The days of fighters almost killing themselves in the days running up to UFC weigh-ins are coming to an end with the introduction of a new weight-management programme.
It has become all too common for fighters to severely dehydrate themselves during the week of competition in order to make weight which not only hinders their ability to fight to the best of their ability but could also have grave health implications for the athletes.
An updated system, beginning at UFC 200, will see a brand programme put in place by the promotion and one of the biggest takeaways from the Weight Management Policy is a rule that fighters will be required to check in for fight week no more than 8% above their target weight.
Fighters who do come in above that 8% mark will come under increased examination throughout the week, undergoing daily tests to ensure that their hydration levels are not dropping to dangerous status. They will also be forced to undergo a counselling programme ahead of their next fight in which they learn about proper weight-cutting procedures.
UFC vice president of athlete health and performance Jeff Novitzky has made it one of his priorities to improve the UFC’s weight-cutting regulations which saw a massive change towards the end of last year with the implementation of a ban on IV rehydration, a necessity under USADA rules.
“The only hard and fast rule in there, and I think it’s probably the most important thing in terms of the guidelines, is that 8 percent number,” Novitzky told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “If they’re not, it’s not in the rules the fight won’t happen, but we sure are going to pay very close attention to them, including taking daily weight, daily vitals, and as it progresses, if they show signs of being dehydrated, they will be pulled from the fight.”
Certain fighters, particularly those who have made the move to MMA from amateur wrestling, still maintain the old school mentality when it comes to cutting weight where they cut to the lowest weight class possible so as to enjoy a size advantage come fight night but Novitzky believes the point of diminishing returns of denying one’s body sufficient hydration ahead of competition is slowly filtering into fighters’ consciousnesses.
“Most of these athletes believe they’re bulletproof,” Novitzky said. “But when eyes open and ears really perk up is when you start talking about performance. You can say, ‘Hey, look, not only is it not good for you, but if you do it this way with these extreme, rapid weight cuts, your performance is going to suffer.’
“The anecdotes that I get after fight nights are all based on that where you hear, ‘Wow, you’re right. I really did feel better, had more energy, felt like I had more legs.’ It’s very encouraging to hear that.”
