Cutting weight is common practice for fighters to drop weight classes and gain a strength advantage over opponents. It involves extensive exercise in hot environments while wearing plastic suits, fluid restriction, use of saunas, and calorie reduction in the days leading up to weigh-ins. While it can provide benefits, drastic weight cuts are physically traumatic and the body requires time and proper rehydration and nutrition after to recover and perform optimally in fights. Errors in the weight cut or recovery process can negatively impact athletic performance.

1. Wrestlers and boxers have practiced cutting weight for decades. Robert DeNiro brought
this practice to the big screen in 1980 as Jake LaMotta in Raging Bull as he sipped on
Ginger Ale to make weight for his next big fight.
Most recently, with the explosion of mixed martial arts into mainstream America with the
popularity of the Ultimate Fighter reality series, fight fans everywhere were witness to
this masochistic process as fighters spent hours in hot saunas wearing plastic suits to shed
their final few pounds.
Cutting weight is more than a practice; it is an art form that requires considerable
experience and dedication to perfect. With this practice so common in MMA, why do
fighters even cut weight? And more
importantly, does dropping a weight class
provide the fighter with an advantage in the
octagon?
Nearly all bio-chemical reactions in our
bodies rely on water. Water makes up 60%+
of the human body. It is not only vital to
maintaining life, but also directly impacts
physical and mental performance as well.
Even mild dehydration, 1% of our body
weight or as little as one liter of water can negatively impact athletic performance. i
Physiologically, dehydration reduces your body’s ability to deliver oxygenated blood
throughout your body due to a reduced blood volume.
This reduction in volume inhibits a person’s aerobic endurance, muscular strength and
lactate threshold.ii For a sport such as ultimate fighting, any impact on cardiovascular
conditioning can limit a fighter’s ability in the octagon.
As a former fighter and someone who has practiced cutting weight since middle school
wrestling, I am very familiar with this process.
Theoretically, a fighter who “walks around” at a heavier weight compared to their
opponent should have a strength and power advantage over their competition when body
weights are equal at weigh in.
Former UFC Middleweight champion Rich Franklin would cut roughly 20 – 25 pounds to
make the 185 pound ceiling for his fights. I had the distinct pleasure of training with
Rich prior to his weight cuts and was in awe over
his physical prowess as he trained at an incredibly
strong 210 pounds.

2. The ability to maximize your strength and power at a heavier “walking weight” should
provide an advantage over an opponent who does not possess as much muscle mass. A
weight cut of 20 pounds is not uncommon. So how does a fighter achieve this weight
loss in such a short period of time?
There are various measures for a fighter to cut
their desired weight. The most popular practice
is to exercise in hot environments. MMA
competitors typically train 2 – 3hours daily.
Every liter lost through sweat is equivalent to a
two pound loss in body weight.
Exercise can be as simple as running and
skipping rope or as complex as fight circuits
including punching, kicks, takedowns, jiu jitsu
rolling and sprinting.
To enhance the weight loss during exercise, most athletes will wear plastic suits and
heavy clothing to increase their body temperature and promote added sweating.
In addition to exercise and elevating the body’s temperature, fluid restriction is a simple
and extremely effective practice. This process requires no additional energy by the
fighter and a 5 – 6 pound loss can be expected within 24 hours of beginning to dehydrate
oneself.
Another popular technique utilized is to spend time in a sauna or hot bath. A dry sauna is
the most powerful of these tools and will elevate a fighter’s core temperature and
consequently increase fluid loss substantially.
Personally, I have spent hours in the dry sauna to help with my weight loss. I have
experienced a 10 pound loss in body weight in just a few short hours in the dry sauna.
Fluid restriction causes fatigue and only so
much exercise can be performed in a
dehydrated state. Therefore, a fighter will reap
tremendous weight loss rewards by
incorporating in this technique.
The dry sauna is more “mind over body” and a
dedicated focus will achieve desired results.
Another effective practice to lose excess
pounds is to empty the bowels the day before
the weigh in.

3. A human body contains 5 – 7 pounds of waste at all times passing through the stomach
and intestines. Taking a gentle, natural laxative the night before the weigh in should
result in an additional 5 pound loss without any negative impact on performance to the
fighter.
Often combined with a laxative, diuretics will assist a fighter in losing up to 10 pounds.
Diuretics signal the body to urinate constantly and an incredible amount of fluid is lost.
With that said, diuretics can be extremely dangerous and may result in an electrolyte
imbalance within the system negatively impacting performance including cramping,
muscle weakness and potentially heart arrhythmia or neurological symptoms.
Therefore, diuretics should be used sparingly and with
caution.
The final measure to reduce body weight utilized by
MMA competitors is to reduce their daily caloric intake.
A fighter must make sure that some food is consumed to
maintain a level blood sugar. A reduced blood sugar,
known as hypoglycemia, can cause irritability, lethargy,
a lack of energy and even much worse health risks which
will all negatively impact the fighter’s ability to compete
or just survive.
Due to the fact that most fighters train until the day prior to their fights, calories are
necessary to function. The reduction in calories needed to aid in the weight loss is an
individual process. Each fighter reacts differently to a self-induced starvation process.
My recommendation is to begin to cut calories three weeks out from the date of the fight.
By reducing 500 calories per day, one pound of body weight per week will be lost by a
decreased caloric intake. After three weeks, a three pound deficit will be achieved.
A more drastic calorie reduction may be necessary, but should only be exercised within
two days of weigh-ins. This will have no impact on a fighter’s training ability.
Calorie reduction combined with fluid restriction, increasing the core
temperature through exercise or hot sauna as well as the use of a
gentle laxative will provide the necessary weight loss needed to be
successful on the scale.
Pay-per-view promotions including UFC and Strikeforce hold weigh-
ins for the fighters the day prior to the event date. This ensures that
proper hydration can be administered increasing a fighter’s body
weight, strength, stamina and fighting performance.

4. Even with a day to administer fluids, the substantial weight cut can lead to poor
performances in the octagon.
Jake Shields stated at the UFC 121 post-fight press
conference that he “cut 20 pounds in a day…I don’t think
it was my best performance, but this is a learning
experience.”iii Jake’s performance against Dutch
kickboxer, Martin Kampmann, was not stellar and he was
fortunate to escape with a decision victory.
Unfortunately, lesser promotions typically hold weigh-ins within hours of the actual
event. This practice is performed as a cost cutting measure for the promotion but does
not provide the fighters ample time necessary to replenish lost fluids and electrolytes.
In short, performance is definitely impacted if a substantial weight cut has been
performed without the necessary recovery time.
Believe it or not, the weight loss is the easy part. Re-hydrating and properly preparing
the body for the fight is the challenging aspect and the area in which mistakes are
commonly made damaging the fighter’s performance in the cage.
The body takes from 4 to 48 hours to fully recover from moderate dehydration, which
means time is of the essence to ensure peak performance and health.iv
Again, as weight is cut, blood volume is decreased. Additionally, both heart rate and
blood pressure can elevate. Electrolyte imbalance may have occurred and both
psychological and physical fatigue may set in. Reversing all these contraindications is
critical in establishing a solid foundation for competition.
To counteract these effects, a fighter should consume small, balanced meals at 30 minute
intervals. A balance of protein, complex carbohydrates and simple sugars in the form of
fruits and vegetables is imperative.
Avoid high fat, high processed sugar foods. Additionally,
consuming too much food to quickly will leave the fighter
bloated and feeling sick. Small meals will be absorbed and
clear the system quicker. So please exercise some patience
and control.
More important than replacing calories, fluid is necessary to
re-establish balance within the human body.
Remember, a severe dehydration coupled with a calorie restriction has just occurred.
This body is starving for nourishment. Re-hydration should occur immediately after a
fighter concludes the weigh-ins.

5. To do this, 3 – 5 gallons of fluid may be necessary. Best
fluid choices include water and an electrolyte replenishment
drink, such as Pedialyte.
Soda, dairy products and high sugar drinks including
Gatorade and PowerAde should be avoided. An indicator of
proper re-hydration is clear urine. Consume fluids until this
point is visibly present to ensure proper hydration necessary
for a grueling fight in the cage.
Now that you have become familiar with the reasons behind
cutting so much weight and how it is accomplished, please keep in mind the reality of
this process.
Physiologically, a drastic weight cut is trauma to the human body. The body responds to
this trauma by increasing fat storage to eliminate the risk of depleted calories again in the
future.
In addition to storing calories as a means of self-preservation, the body will also store
fluids and act as a sponge to absorb as much water as possible to prevent the chance of
dehydration from occurring again.
Evidence of this physiological process is Chuck Liddell’s physique at fight time. His
stomach typically looks bloated and distended. In short, he looks chubby. In reality,
however, he is not out of shape. Rather, his body is physiologically responding to the
weight cut he just endured.
The human body is extremely adaptive and will store
calories and fluid when it believes that its survival is at
risk.
Additionally, an extreme weight reduction can be
damaging to the kidneys as well as other vital organs.
This damage can be acute or long-term. Regardless,
cutting weight has its risks and each and every fighter
should exercise caution when performing this necessary
component of competition.
For each pay-per-view witnessed by millions of fans, the fighters competing in the
octagon have not only trained their skills to the highest level, they have most likely put
their bodies through a self-imposed masochistic process to successfully compete at a
lower weight class.
This drastic weight cut is performed so that the bigger, stronger fighter will have a
strength and power advantage over the opponent when weigh in is equal.

6. Promotions such as the UFC and Strikeforce provide their fighters the necessary time to
re-establish nourishment before they step foot in the octagon. However, lesser
promotions typically do not extend this courtesy.
Because most fighters weigh in and fight within the same day for feeder league
promotions, the body does not have the needed time to achieve balance within the
system. Therefore, performance can be impaired and success in the cage may be in
jeopardy.
Some elite level fighters will not perform a weight cut. Fedor Emelienenko, perhaps the
greatest fighter on the planet, competes at a light 220 pounds within the heavyweight
division. He refuses to cut to the necessary 205 pounds to compete in the light
heavyweight division. Even though Fedor is undersized, he is tremendously explosive
and has an amazing endurance capacity which benefits him tremendously against his
bigger opponents.
Therefore, cutting weight does not guarantee victory. It may, however, provide an
advantage for some against weaker competition. The process of depleting so many
pounds within a short period of time is one that takes learning and practice. Errors during
the weight cut and after weigh-ins can impede performance.
Therefore, just as a fighter would practice his stand up skills, a fighter should also
practice cutting weight and the affects in one’s game.
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i
www.centralhome.com/ballroomcountry/hydration.htm, October 28, 2010.
ii
www.bloodyelbow.com/2010/15/1311633/the-negative-health-effects-of, October 28, 2010.
iii
www.sherdog.com, October 28, 2010.
iv
www.grapplearts.com/Making-Weight-by-Dehydration.htm, October 28, 2010.