidate why this problem is not going to go away any time soon, at least not with the current set of rules.
When Gastellum fought Kennedy (a fight with a contender in the higher weight class), most didn't give him a great chance. He smoked Kennedy and then fucked up Vitor. I found myself confused as to why he was talking about going back to welterweight. After performances like that, what would be the benefit in going back to depleting your body?
Then he gets matched up with Chris Weidman and right from the stare down, I said "Oh shit", that's why.
You may be in your natural weightless, but there is always that guy that chops his leg off to make weight and get that extra size advantage. Guys fighting at their natural weight are facing it two fold. Cerrone experienced that to some degree tonight (fair play to Till, he made the weight and his skill set was always going to be a tough matchup for Cerrone).
Yet to have Till bragging in the octagon post fight., calling himself a light-heavyweight fighting welterweights, we are reminded why guys like Cerrone and Gastellum are going to need to go back to depleting themselves in order to preserve their health and ability to compete. What an irony.
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