The UFC asks its fighters to perform admirably but also make weight. For some Octagon combatants, weigh-ins are their worst nightmare. As recently as UFC 183, a couple of fighters missed the mark by a wide margin.
Top 10 welterweight contender Kelvin Gastelum was nine pounds shy of the 171-pound limit. Meanwhile, No. 7-ranked flyweight John Lineker was five pounds over the 126-pound threshold.
Both Gastelum and Lineker were fined—though Gastelum was refunded by his co-main event cohort Tyron Woodley—and banished from their respective divisions by UFC President Dana White.
They aren’t the only perpetrators. Several other fighters, including former champions, have faced criticism in the wake of dieting mishaps.
Read on to find out which five fighters take weight cutting to the extreme. However, before we introduce those men, let’s mention a few fighters who diet just a little bit better.
We rated fighters in terms of difficulty cutting weight and physique. Rank does not matter.