ONE's rigid new weight program has received some criticism from fighters here in the United States. Askren doesn't know why.
"I was even talking to my teammates," he said. "They were like, 'Who are you going to fight at 185?' I don't understand the issue. I'm fighting guys my size."
Doctors believe that rapid dehydration followed by rapid rehydration can wreak havoc on vital organs, sap important fluid from around the brain and make fighters more susceptible to concussions. Extreme weight cutting also hinders performance and could make fighters easier to knockout due to the affect on the brain.
In the United States, rule changes like ONE's have to go through the Association of Boxing Commissions (ABC) and each individual state commission. ONE, which regulates itself, has the luxury of calling all the shots. Askren doesn't mind one bit.
"If the UFC did that, people would follow course just like they did with USADA testing," he said. "It might be a little harder, but at the end of the day once fighters do it a couple times and they realize they're fighting someone their size and they don't have to do a severe dehydration, they're gonna like it. It's safer, it's healthier. It's better all around for the fighters.
"The worst 24- to 36-hour period of my whole camp, the part I like the least is the part where I've gotta cut 13 to 15 pounds of water weight. And now you're telling me I don't have to do that anymore. That's not a punishment to me. I wasn't saying, 'Shoot, I was really looking forward to that."
LINK: Ben Askren moving to middleweight, believes all will eventually emulate new ONE weight program
