California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) overhauled its weight-cutting policy back in early 2016, with the goal of reducing — and in many cases eliminating — the antiquated (but still common) practice of dehydrating to achieve a predetermined weight.
Fighters are literally dying to make their mark.
In the years following its amended policy, a handful of fighters across multiple promotions have been found in violation, including UFC middleweight Paulo Costa. Not surprisingly, the beefy Brazilian was back in the commission’s crosshairs after UFC 298 in Anaheim.
But he isn’t the only combatant on the hot seat.
Below is the complete list of weights measured on the day of the UFC 298 early (and official) weigh ins against the night of the “Golden State” fights, a difference of just over 24 hours. Fighters in violation of the 15 percent threshold (courtesy of MMA Fighting) will be marked in boldface.
Alexander Volkanovski: (145 to 166.2 pounds = 15 percent) vs. Ilia Topuria (144.5 to 167.2 pounds = 16 percent)
Paulo Costa (185.5 to 215.2 pounds = 16 percent) vs. Robert Whittaker (185.5 to 207.6 pounds = 12 percent)
Ian Garry (170.5 to 180.6 pounds = 6 percent) vs. Geoff Neal (170.5 to 200.8 pounds = 18 percent)
Henry Cejudo (135 to 150.6 pounds = 12 percent) vs. Merab Dvalishvili (135 to 156.8 pounds = 16 percent)
Roman Kopylov (185 to 194 pounds = 5 percent) vs. Anthony Hernandez (185.5 to 203.6 pounds = 10 percent)
Mackenzie Dern (116 to 127 pounds = 9 percent) vs. Amanda Lemos (115.5 to 123.8 pounds = 7 percent)
Junior Tafa (249 to 247 pounds = -1 percent) vs. Marcos Rogerio de Lima (261.5 to 273.4 pounds = 5 percent)
Carlos Vera (135.5 to 158.6 pounds = 17 percent) vs. Rinya Nakamura (135.5 to 147.2 = 9 percent)
Brendson Ribeiro (205.5 to 219.6 pounds = 7 percent) vs. Zhang Minyang (204.5 to 230.2 pounds = 13 percent)
Danny Barlow (171 to 197.8 pounds = 16 percent) vs. Josh Quinland (169 to 187.8 pounds = 11 percent)
Val Woodburn (169.5 to 184 pounds = 9 percent) vs. Oban Elliott (170.5 to 185.2 pounds = 9 percent)
Miranda Maverick (126 to 135.8 pounds = 8 percent) vs. Andrea Lee (125.5 to 136.2 pounds = 9 percent)
UFC heavyweight Junior Tafa somehow managed to lose weight after the official weigh ins, so either “The Juggernaut” enjoyed a big breakfast before stepping on the scale on Friday morning or took a giant dump right before his fight the following night.
So what happens now?
Previous penalties included temporary suspensions but with so many athletes crossing the allowable limit, CSAC will first discuss changes to its regulations regarding fighter rehydration at its upcoming meeting, according to ESPN. Just don’t expect anyone to be changing weight classes anytime soon.
UFC 298 was headlined by the featherweight title fight pitting Alex Volkanovski against Ilia Topuria. “The Great” was lanced by “El Matador” in the second stanza, blowing open the 145-pound division for the first time in nearly five years.
For more UFC 298 news and notes click here.