WTF - bulking, cutting - you are 17 years old kid. Train hard and eat healthy.
If you think moving form 12% bf to 9% body fat is one thing that is going to get you laid this summer, you don't understand women. Why hinder your training goals in order to lose 7 pounds or so.....
You also may want to start training and learning the proper skill set before you determine what is the "right" weight to fight at.....
Anyway - take a look at the FAQ in both S&P and D&S.
FINALLY, a constructive response to reply to. Thank god!
Yes, 17 and bulking and cutting. Even before I started lifting, I wanted to know everything there was to bodybuilding/powerlifting as effectively as possible. Thus, immediately after I started lifting, I began supplementing/regulating my diet to great success. This is why I feel I've come as far as I have in 1.5 years.
Honestly, the BF% goal is more for myself than for chicks. I've never had an unflexed 6-pack, and I want one for the first summer of my life (HS senior year, why not?). I truly mean this, I've never had a hard time meeting chicks and while I'm sure it will add a little to the "wow" factor at the beach this summer, I'm really doing it because I want to.
I'll get right on reading those faqs. And yeah when I move to SD I'll be able to take MMA even more seriously than I will be this summer, as City Boxing is a pretty respected gym, and I'm sure the guys there will be able to provide me with some insight into what weight I really should fight at (although it would be nice to be the guy to knock Anderson Silva from his throne, assuming he can hang on to it long enough for me to get there, right? )