How do fighters get "sick" before their fights all the time?

[Goutfather]

im sure there are legit cases of surprise sickness rendering a fighter unable to fight.

but i suspect in the vast majority of cases, it’s just a cover for “bad weight cut,” or “i fucked up my cycle so i’ll definitely fail a post-fight test,” something of the like.

 

[NoBiasJustMMA]

Getting woken up at 6:00 am once or twice to pee in a cup isn’t the problem.

It all adds up, If you get woken up 4-5 hours before you plan on waking up it will impact your sleep and if your sleep is impacted you can be more likely to get sick, same with if you travel a lot or if you train in a gym with hundreds of other people.

Volkanovski was woken up by USADA something like 3-5 hours before he intended on waking up in the Max rematch and it very much looked like it impacted him.

 

[Clark Rogers]

Similar to how people get sick not before a fight.

Germs, viruses, they cause illnesses... add travel, weight cuts, training, immune system prob isn't at its best.

You'd think after 2020 people would understand "how people get sick" lolol

 

[skold]

Weight cutting probably the biggest culprit.

But even besides that, intense training tends to break the body down, the immune system is put under pressure, thus leaving the body more susceptible to an illness. Adequate recovery is very important

 

[wufabufa]

Nikikta apparently got food poisoning from eating at the UFC performance institute.

https://athletistic.com/boxing/202476.html

So this looks like its a case of the UFC having dogshit-low standards in regard to food and cleanliness and such. Rats in the kitchen? Uncle Dana and ESPN wanting to save an extra buck.

Norovirus is hitting the US pretty hard right now. I had it last week since we had a pretty bad outbreak at work. Diarrhea for 2 days straight. And with symptoms that mimmick food poisoning it can be hard to tell sometimes.

 

[Kryptt]

There is no need to get your medical information from sherbros anymore

Every new thread should get the AI treatment!

 

[Post 2 Decision]

Krylov ate contaminated food and got the shits and/or pukes, it happens

 

[NoSmilez]

airplane travel, taxed immune system then weight cut.

 

[Killer Kadoogan]

weight cuts, and no IVs, unless your Islam, and have doctors with those ol' Liters ready to go

 

[Mr Fahrenheit]

First, I’m not sure if it really happens all that often as a statistical matter. With 30 guys fighting a month you’re gonna have a handful per year fall out.

Second, I suspect many/most of them have to do with weight cutting. Either the cut is going poorly, or you make weight and start drinking/eating again and feel like shit, and suddenly you “ate something contaminated” and have food poisoning.

I have never had food poisoning in my entire life but have claimed it a few times.

 

[McGeezle]

You think... people get sick... by not paying attention? I don't understand how being a fighter or not being a fighter has anything to do with simply catching something you can't avoid.

In fact they're more likely to get sick because of the reasons people listed but I don't know why nobody has questioned your logic

 

[Mr Fahrenheit]

You think... people get sick... by not paying attention? I don't understand how being a fighter or not being a fighter has anything to do with simply catching something you can't avoid.

In fact they're more likely to get sick because of the reasons people listed but I don't know why nobody has questioned your logic

Mostly agree but I don’t think I’ve been too sick to do my job in years, especially if I have to show up to get paid.

 

[Cameron]

It’s hard to stay healthy rolling with other people. I have a hard time staying healthy Just getting ready for local Jiu-jitsu tournaments.

 

[BodybagJohnny**]

Honestly, I'm surprised that more fighters don't get sick.

 

[Dethen]

Athletes are actually more susceptible to illnesses. Especially pros with intense training regimens, travel a lot and operate at their ceilings for extended periods of time etc. etc. There's a lot of variables and they all add up.
One of my favorite racers of all time Ken Roczen had a serious injury that involved extensive surgery and his immune system hasn't been the same since.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2577537/
"Intense training in elite athletes has been linked to a reduction in IgA concentration in saliva, and this, along with an increase in shedding of EBV, predicts more frequent episodes of upper respiratory tract illness"