The answer is weighing in minutes before you step in the cage

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VegetaGD

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The fix is simple and right before our eyes. Weight classes should stay the same and fighters literally step on the scale after their walkout and before they step in the cage.

Add a 225lb division for the small HWs and let em bang.

Most recent protocol as of 06.08.2018
  • A fighter must weigh in at or below the limit for the weight class as they step into the cage to fight
  • If a fighter is over, they immediately lose a point as they would if they committed a foul
  • If a fighter is over, they also lose a percentage of their purse equivalent to the delta between the designated weight class and the next weight class up
    • For example, if the fight is at WW and the fighter weighs in at 177.5 lbs, they lose 50% of their purse since the 7.5 lbs they're over is exactly 15% of the delta between WW and MW
  • If they're over the limit for the next weight class up, they lose two full points in the scoring
  • Each miss forces the fighter to compete at the weight class above them before they can compete at the weight class in which they missed weight
    • Each subsequent miss adds the same number of required bouts at the higher weight class
  • If the fighter misses by such a large margin that they're weighing in over the limit of the next weight class up, they get an automatic lifetime ban on competing at the weight class in which the violation took place
  • Add a 225lb division for the current LHWs that would probably have to go up a class to compete
  • In the event of a championship fight miss, the fighter in violation can't win the title due to the fact that they'll have to fight up a weight class during their next bout
All these rules would be agreed upon before the fight and during the contractual process so there would be no mystery as what would transpire as the fighters weigh in cageside. There would be no cancellations, EVER. Both fighters would agree to the rules and the incentives for making weight + the disincentives for missing would be so high, that adjustments would surely be made.

In a hypothetical situation where Till showed up at 190 on fight night, Wonderboy would get his full purse and a 2 point advantage entering the contest. Any fighter with more than a single testicle would welcome that advantageous position.
 
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Fighters would be dehydrated though. You want them to fight when they’re dehydrated?
 
We'll just see more cancellations and guys fighting dehydrated.

Believe it or not, the current system isn't a bad one.
 
STILLKICKING said:
And fights cancelled at last second
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This is a worse scenario for everyone involved, because fighters will still miss weight for whatever reason. At least with the day before you can try to come up with some solution, replacement, etc.
 
There's only 1 real solution but that requires a lot of manpower and money: Let all the fighters join 1 hotel a week for fight night. Put them on the scale 5x during that week AND have 3 surprise weigh-ins. If you're more than 5 lbs over your weight class weight you will be fined 10%. If you get strike 2 it's 30% and if you're 5 lbs over your weightclass weight 3x fight is off.
 
Fuck it, let's do it

I'm all for eliminating weight-cutting. The divisional weights would finally mean something. A 170lb division means guys actually walking around 170lb

Weight-cutting is just gaming the system to gain an advantage. Eliminate this variance, eliminate all the loopholes, to make it a more even playing field.

If he dies, he dies.
 
Nah. The answer is to have a preliminary weigh-in two days earlier and if a fighter isn't already within X percent of the target the fight is automatically changed to a catchweight at a safer number.

Nobody loses any money, nobody drains themselves unnecessarily or dangerously, and the fans still get their fight.
 
billharford said:
This is a worse scenario for everyone involved, because fighters will still miss weight for whatever reason. At least with the day before you can try to come up with some solution, replacement, etc.
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Well, you have to think about the scenario actually playing out in real life. Fighters would cut far less weight, and might not cut weight at all. And there would be a preagreed upon pay penalty structure. For example, there could be a fixed penalty scale that followed a linear trajectory up to 3% over a fighter's weight class. Let's use WW for example.

170lbs
3% over = 175.1

If a fighter comes in at 172, they're 39.22% of the way to the 175.1 and lose 39.22% of their purse if they fight. Anything up to 3% over, both fighters contractually MUST fight.

If they're over the 3% the following takes place:

  • Fighter that misses loses 100% of their purse, and is contractually committed to compete if the fighter making weight wishes to proceed with the fight
  • If the fight takes place, the fighter that makes weight would be competing for a possible win, whereas the fighter that missed would get a draw even if they "win" in the traditional sense.
    • Keep in mind that the fighter that makes weight has the option to back out, yet the incentive of getting 100% of their opponent's pay would almost guarantee that they'd fight. Considering that the worst possible outcome for them would be a draw, it would be a good proposition for them to compete.
If you don't think the aforementioned system would provide a STRONG disincentive to game the system, your business acumen might be in dire need of reevaluation.
 
That’s why they did say before weigh ins. On behalf of more deaths.
 
mirror45 said:
Fighters would be dehydrated though. You want them to fight when they’re dehydrated?
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Or they would stop cutting weight? As soon as they notice a hydrated guy would kick their ass, they'd have to change right?
 
There is a reason why mma and boxing don't do same day weigh ins. It's because Kim Duk Koo died after his fight because he fought dehydrated because there was a danger day weigh in

Same day weigh ins will NEVER happen
 
GrizzlyTitan said:
Or they would stop cutting weight? As soon as they notice a hydrated guy would kick their ass, they'd have to change right?
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Or they will die like Kim Duk Koo and ruin the UFC. There is a reason such a simple solution isn't used
 
GrizzlyTitan said:
Or they would stop cutting weight? As soon as they notice a hydrated guy would kick their ass, they'd have to change right?
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Yes, this man gets it. They would have to gauge the performance improvement that is afforded by cutting weight vs the performance decline that dehydration brings.

If you actually step back, the 24 hour weigh in rule is the heart of why the system sucks. HS and College wrestlers weigh-in and compete same day and because of this the cuts are usually no more than 6 to 8 pounds. Imagine the bump in safety from reduced head trauma.
 
Hydration testing is the only thing that is realistic ever going to work.
 
tenniswhiz said:
Why?

They’re pros.
They would know better than to step in the cage dehydrated.
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This and the onus should be put on their trainer/team to ensure fighters are not dehydrated, I think people are underestimating the ability for fighters and their team to be able to do this.
 
613 said:
Or they will die like Kim Duk Koo and ruin the UFC. There is a reason such a simple solution isn't used
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People die in combat sports (and contact sports for that matter) no matter how you slice and dice the rules. In fact, if you ask any fighter, somewhere deep in their psyche, they know that every time they step out there that death is a remote possibility. I contend that this change would have a net positive impact of fighter health and survivability. And Kim Duk Koo's death didn't ruin boxing.
 
mirror45 said:
Fighters would be dehydrated though. You want them to fight when they’re dehydrated?
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fighters will make extreme decisions regardless but the chances of someone making such a stupid, dumb decision to go dehydrated minutes before competition is lesser unless they wanna commit suicide

imo you still have fighters coming in not fully hydrated even 24 hr weigh ins
 
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