Rogan: UFC should fix weight cutting before PEDs

[Wild]

UFC 227 not only provided two fantastic title fights and a string of new narratives inside the cage, but it stoked a longstanding debate for the MMA community outside of it. Beyond Henry Cejudo’s improbable win and TJ Dillshaw putting the stamp on his rivalry with Team Alpha Male, weight cutting was one of the core topics to come out of the weekend. Thanks, in large part, to the California State Athletic Commission’s release of fight day weight numbers for the competitors.

The CSAC’s interest in tackling and improving the safety around weight cutting in MMA has lead them to measure how heavy athletes are, not just on weigh-in day, but at the start of fight week…


Rogan: Weight cutting provides bigger advantage than PED’s, ‘If I was running sh-t, I’d fix that first’

 

[SuperPig]

I'm not sure if it's worse than PEDs but it's certainly up there.

Say what you will about Rogan being a ridiculous hype man but he also doesn't have a problem talking about things that he thinks needs to be fixed in the UFC.

 

[tang]

fuk the weights, fuk the belts, just have em sign and fight. what is so wrong about that?

especially with today's interim scene, do any of you care if Khabib / Conor had no belt on the line, but still a 5 round fight?

or if Jon Jones fought at LHW, HW? But DC is the HW Champ, who lost to Jones (2wice)... see my point?

MM would have never ducked TJ since no need to worry about TJ making weight

and there should be only 1 belt

 

[Jesus X]

brock should have tattooed Mjölnir on his chest like the picture in the OP instead of the penis sword.

 

[Rambo John J]

Ehh

 

[jimmy boogaloo]

fuk the weights, fuk the belts, just have em sign and fight. what is so wrong about that?

especially with today's interim scene, do any of you care if Khabib / Conor had no belt on the line, but still a 5 round fight?

or if Jon Jones fought at LHW, HW? But DC is the HW Champ, who lost to Jones (2wice)... see my point?

MM would have never ducked TJ since no need to worry about TJ making weight

and there should be only 1 belt

you're on crack

 

[tang]

you're on crack

I might be on crack but it's true, belts and making weight don't mean jack shit in today's UFC

why do you care if we have weight divisions or belts?
cuz all I want is for them to be at their most prime form and just fight each other, not dehydrate themselves to death and perform at 75%

considering how things are ran these days (if more pay is a concern for fighters who hold titles, that can be fixed by whoever's writing that check to pay them same as if they were champs, say for those on win streak or back to back awesome performances...)

 

[Mix6APlix]

Ive said it 100 times, severe weight cuts are stupid, and should be monitered. You want to worry about fighter safety, it should be at the top of the list. Just being the bigger fighter isnt always an advantage. Look at how Rumble has performed much better @205 than he did when cutting to 170.

 

[ShakaSway]

brock should have tattooed Mjölnir on his chest like the picture in the OP instead of the penis sword.

Nah because Gus could lift him up with ease in that case. On second thought, yeah he should have done that.

 

[Ted Williams' head]

How do you fix it though? This has been kicked around so much. Guys are always going to find a way to buck the system

 

[ShakaSway]

How do you fix it though? This has been kicked around so much. Guys are always going to find a way to buck the system

Agreed. If you add more weight classes, higher weight classes will attempt to make the extra 5-10lbs. The picking from their pockets with the 20% purse penalty is not working. Perhaps same day weigh ins could be in order, but fighters don’t like visiting the scale later in the day as is, so don’t think that would come to fruition.

Saying this from a completely ignorant view point, as not gonna act like I know what I am talking about, suppose fighters who are signed do a mandatory simulation weight cut for their desired weight class. Overviewed by a doctor/medical staff.

If they deem it unhealthy during, or maybe even after if complications with rehydration go down (ala Penn vs Edgar 3), then maybe they deem the higher weight appropriate? Then can attempt again possibly after x amount of time for that lower weight class?

Know that costs money, but maybe don’t have so many fighters on the roster. Also sure there are plenty of flaws in that, throwing ideas at the wall however.

 

[Ted Williams' head]

Agreed. If you add more weight classes, higher weight classes will attempt to make the extra 5-10lbs. The picking from their pockets with the 20% purse penalty is not working. Perhaps same day weigh ins could be in order, but fighters don’t like visiting the scale later in the day as is, so don’t think that would come to fruition.

Saying this from a completely ignorant view point, as not gonna act like I know what I am talking about, suppose fighters who are signed do a mandatory simulation weight cut for their desired weight class. Overviewed by a doctor/medical staff.

If they deem it unhealthy during, or maybe even after if complications with rehydration go down (ala Penn vs Edgar 3), then maybe they deem the higher weight appropriate? Then can attempt again possibly after x amount of time for that lower weight class?

Know that costs money, but maybe don’t have so many fighters on the roster. Also sure there are plenty of flaws in that, throwing ideas at the wall however.

The only thing I can think of would be a surprise test - lets say for sake of argument about a month before the fight - where the fighter is weighed AND hydration levels tested, and if the fighter's TRUE weight was too much, they'd be pulled out and you have ample time to replace.

But of course that's expensive in itself and I don't know how practical...

 

[ShakaSway]

The only thing I can think of would be a surprise test - lets say for sake of argument about a month before the fight - where the fighter is weighed AND hydration levels tested, and if the fighter's TRUE weight was too much, they'd be pulled out and you have ample time to replace.

But of course that's expensive in itself and I don't know how practical...

Well money is gonna be the issue in all this. Might as well throw hypotheticals out there.

Like your idea quite a bit. Just treat it like PEDs to a degree. Could probably test for both.

Then for big fights, could always have a fighter who isn’t schedule to volunteer to be a replacement fighter. They keep weight and train, maybe UFC/any org compensates them a tad for their troubles, if said fight does take place.

 

[Tuc Ouiner]

Rogan is right. Most are on PEDs of some sort. As soon as somebody ends up in a coma or dead they'll change the weight cutting. It's a lot more dangerous than fighters doing PEDs. PED is just PR problems.

 

[Filthy]

College wrestling figured this out 20 years ago, there's nothing to figure out.
Weight-cutting is stupid - bad for the athletes, bad for the promoter, bad for the fan.

 

[Haulport]

brock should have tattooed Mjölnir on his chest like the picture in the OP instead of the penis sword.

I agree wholeheartedly. FYI: That's the Marvel Mjolnir. This is the real one:

 

[Haulport]

How do you fix it though? This has been kicked around so much. Guys are always going to find a way to buck the system

Super easy. Barely an inconvenience:

• Ban weight cutting
• Hydration tests at weigh-ins
• Have guys weigh in two days before, the day before and the day of and they have to make weight all three times.

With the hydration tests and three weigh-ins there is no chance on earth anyone could be cutting. They would literally be dead if they tried and the hydration tests would prevent cutting from happening on the first day.