If it were up to Joe Rogan, there would be no weight-cutting in the UFC.
Cutting weight has been a part of the sport since UFC 12 when the promotion first introduced weight classes. Of course, the process wasn’t as common then as it is today, but there are those, like long-time UFC commentator Joe Rogan, who believes that cutting weight should not be part of the sport whatsoever.
“You should find out where you f*cking really weigh and fight at what you really weigh at,” Rogan said while speaking with John Rallo, Din Thomas, and Matt Serra on a recent episode of his JRE podcast. “It shouldn’t be the Ultimate Weight-Cutting Championship.
“[Not weight-cutting is better] for everything. Better for the longevity. Better for the health of your physical body that is literally your weapon of war.”
While fans have very little opportunity to see just how devastating a difficult weight cut can be for a fighter, there have been some particularly scary moments directly related to the much-maligned practice. In 2021, flyweight competitor Julia Stoliarenko fainted on the scale while weighing in for her fight with Julia Avila.
Stoliarenko regained consciousness, got back on the scale, and made weight before fainting a second time. The bout was ultimately canceled.
“If nobody ever cut weight and then all of a sudden everybody started cutting weight, everybody [would say] ‘What the f*ck is this sh*t? You’re not 170 pounds,” Rogan added. “This is a lie. How are you the 170-pound champion when you weigh 200 pounds? That’s crazy.”
Joe Rogan Praises ONE Championship’s Hydration Testing to Curb Weight Cutting
Unfortunately, weight-cutting is likely here to stay, but some promotions like ONE Championship have attempted to curb the unsettling trend of dehydrating oneself to dangerous levels via hydration tests. In ONE, fighters must pass both weight and hydration to be cleared, a practice Rogan applauds.
“It’s a different world when there’s no weight cutting,” Rogan said on his podcast in 2019. “I’m just such a giant fan of that no-weight-cutting deal they’re doing over at ONE FC. Hydration tests, the way it’s explained to me is say you’re the 170 [pounds] champion, they say you’re gonna fight 185, there’s no weight cutting.”
Do you think it’s time for MMA to abandon weight-cutting in favor of fighters competing in their natural weight class?