"Medical issues" have been pulling lots of fighters off cards lately

[Legendary]

Ricky Turcios vs Bernardo Sopaj
Derrick Lewis vs Romanov
Garbrandt pulling out
Said vs Daniel Santos
Nursulton Ruziboev
Lima vs Kennedy
Gane vs Volkov

The past few cards it seems like atleast 2-3 people pull out of their fight due to "undisclosed medical condition"

I think these guys are still getting sick from weigh ins and passing out and the UFC makes them say that instead because it was making their sport look so bad. They cut weight in Boxing too, but the average guy in MMA cuts way more. Most of the people who I know to have fought at 155 weigh like 175-180 in their everyday life. Guys like GGG cut around 10 pounds.

If its not the weight cut, its the intensity of the training too, but damn it seems like their is a atleast a 25% a fighter will pull out of their fight.

 

[BigTruck]

Ricky Turcios vs Bernardo Sopaj
Derrick Lewis vs Romanov
Garbrandt pulling out
Said vs Daniel Santos
Nursulton Ruziboev
Lima vs Kennedy
Gane vs Volkov

just the past few cards it seems like atleast 2-3 people pull out of their fight due " undisclosed medical condition".

I think these guys are still getting sick from weigh ins and passing out and the UFC makes them say that instead because it was making their sport look so bad. The cut weight in Boxing too, but the average guy in MMA cuts way more. Most of the people who I know to have fought at 155 weigh like 175-180 in their everyday life. Guys like GGG cut around 10 pounds.

If its not the weight cut, its the intensity of the training too, but damn it seems like their is a atleast a 25% a fighter will pull out of their fight.

There's also 100x more weight classes in boxing so every 3 or 4 lbs your in a new class.

 

[tornado362]

Ricky Turcios vs Bernardo Sopaj
Derrick Lewis vs Romanov
Garbrandt pulling out
Said vs Daniel Santos
Nursulton Ruziboev
Lima vs Kennedy
Gane vs Volkov

just the past few cards it seems like atleast 2-3 people pull out of their fight due " undisclosed medical condition".

I think these guys are still getting sick from weigh ins and passing out and the UFC makes them say that instead because it was making their sport look so bad. They cut weight in Boxing too, but the average guy in MMA cuts way more. Most of the people who I know to have fought at 155 weigh like 175-180 in their everyday life. Guys like GGG cut around 10 pounds.

If its not the weight cut, its the intensity of the training too, but damn it seems like their is a atleast a 25% a fighter will pull out of their fight.

Yeah when I used to fight it was at bantamweight (135), I walked around at probably 160-165lbs?

Was a really rough time, and personally had to pull out of at least 2 fights for weight related reasons.

Considering i've only had 8 fights, it's a high percentage.


I took 1 boxing fight in about 2021, and spoke to my boxing coach about cutting that much weight. He looked at me as if I was mad, and I ended up fighting at welterweight (147lbs).

so a huge difference

 

[flowoftruth]

I thought this thread was about potential drug testing violations

 

[Mike]

A lot of it is probably guys getting sick because of the cut.

 

[BEATDOWNS]

probably from drinking that dog piss Prime energy drink. imho

 

[TheMMAnalyst]

Derrick Lewis made weight though, so that was odd.

But yeah probably weight-cut related for most - they are all realizing the UFC isn't going to do them any favors for fighting compromised if they lose, so they'd rather not risk it for the biscuit when there is no biscuit anyways lol.

 

[Tweak896]

You know what? I think this has happened more recent since shift away from USADA. Maybe they aren't as confident with the process like they were used to. I'd like to compare the pullout stats before and after USADA was changed to see if there is any correlation.

 

[Luthien]

Fighters in the olden days would enter the cage with a broken neck. Ask Tito.

 

[TriangleMonkey]

Its most def the weight cutting. It pisses your organs off. And you get different reactions for different cuts, and age plays a factor on how your body deals with that stress

Btw, anybody know if they have allowed them to use IVs again? Or is it in the horizon to return?

Its the only true way to get your levels back after the brutal cuts that happen in mma. I can tell you from experience, nobody cuts more weight than mma fighters, no other sport on earth.

They are already killing themselves before a high-profile sporting event. Give these guys the damn IVs to rehydrate. Still test for the drugs I guess somehow geez

 

[joy2day]

I don't see it as any kind of giant or permanent bump. There have been a lot of cards decimated by injury in the past. Yeah, I'm surprised we haven't had deaths from weight cutting.

 

[tornado362]

I don't see it as any kind of giant or permanent bump. There have been a lot of cards decimated by injury in the past. Yeah, I'm surprised we haven't had deaths from weight cutting.

Pretty sure the complications Rumble eventually died from would be heavily associated with the drastic amount of weight he used to cut

 

[gracie_barra_samurai]

Weight cut must be tough on Derrick.

Switching from 3 double cheese burgers a meal to 2 is insanity.

But seriously, I can see why the weight classes being in such big jumps makes weight cutting so hard for a lot of fighters. The jumps are much bigger compared to boxing.

 

[Pierced7681]

A lot of it is probably guys getting sick because of the cut.

Yup, your body becomes weak when you cut weight and it’s much easier for your immune system to be compromised by flu like symptoms

 

[Pierced7681]

Weight cut must be tough on Derrick.

Switching from 3 double cheese burgers a meal to 2 is fucking insanity.

But seriously, I can see why the weight classes being in such big jumps makes weight cutting so hard for a lot of fighters. The jumps are much bigger compared to boxing.

Lewis probably walks around 275-280 lbs I imagine, some of that he loses during training camp, so he probably cuts 10 lbs at most.

 

[Clark Rogers]

There has been a steady uptick in medical related withdrawals since the UFC insured them. Been going on for years, well before they left USADA. Weight cutting was an issue before too, but fighters used to not get paid if they backed out medically so more pushed through, even with other injuries. Not the case anymore.

For reference, here is an article from 2012 discussing the same thing.

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/1215652-ufc-fighter-insurance-is-it-to-blame-for-the-string-of-injuries

 

[Mike]

Yup, your body becomes weak when you cut weight and it’s much easier for your immune system to be compromised by flu like symptoms

You see it with some guys where their body just won't make that cut anymore after awhile.

I remember with Ian McCall for example near the end he was always having to pull out with freak illnesses or injuries.

 

[Leonard Haid]

Fighters in the olden days would enter the cage with a broken neck. Ask Tito.

"I've fought with 23 concussions"

~ Tito Ortiz

 

[RichardHarrow]

Do they want the Reebok coupons or not?

This. I mean if that’s not an incentive?

 

[El Fernas]

There's also 100x more weight classes in boxing so every 3 or 4 lbs your in a new class.

You say it like its something wrong...its wrong that a guy that would probably fight at 170lbs or 163lbs (imaginary Super LW division) has to cut even more to manage to fight at 155lbs, LW´s jump back up to +170lbs on fight night, and his opponent is usually on the same boat, the thing with MMA is probably how diluted the sport or weight classes would be if they create a similar weight class system as boxing, in boxing works because they can fight everyone, in MMA its promotion centered, so even when the UFC has signed a huge chunk of the talent they would still end up with "dilluted" weight classes if they add more of them.