UFC analyst Joe Rogan continues to campaign against weight cutting in mixed martial arts.
Long-time UFC analyst Joe Rogan has been campaigning against MMA’s weight-cutting policies for years now. His argument has always been against the dangers of putting one’s body through such a grueling process just to get a perceived advantage over their opponents.
During a recent episode of the JRE MMA Show where he guested UFC light heavyweight fighter Khalil Rountree Jr., Rogan spoke about ONE Championship’s weight cut policy, particular how competitors are made to undergo hydration level testing during the day of the fight.
According to Rogan, it is a policy that should’ve long been adopted by the UFC.
“It’s the right way to do it. We should have done it a long time ago in the UFC,” he said. “I really think that.”
Rogan further argued how dehydration is a possible factor for a fighter being more susceptible to being badly hurt by shots.
“(Failed weight cuts have been) ruining cards, and even more importantly, I think causing fighters to fight at less than their full potential. How many fighters have gotten hit when they shouldn’t have gotten hit?” he said. “If they didn’t have to recover from a weight cut, who knows? Maybe there are shots you ate that you wouldn’t have eaten. Especially for some guys cutting a brutal amount of weight.
“It’s entirely possible that you could get by something you wouldn’t if you didn’t have to cut weight.”
ONE Championship’s policies went through a massive overhaul in 2015 after Chinese fighter Yang Jian Bing passed away due to weight cutting. However, the consistency, implementation, and results of their said policies haven’t been made public as ONE oversees their own weigh-ins and hydration tests behind closed doors. Some of its fighters have also admitted having an issue with their weight management, despite the ruling in place.
In 2018, featherweight and lightweight champion Martin Nguyen dropped down to bantamweight twice to try and win a third title. He admitted to feeling the aftereffects of his cut during his bantamweight fight against Kevin Belingon in July of that year.
”I was naive. I thought the weight cut was not going to be an issue, but it played out in the fight,” Nguyen admitted (via ABS-CBN News). “I did not feel tired – I could have gone another five rounds, but with my toe, it just came to a point where my reactions were off, and Kevin’s speed was impeccable. I could not adjust, and everything just came into play.
”It was a good learning curve, and a good experience overall, but I will stick to my roots where my body feels stronger and more comfortable.”