Was weight cutting already a thing in Pride?

[E Undead]

From what I witnessed weight classes in general were not what they are made for in the UFC. They were more a suggestion who you gonna fight 50% of your next ten fights. Many guys fought guys outside their WC even more than 50%

Hpwever there were also guys like hendo who probably cut weight flr their 183 div or whatever it was

Are there other guys who for sure were cutting for some bouts back then?

 

[Rygu]

In Pride they replaced weight cutting with juicing.

 

[ortizgnp]

Everything was fixed in PRIDE including the scales.

 

[Typrune Goatley]

Cutting weight has been around for centuries, from boxing and wrestling. There were some guys in PRIDE who didn't cut like Sakuraba, but then there was also guys like Overeem who used to cut a lot of weight to make 205.

In Pride they replaced weight cutting with juicing.

UFC has always had a steroid problem as well.

 

[Rygu]

Cutting weight has been around for centuries, from boxing and wrestling. There were some guys who didn't cut like Sakuraba, but then there was also guys like Overeem who used to cut a lot of weight to make 205.


UFC has always had a steroid problem as well.

Nothing like in Pride though.

 

[SeattleFightFan]

yes it was a thing. especially, as you say, at WW (83kg/183lb), and GP's.

but since Pride didn't have external regulatory bodies, they didn't have to stay within weight classes. so a 185lb guy could fight a 250lb guy. but because littler guys were allowed to take on bigger guys (and some generally believe that JMMA had a 'bushido' thing to live up to), you did have guys simply ignoring weight classes. some got famous for it, like Sak and MinowaMan.

something no AC would every allow. they usually had special rules in place for situations like this, like the heavier fighter may not use knees to the head of a grounded opponent. of course guys had to make weight for GP's.

but truly the could have done whatever they wanted. UFC didn't have that luxury after the F brothers make their deal with the AC's in 1999-2001 to legitimize the sport in the US.

overall, i wouldn't say Pride weight cutting was much different than UFC weight cutting at that time. Hendo cutting to 183 was roughly equivalent to Hughes cutting to 170.

it was TUF that brought a new level of what might be called 'professionalism' to the sport, and that included the trend toward today's extreme weight cutting.

 

[BayAreaGuy]

Not really. Guys didnt look huge for their weight classes.

 

[Typrune Goatley]

Nothing like in Pride though.

Oh really? This was the your "clean" UFC champ

Also what about Ubereem?

What about

Jon Jones
Frank Mir
Josh Barnett
Tim Sylvia
Anderson Silva
Bigfoot Silva
Fabricio Werdum
Vitor Belfort
Yoel Romero
Ruslan Magomedov
Ion Cutelaba
Chad Mendes

And countless others who have tested positive? (And then blame tainted supplements. Regardless, they still had PEDs in their systems) Seems like UFC has just as bad of a problem, if not worse.

 

[Rygu]

Oh really? This was the your "clean" UFC champ

Also what about Ubereem?

What about

Jon Jones
Frank Mir
Josh Barnett
Tim Sylvia
Anderson Silva
Bigfoot Silva
Fabricio Werdum
Vitor Belfort
Yoel Romero
Ruslan Magomedov
Ion Cutelaba
Chad Mendes

And countless others? Seems like UFC has just as bad of a problem, if not worse.

The difference is, we know which UFC fighters juiced because they were tested and caught.

 

[acannxr]

From what I witnessed weight classes in general were not what they are made for in the UFC. They were more a suggestion who you gonna fight 50% of your next ten fights. Many guys fought guys outside their WC even more than 50%

Hpwever there were also guys like hendo who probably cut weight flr their 183 div or whatever it was

Are there other guys who for sure were cutting for some bouts back then?

 

[gono btw]

Nothing like in Pride though.

You´re clueless.

Steroids were fully ingrained in the culture of the UFC by the time Kerr arrived.

Couture, who debuted in the Octagon one event before Kerr, dismissed UFC’s testing protocol at the time as illegitimate.

“Everyone knew it was a joke,” Couture said. “They basically tossed you a cup and sent you to the bathroom, but I don't know why they even did it. I think it was to cross off a box.”

Kerr said doctors conducting pre-fight medicals ignored obvious warning signs of his steroid use.

"I remember sitting across the table from the doctor, and the doctor looking at my liver enzymes,” Kerr said. “When you do anabolics in high amounts it messes with your liver enzymes. The doctor was looking at me and looking at the liver enzymes and looking at me. He said, 'Do you realize this is eight times the normal amount you're supposed to have?' I said, ‘Yeah,' and that was it. They allowed me to fight."

 

[Workaholic]

Weight cutting was a thing before MMA was a thing

 

[gono btw]

yes it was a thing. especially, as you say, at WW (83kg/183lb), and GP's.

but since Pride didn't have external regulatory bodies, they didn't have to stay within weight classes. so a 185lb guy could fight a 250lb guy. but because littler guys were allowed to take on bigger guys (and some generally believe that JMMA had a 'bushido' thing to live up to), you did have guys simply ignoring weight classes. some got famous for it, like Sak and MinowaMan.

something no AC would every allow. they usually had special rules in place for situations like this, like the heavier fighter may not use knees to the head of a grounded opponent. of course guys had to make weight for GP's.

but truly the could have done whatever they wanted. UFC didn't have that luxury after the F brothers make their deal with the AC's in 1999-2001 to legitimize the sport in the US.

overall, i wouldn't say Pride weight cutting was much different than UFC weight cutting at that time. Hendo cutting to 183 was roughly equivalent to Hughes cutting to 170.

it was TUF that brought a new level of what might be called 'professionalism' to the sport, and that included the trend toward today's extreme weight cutting.

"they usually had special rules in place for situations like this, like the heavier fighter may not use knees to the head of a grounded opponent. of course guys had to make weight for GP's.!"

It was actually up to the lil guy to accept special rules or not.

 

[SeattleFightFan]

"they usually had special rules in place for situations like this, like the heavier fighter may not use knees to the head of a grounded opponent. of course guys had to make weight for GP's.!"

It was actually up to the lil guy to accept special rules or not.

Correct. And there were different special rules.

 

[D'z]

Nothing like in Pride though.

How the hell would you know?!!!

 

[tenniswhiz]

You´re clueless.

Steroids were fully ingrained in the culture of the UFC by the time Kerr arrived.

Couture, who debuted in the Octagon one event before Kerr, dismissed UFC’s testing protocol at the time as illegitimate.

“Everyone knew it was a joke,” Couture said. “They basically tossed you a cup and sent you to the bathroom, but I don't know why they even did it. I think it was to cross off a box.”

Kerr said doctors conducting pre-fight medicals ignored obvious warning signs of his steroid use.

"I remember sitting across the table from the doctor, and the doctor looking at my liver enzymes,” Kerr said. “When you do anabolics in high amounts it messes with your liver enzymes. The doctor was looking at me and looking at the liver enzymes and looking at me. He said, 'Do you realize this is eight times the normal amount you're supposed to have?' I said, ‘Yeah,' and that was it. They allowed me to fight."

Many years later, Thiago Silva submitted animal urine.
How did he do that?
If they were watching maybe he used one of those squeeze tubes?