Time for the UFC to implement changes to reduce/eliminate weight cutting

[DS66]

Having fighters that walk around 30-40 pounds above their weight class and going through massive cuts to make weight doesn't benefit anyone, does it?

It doesn't benefit the fighters, who put their health at serious risk to cut dangerous amounts of weight and enter fights as a depleted version of themselves.

It doesn't benefit the fans, who regularly miss out on fights that we were looking forward to seeing due to fighters missing weight.

It doesn't benefit the UFC, who loses out on revenues when fights are cancelled due to fighters missing weight. The overall fighting product is diminished too as fighters are not performing at 100% when they're dehydrating the fuck out of their bodies the day before a fight.

So who the hell does it benefit? I can't think of a single reason why they don't make reforms and implement rules to prevent significant weight cutting. Can anyone enlighten me?

There are fairly simple steps that can be taken to essentially eliminate weight cutting, like what One FC has done. Weight and hydration tests can be done regularly throughout camp and fight week to ensure that fighters are not dehydrating themselves and are competing at their actual weight. Everyone would move up one (or two) weight classes, weight cutting would essentially be eliminated, and everyone would benefit. The time is now for the UFC to make these changes.

 

[ALAN PARTRIDGE]

Same day weigh ins

 

[DS66]

Same day weigh ins

I don't think this is necessarily the best option, as fighters will still be dangerously cutting weight (albeit not as much), and we'll still probably see plenty of cases of fighters missing weight and fights being cancelled. And that leaves even less time to find a replacement.

Hydration tests is the way to go.

 

[Finnish Fan]

This wasn't cause by weight cutting. This was caused by health insurance and fighters making enough money to miss fights. Imagine if Ferguson was on 2k/2k and had no health insurance. He would have fought.

So basically... we need slaves.

They HAVE to fight, or be thrown to lions.

 

[superpunch]

In all seriousness, I like weight cutting as it is. The dynamic of having a big guy fight a smaller, faster guy is an integral part of the depth of MMA. Of course, we can't have 125 lb guys fighting 200 lb guys but having 160 lb guys fighting 170 lb guys @ 155 is part of the sport.

If everyone had to be within a certain range of their weight class, that depth of matchmaking would disappear forever except during superfights. Not worth it.

 

[smiles mma]

Time for nancies to fuck off about weight cutting. It is rediculous to think a fighter is going to keep track of his weight all year long.

 

[DS66]

Time for nancies to fuck off about weight cutting. It is rediculous to think a fighter is going to keep track of his weight all year long.

Not all year long. Just during the few weeks leading up to a fight? How is that at all ridiculous?

 

[Whoa Nelly]

should happen. Won't - same as it ever was

 

[johncola]

UFC needs to get rid of weight classes:

Spoiler

This is the simplest and easiest way to get rid of weight cutting. We don't need weight classes anymore. They're an outdated concept. Khabib/Max should be happening tomorrow night, and it's ridiculous that it isn't. Neither Khabib nor Max shoulda been destroying their bodies in the first place; it's all so unnecessary.

Fighters can just be weighed at random times throughout the year. The UFC has a finite (~600) number of fighters on the roster. That's manageable -- instituting and running the USADA drug testing program was/is exponentially more expensive than simply weighing fighters a few times per year. USADA could even be the ones who weigh the fighters.

These weigh-ins would be used to develop a historical record of fighter weights. These weights, along with height and reach stats, would be used for matchmaking. It'd be in fighters' best interests to stay in shape year-round, to create low weight records. This would be a secondary benefit of the new system.

A huge benefit of this new system is that matchmaking will have been freed up tremendously. No more divisions, preventing potentially great fights.

Yet another benefit of the new system would be the removal of the "game of rankings" that people obsess over. People can finally just become fans of the sport. This would be great for purists, who like fights more than titles, rankings, and records. People who don't actually like fighting will have lost something, but they're in the minority (however prevalent on Sherdog), and it shouldn't be too difficult for them to find a new hobby.

Titles would still exist, but they wouldn't be attached to any particular weight. If at any point two champions exist close enough in size to fight, then they can unify the titles. If at any point NO champions exist around a particular size, while there's a clear world class fighter, then that fighter can fight for a new title.

Rankings could be replaced by all fighters being "graded", e.g. "entry level, mid level, high level" or "grade 1, 2, 3, 4, 5". This would be far superior to rankings anyway, as it'd prevent fighters from ducking lower ranked opponents. "Mid level" fighters could dominate other "mid level" fighters, and thus earn a "high level" ranking, despite other "high level" fighters refusing to fight them and any other "mid level" fighters. This grading system would have yet another benefit, in that it'd stop certain media members, i.e. Luke Thomas and Jeff Wagenheim, from being so confused about what rankings are.

TLDR for dummies: Get rid of weight classes. Weigh fighters randomly multiple times throughout the year instead. This would improve matchmaking and remove weightcutting. It's the way forward. The current system is outdated. Don't be afraid of change.

 

[smiles mma]

Not all year long. Just during the few weeks leading up to a fight? How is that at all ridiculous?

So do what they are already doing... Check

 

[DS66]

So do what they are already doing... Check

Yeah... except there wouldn't be any weight cutting due to hydration tests, and everyone would be up one or two weight classes. Maybe read the original post before responding?