Putting a limit on how much weight a fighter can cut

[BigDawg1984]

I think they should put a limit on how much weight someone can cut for a fight by weighing them in day before as usual and then again right before the fight. It would take a little while for the fighters to adjust to how to regulate themselves but I think it would help.

Like put a 5-10 pound limit on how much they can cut so fighters would have to watch how much they weigh before they started the initial cut. They'd be forced to stay close to the weight they're gonna fight at.

Weight classes are there for a reason and there shouldn't be these huge differences between people in the same weight class.

Some fighters are cutting a lot of weight these days so they should either put a limit on how much or add a few more weight classes.

Absolutely pointless. Keep things the way they are.

 

[P0rkchop]

They did this with Vitors Opponent Anthony Johnson. It may prevent fighters from not Making Weight. And it may prevent fighters from getting to drained. Some fighters fight like that they are good in the first round 2nd round they are all Zombies look what happened to Chael in the 2nd Silva fight.

I guess we ignore all the fouls Anderson commited...

 

[Loiosh]

If there was some fair way to ensure fighters were closer to the same size come fight night I would heartily endorse it, but I can't think of one.

Maybe down the road, if MMA continues to grow, there were will be more weight classes and that will help.

 

[OldBoy91]

Yes and the fighters have found ways to stretch those boundaries. for example you could someone weigh in for a MW fight at 172lbs and be fighting Sonnen who would come in at 210-215lbs.

they need to tighten this up.

Agreed. Not a loophole. Just the fighters exploiting the intent of the rules and divisions. they have found a way to still accomplish what the initial rule tried to diminish.

sure but a meaningless statement that would still apply with a tightening of the rules.

sure but they can also tighten the rules and all this will still apply. rules change all the time in sport especially once when reviewed they realize the intent of the rule is not happening.

They don't need to tighten anything up. Your example is ridiculous, why on earth would a fighter who only has to float 2 pounds to make 170 fight at 185?

 

[AFewDollarsMore]

weigh them an hour before the fight. they'll make weight if their career depends on it, otherwise monetary punishment.

 

[afrdzak]

Combat sport participants cut weight. I really think that from a promotion and safety standpoint, things are pretty good now. Until a better alternative comes around, I say stick with what we have.

Keeping a fighter from fully re-hydrating will just create poor performances and is certainly more of a health risk than allowing the fighter to fight hydrated. Fighters will push their bodies to the limit. They will cut as much as they can. It is an inconvenient truth of combat sports.

Same day weigh ins, next day weigh ins with a pre-selected weight allowance, pre-fight/post-fight weigh ins....I just don't see any positive benefit to any of this; and actually think it will cause much more harm than good.

Everyone has the option of cutting weight. If you choose not to, you have no right to complain when someone does. Just like cardio, nutrition, diet, weights, technique, sparring.....weight cutting is yet another piece of the sport. And just like the other aspects, you can choose to, or not to, take part.

 

[Saskatoonmike**]

They don't need to tighten anything up. Your example is ridiculous, why on earth would a fighter who only has to float 2 pounds to make 170 fight at 185?

Of course they 'dont need' to do anything. Sports are not life and death. Not a single rule change in any sport 'needed' to be changed. they change them because they want to and it improves the sport. Glad you have an opinion on theh current rules and the way fighters abuse them being ok. My opinion is other then that and i would welcome a rule change tightening that rule.

And officially if you weigh in at a maximum of 171 it is a WW fight. at 172 to 186 it is within the MW specs but sometimes CW is used.

 

[Saskatoonmike**]

Combat sport participants cut weight. I really think that from a promotion and safety standpoint, things are pretty good now. Until a better alternative comes around, I say stick with what we have.

Keeping a fighter from fully re-hydrating will just create poor performances and is certainly more of a health risk than allowing the fighter to fight hydrated. Fighters will push their bodies to the limit. They will cut as much as they can. It is an inconvenient truth of combat sports.

Same day weigh ins, next day weigh ins with a pre-selected weight allowance, pre-fight/post-fight weigh ins....I just don't see any positive benefit to any of this; and actually think it will cause much more harm than good.

Everyone has the option of cutting weight. If you choose not to, you have no right to complain when someone does. Just like cardio, nutrition, diet, weights, technique, sparring.....weight cutting is yet another piece of the sport. And just like the other aspects, you can choose to, or not to, take part.

that does not make sense.

Every time a rule is changed to improve a sport... before the rule was changed we could say 'everyone has the option to act within that prior rule' as if that means anything. but the rule is still changed to improve things.

For example you could take your statement to the extreme when various PEDs are added to a banned list. Everyone could do it before it was added to the ban list so why add it to the ban list.

Back on topic, yes everyone has the option within the current rules. If the rules are tightened everyone will still have the same options within those new rules.

 

[strelok0]

Pretty much this. Imagine if Benson didn't have over 20 pounds on Frankie.

Imagine if Benson didn't have the skill to beat Frankie. Sadly, that is just a myth.

Get over it dude. If they can cut to a certain weight then they make it.

This thread will devolve into Jones cutting weight again.

 

[afrdzak]

that does not make sense.

Every time a rule is changed to improve a sport... before the rule was changed we could say 'everyone has the option to act within that prior rule' as if that means anything. but the rule is still changed to improve things.

For example you could take your statement to the extreme when various PEDs are added to a banned list. Everyone could do it before it was added to the ban list so why add it to the ban list.

Back on topic, yes everyone has the option within the current rules. If the rules are tightened everyone will still have the same options within those new rules.

No. It makes perfect sense. What doesn't make sense is comparing weight cutting to PED use. Combat sports and weight cutting.....as Forrest Gump would say, they are like Peas and Carrots. They go hand-in-hand; always have, always will. This isn't a new topic. And these aren't new proposals. They have been weighed before, and when all things are considered, have been decided to not be worthy.

As I said before, until a better solution comes along (and nothing in this thread is better or new), the current method is just fine.

 

[Saskatoonmike**]

No. It makes perfect sense. What doesn't make sense is comparing weight cutting to PED use. Combat sports and weight cutting.....as Forrest Gump would say, they are like Peas and Carrots. They go hand-in-hand; always have, always will. This isn't a new topic. And these aren't new proposals. They have been weighed before, and when all things are considered, have been decided to not be worthy.

As I said before, until a better solution comes along (and nothing in this thread is better or new), the current method is just fine.

I used the PED example and others to expose the hole in the logic 'because all can do it nothing should ever change'. that logic is wrong whether discussing a PED or ANY other basic rule change.

Before ANY and ALL rules are changed, all the participants could use the rule the same and yet they change it anyway because it improves the sport. SO would the changes I suggest, imo.

ANd I get your opinion and others might be different. I doubt any rule change enjoys 100% unanimity. IMO the current method is not fine.

 

[Trollinator]

In Amateur boxing it is impossible to cut weight due to the fact that you have to weigh in for up to 5 days in a row of competition with some tournaments.

I personally think there should be a limit as to how much someone weighs for a particular fight. Weights exist for a reason -- If someone is coming in on fight night at 185lb for a 155lb bout; whats the point??

MMA is a relatively new sport, they have the chance to figure out a solution to create the most balanced contest in combat sports history.

A week of minor weigh-in's before the fight? Limit's on fight night? Not sure, but it would improve the sport if weight cutting was nullified to purely fat loss.

 

[InternetHero]

No.

Being a bigger badass is part of fighting. Deal with it.

 

[SerrabyTKO]

In Amateur boxing it is impossible to cut weight due to the fact that you have to weigh in for up to 5 days in a row of competition with some tournaments.

I personally think there should be a limit as to how much someone weighs for a particular fight. Weights exist for a reason -- If someone is coming in on fight night at 185lb for a 155lb bout; whats the point??

MMA is a relatively new sport, they have the chance to figure out a solution to create the most balanced contest in combat sports history.

A week of minor weigh-in's before the fight? Limit's on fight night? Not sure, but it would improve the sport if weight cutting was nullified to purely fat loss.

If a 155lb guy doesn't want to fight 185lb guys he should go to 135, where all of the other 155lb guys are.

See? Easy.

 

[Malas]

frankie's gonna cut like 10 pounds, bendo cuts from over 180.

as i said, put the limit to 10 pounds and do weigh ins on the morning of the fight day.

lol!

 

[Levi_]

Weight matters a lot in MMA especially when control is such a big part of the scoring. If people really believe these big weight cuts don't matter so much than why don't so many Anderson fans want him to fight Jones at 205 and so many GSP fans want him to fight Anderson at 185 or even a catch weight? Again, weight matters a lot in MMA.

Actually, no one believes that weight differences aren't important in MMA, or that weight cuts don't matter, those were not your original contentions; you are changing the argument here.

Your main point was that weight cutting should be limited, and the counterpoint is that ANYONE can cut weight, and ANYONE can cut to a smaller weightclass if they feel that the guys they are fighting are too big. Another counterpoint is also that too big of a weight cut will lessen a performance. You have yet to logically refute these points in this thread, you just keep repeating yourself about weight being important, like NO SHIT.

A person can only cut so much weight before their performance goes downhill, everyone lands in the division they are most comfortable fighting in, where guys aren't too big for them. Nearly everyone cuts weight, including Jones and GSP.

 

[F0od]

So they should do a pre-weigh in before the weigh-in?

Yes 5 of them

 

[speak]

I agree.

They had this when I was in HS wrestling. They do a BF test on you in the off season, and then determine how much weight you can 'safely' cut.

This would be great because it would protect the fighters from cutting more than they really should be; and also prevent fighters missing weight on fight night and ruining cards.

 

[Fugazy]

In Amateur boxing it is impossible to cut weight due to the fact that you have to weigh in for up to 5 days in a row of competition with some tournaments.

I personally think there should be a limit as to how much someone weighs for a particular fight. Weights exist for a reason -- If someone is coming in on fight night at 185lb for a 155lb bout; whats the point??

MMA is a relatively new sport, they have the chance to figure out a solution to create the most balanced contest in combat sports history.

A week of minor weigh-in's before the fight? Limit's on fight night? Not sure, but it would improve the sport if weight cutting was nullified to purely fat loss.

Can you please prove a lw came to fight night weighing 185lbs or stfu. You and TS just know beyond a shadow of a doubt that every fighter that beats a smaller fighter has 30lbs to cut and the rehydrate some fucking how, please share your inside info.

 

[1990]

Yeah I know I weight about 155-160 pounds and I'm around 5'9 and if I had to fight it'd be natural for me to do it at 155. I just don't get this mentality of cutting 20 or more pounds to fight when you're really not that weight at all. Where is the appeal for a fan either to pay money to watch a Flyweight or a Bantamweight, and UFC lies and tells us that they really are 135 pound people, when in reality they might weigh more than I do. Oh here's this 5'5, 125 pound guy but when he's not training and weight cutting he's stuffing his face and hitting the weights and water fountain super hard, look out Cain! Mighty Mouse is coming for that belt.