The Heavy Issue With Cutting Weight


(Weight cutting is a very serious issue in MMA, so here’s a picture of John Lineker as a fat baby. via Ian McCall’s Instagram)

By CP reader Jessie Lorenty

Before the first fight even started, UFC 183: Diaz vs Silva was already filled with controversy. Not one but two of the night’s fighters missed weight, and both who did were notorious for taking the weight limit as a suggestion instead of maybe the actual amount of weight that they’re allowed to be at. The first was John Lineker, who showed up heavy for a record fourth time in his UFC career — the first was against Louis Gaudinot (127lbs), then against Jose Maria (129lbs) and the third time against Phil Harris (127lbs). The second fighter was none other then the lesser half of the night’s co-main event, Kelvin Gastelum, who previously missed weight in his fight against Nico Musoke.

Missing the weight limit is sadly not an unusual thing in MMA, but could not have occurred at a worse time for either fighter…


(Weight cutting is a very serious issue in MMA, so here’s a picture of John Lineker as a fat baby. via Ian McCall’s Instagram)

By CP reader Jessie Lorenty

Before the first fight even started, UFC 183: Diaz vs Silva was already filled with controversy. Not one but two of the night’s fighters missed weight, and both who did were notorious for taking the weight limit as a suggestion instead of maybe the actual amount of weight that they’re allowed to be at. The first was John Lineker, who showed up heavy for a record fourth time in his UFC career — the first was against Louis Gaudinot (127lbs), then against Jose Maria (129lbs) and the third time against Phil Harris (127lbs). The second fighter was none other then the lesser half of the night’s co-main event, Kelvin Gastelum, who previously missed weight in his fight against Nico Musoke.

Missing the weight limit is sadly not an unusual thing in MMA, but could not have occurred at a worse time for either fighter. With a shallow division at flyweight, the next shot at current champion Demetrious Johnson could always be just one great performance away. Against Ian McCall, Lineker had the potential to prove himself a title contender (and did with his UD victory), but sabotaged his chances of that happening right from the get-go. On the other side of the (tipped over) scale is Kelvin Gastelum, who was undefeated as a pro and currently on a five fight winning streak in the UFC. In his last fight Gastelum ran through the always tough Jake Ellenberger and was hoping on continuing his momentum against his toughest test to date in Tyron Woodley.

Both fighters were coming into one of their most important fights of their career. A win for either of them could have placed them in the category of next title challenger, but instead, the focus point was shifted to their weight. Dana White has since ordered both men to move up a weight class, shattering their respective chances at a flyweight and welterweight title shot.

Luckily for Lineker, he won the fight, as a loss could have seen him cut from the UFC. Anthony “Rumble” Johnson was originally released from the promotion for missing weight time and time again, and after his loss to Vitor Belfort, Uncle Dana had had enough. As for Gastelum, his offense was more egregious than Lineker’s but only the second time it has occurred. With a substantial amount of steam behind him, Gastelum was on the verge of breaking out of the middle of the pack and cementing himself as a potential title challenger. But he nearly killed himself trying to make weight and it showed in his eventual loss to Woodley on Saturday.

Weight is one of the biggest issues in MMA but just like most of the other issues there is no clear cut solution to it (other than same day weigh-ins, of course). Aside from heavyweights and Frankie Edgar, you would be hard pressed to find someone fighting close to their natural weight. Fighters see the weight cut as gaining a potential advantage over their competition but if they damage themselves trying to make the weight they’re doing the exact opposite and giving the advantage to their opponent. Instances like these bring more attention to the issue, as they should, but after it is all said and done nothing will have changed and the MMA community will eventually stop talking about it until it occurs again. (You know, kind of like drug testing.)

Fighters are called disrespectful and lazy for not making weight, but the main focus should be on just how dangerous it is. Prizefighters in general are a special group of people that will put themselves through anything in order to compete. So we can only imagine what their bodies are going through where they finally just give up because they physically can’t go on any longer. Only after pushing themselves to the very end do they finally call it. They need to realize that the damage they are doing to themselves sometimes just isn’t worth it. Instead, they are fined and they still get to compete in most cases, completely forgetting the fact that not 24 hours before they step in that cage their bodies were almost completely shutting down on them.

At the end of the day these men have to pay the bills, the UFC has to sell tickets, and the fans needs to be entertained. But we also have to look further into the issue and understand what these guys are doing to themselves and decide when enough is enough. When that time will come is unclear or maybe even non-existent. It may be that these two men go out there and put on the performance of their lives and somehow the weight thing is overshadowed. But one thing that should never be overshadowed is fighter safety.

Cris Cyborg’s Bantamweight Debut Delayed, Will Instead Defend Invicta FC Featherweight Title Early Next Year


(via Invicta FC.)

You may recall that Cris Cyborg (aka Cristiane Justino) was expected to make her highly-anticipated bantamweight debut at Invicta 10 this Friday, in a move that was being heralded as “the beginning of the end of the Rousey Era” by hyperbolic MMA writers across the board (you don’t know). That was until about a month ago, however, when an ankle injury forced Cyborg out of her matchup against an opponent who we’re pretty sure was never even named.

In any case, it has now been a year and a half since we last saw Cyborg compete — save a Muay Thai match here and there — and her Invicta featherweight title has presumably been collecting dust in the same dark corner where her stripped Strikeforce featherweight title sits. So with time working against her, Cyborg has decided to postpone her bantamweight debut in order to simply compete again. She spoke with MMAFighting earlier this morning:

I haven’t fought in a long time. With this injury, I believe the best option now will be fight in my division. I can’t wait anymore, I need to fight. I’m the featherweight champion and Invicta FC needs me to defend my belt.


(via Invicta FC.)

You may recall that Cris Cyborg (aka Cristiane Justino) was expected to make her highly-anticipated bantamweight debut at Invicta 10 this Friday, in a move that was being heralded as “the beginning of the end of the Rousey Era” by hyperbolic MMA writers across the board (you don’t know). That was until about a month ago, however, when an ankle injury forced Cyborg out of her matchup against an opponent who we’re pretty sure was never even named.

In any case, it has now been a year and a half since we last saw Cyborg compete — save a Muay Thai match here and there — and her Invicta featherweight title has presumably been collecting dust in the same dark corner where her stripped Strikeforce featherweight title sits. So with time working against her, Cyborg has decided to postpone her bantamweight debut in order to simply compete again. She spoke with MMAFighting earlier this morning:

I haven’t fought in a long time. With this injury, I believe the best option now will be fight in my division. I can’t wait anymore, I need to fight. I’m the featherweight champion and Invicta FC needs me to defend my belt.

I believe I will be ready to fight in February. I’m slowly returning to training, so I won’t get injured again. I’m swimming and doing physical therapy since I got back from Thailand. My physical therapist Ivan Carmosino will clear me to train soon.

At this point, Cyborg’s drop to bantamweight has been teased and hinted at more than a new Tool album, and this latest hitch seems like the final straw to me. While Cyborg has been toiling away in obscurity these past couple years, her entire reason for cutting to bantamweight — Ronda Rousey — has risen to become one of the most complete athletes on the planet. Do I still think Cyborg poses some legitimate threats to the women’s bantamweight champ? Undoubtedly, but not nearly as many as she did when she opted out of her UFC contract last year. It almost makes one question her decision to hire Tito Ortiz as her manager.

We’ll keep you updated on Cyborg’s return as information is made available.

J. Jones

The End Begins: Cris Cyborg’s Bantamweight Debut Set For Invicta 10 on December 5th


(An all scorpion diet may seem extreme, but it’s hard to argue with those results. via Cyborg’s Instagram)

A slightly slimmer yet equally terrifying Cris Cyborg is heading our way, y’all.

Although the fighter sometimes known as Cristiane Justino has been teasing a cut to 135 lbs ever since she had a doctor say that she was not physically capable of cutting to 135 lbs, and even though her last (muay Thai) match saw her get tooled on the feet for the first time in any capacity, there’s little denying that Cyborg is the biggest/only true challenge currently available for Ronda Rousey. (If one of you even mentions Bethe Correia, so help me God I will set you on fire.)

The problem is, Cyborg walks around at approximately one and a half Frankie Edgars, which makes a drop to the bantamweight division (aka Rousey’s House) seem nearly impossible. But like the mad scientists from the future who built Christine out of titanium and bear hide once said, “Nothing is impossible.”

As such, the UFC announced this morning that Cyborg will in fact be making her bantamweight debut at Invicta 10 on December 5th. Justino’s opponent has yet to be named, likely because finding someone willing to face almost certain death is more difficult than finding a friend who’s willing to help you move.

After the Jump: A video of Christiane eating a scorpion in Thailand, just in case you were beginning to doubt how hardcore this chick is.


(An all scorpion diet may seem extreme, but it’s hard to argue with those results. via Cyborg’s Instagram)

A slightly slimmer yet equally terrifying Cris Cyborg is heading our way, y’all.

Although the fighter sometimes known as Cristiane Justino has been teasing a cut to 135 lbs ever since she had a doctor say that she was not physically capable of cutting to 135 lbs, and even though her last (muay Thai) match saw her get tooled on the feet for the first time in any capacity, there’s little denying that Cyborg is the biggest/only true challenge currently available for Ronda Rousey. (If one of you even mentions Bethe Correia, so help me God I will set you on fire.)

The problem is, Cyborg walks around at approximately one and a half Frankie Edgars, which makes a drop to the bantamweight division (aka Rousey’s House) seem nearly impossible. But like the mad scientists from the future who built Christine out of titanium and bear hide once said, “Nothing is impossible.”

As such, the UFC announced this morning that Cyborg will in fact be making her bantamweight debut at Invicta 10 on December 5th. Justino’s opponent has yet to be named, likely because finding someone willing to face almost certain death is more difficult than finding a friend who’s willing to help you move.

After the Jump: A video of Christiane eating a scorpion in Thailand, just in case you were beginning to doubt how hardcore this chick is.

Cyborg has not competed in mixed martial arts competition since capturing the Invicta featherweight crown via a third round TKO of Marloes Coenen at Invicta 6, but you tell me, Nation: Is this the beginning of the end of The Rousey Era? Will bantamweight Cyborg actually kill some poor lady in the ring as expected? And finally, what in heaven and earth is a “Beez Back” and/or a “Mr. Gums Doer”?

J. Jones

Has Olympian Henry Cejudo Become the Biggest Bust in MMA History?


(Photo via The Gazette.)

Far be it from us to knock an Olympic wrestler for his lack of work ethic, but we’ve begun to notice an alarming and depressing trend in the MMA career of Henry Cejudo. Mainly, that he has more or less flaked out of his last four scheduled fights under the Legacy Fighting Championships banner, and even worse, the fights he actually did show up for in that time, he did at a significantly reduced payrate due to his inability to make weight.

So perhaps it shouldn’t come as a surprise to us that Cejudo has already withdrawn from his scheduled flyweight title fight with WEC/UFC vet Damacio Page at Legacy 31 in June, citing “personal reasons.” This comes after Cejudo forced a catchweight fight with Ryan Hollis at Legacy 24, no-showed at the Legacy 25 weigh-ins due to a last second “illness,” and again showed up heavy for his fight with Elias Garcia at Legacy 27. How he is still employed by Legacy remains as much a mystery as the circumstances that have led to his most recent drop-out.

Could it be that Cejudo has some dire life circumstance to tend to, like Rousimar Palhares and his sick mother? It’s possible, but the much more likely scenario is that Cejudo lacks either the time or the commitment to make 125 lbs, even as far out from the fight as he is, and has withdrawn in a last ditch attempt to save his rapidly descending reputation in the MMA world.


(Photo via The Gazette.)

Far be it from us to knock an Olympic wrestler for his lack of work ethic, but we’ve begun to notice an alarming and depressing trend in the MMA career of Henry Cejudo. Mainly, that he has more or less flaked out of his last four scheduled fights under the Legacy Fighting Championships banner, and even worse, the fights he actually did show up for in that time, he did at a significantly reduced payrate due to his inability to make weight.

So perhaps it shouldn’t come as a surprise to us that Cejudo has already withdrawn from his scheduled flyweight title fight with WEC/UFC vet Damacio Page at Legacy 31 in June, citing “personal reasons.” This comes after Cejudo forced a catchweight fight with Ryan Hollis at Legacy 24, no-showed at the Legacy 25 weigh-ins due to a last second “illness,” and again showed up heavy for his fight with Elias Garcia at Legacy 27. How he is still employed by Legacy remains as much a mystery as the circumstances that have led to his most recent drop-out.

Could it be that Cejudo has some dire life circumstance to tend to, like Rousimar Palhares and his sick mother? It’s possible, but the much more likely scenario is that Cejudo lacks either the time or the commitment to make 125 lbs, even as far out from the fight as he is, and has withdrawn in a last ditch attempt to save his rapidly descending reputation in the MMA world.

For the youngest American wrestler to win a gold medal in Olympic history, weight-cutting issues seem especially uncharacteristic. Wrestlers have long been lauded for their almost unparalleled discipline when it comes to cutting weight — just look at how Daniel Cormier was able to make the drop to light heavyweight after years of weight mismanagement — and for a guy of Cejudo’s caliber, it’s simply inexcusable.

But sadly, it appears that Cejudo’s professional career has been on a downswing ever since his comeback attempt in the 2012 Olympic Trials, where his lack of motivation was immediately noticeable to those who knew him best (via BloodyElbow):

Between the 2008 Olympics and the 2012 trials, Cejudo was off the mat for almost two and a half years. He did not engage in training for a second Olympic title until February of 2011. This is an awful long time, particularly considering that all of Henry’s strongest competition was spending that time competing for world championships.

When Henry first came back to training he announced his intent to train at the regional training center (RTC) at The University of Iowa with Coach Terry Brands.

Terry Brands is a distinguished figure in the wrestling world. Brands has won world championships, an Olympic bronze medal, and as an Olympic Training Center resident coach he was largely responsible for molding Henry Cejudo into an Olympic champion. Terry and Henry had grown close during Cejudo’s gold medal run and a number of publications describe Brands as a father figure to Henry.

When considering a athlete/coach relationship woven so tightly, it was particularly alarming to hear reports in July of 2011 that Cejudo left the Iowa RTC due to Brands disapproval over the time Henry was spending in his commercial ventures.

After leaving Iowa, Cejudo briefly trained at Ohio State’s RTC, but citing homesickness, Henry left to spend the bulk of his Olympic trials preparation residing in Arizona and away from any elite wrestling training sites. Almost all wrestlers serious about qualifying for an Olympic team reside at a regional training center or the Olympic Training Center in Colorado (or both). Cejudo spent his crunch time preparation for the trials working out at The Training Room, a strength and conditioning facility in Scottsdale run by Brian Davis, a former NFL defensive back. (when asked about Cejudo’s preparations for the trials, Davis’s response was somewhat…odd.)

Henry’s unusual choices in training arrangements, when combined with the mixed results at the only three competitive wrestling events he attended before the trials, led some in the wrestling world to doubt if he would even be in attendance in Iowa City for the Olympic trials.

It was at those Olympic Trials that Cejudo would be defeated by top-seeded Nick Simmons in the semifinals before throwing his shoes into the crowd, a symbolic gesture of his retirement from wrestling at just 25 years of age.

So what has been behind Cejudo’s fall from grace? Some say that he has become too preoccupied with the public persona he has built over the years, and the litany of high-profile endorsement deals, book deals, and even play deals that have followed. Others say that the neuro-linguistic programming outfit Cejudo has become involved with, Champion by Design, has all but brainwashed the kid with new-age, self-help gobbledygook.

It’s hard to tell, but one thing’s for certain: Cejudo has dropped out of yet another fight, and is well on his way to becoming perhaps the biggest bust in MMA history. And what a shame it would be for a self-described, “kid who grew up in poverty, a son of Mexican immigrants that came to the United States with a dream.” Not that success in a mid-level MMA promotion is comparable to Olympic glory, but still, it would have been nice to see what could have been.

J. Jones

Association of Ringside Physicians Launches New Crusade Against Unhealthy Weight-Cutting in Combat Sports


(Photo via Andrew Mills/The Star Ledger)

In late January, the Association of Ringside Physicians released a public statement calling for the end of therapeutic use exemptions for testosterone replacement therapy in combat sports. Though the ARP is simply an advocacy group that promotes fighter-safety, and has no official ties to state athletic commissions, the resulting publicity kicked off the final wave of anti-TRT sentiment in the world of mixed martial arts. A month later, the Nevada State Athletic Commission banned testosterone therapy for combat sports athletes.

Fresh off that success, the Association of Ringside Physicians is now setting its sights on another controversial facet of professional fighting that is just as damaging to athletes’ health as PED use — improper weight cutting. Check out the ARP’s new statement on weight management below, which summarizes the health risks associated with significant and repeated weight cuts, and suggests how the situation can be improved.

**********

For Immediate Release
March 24, 2014

Association of Ringside Physicians Releases Consensus Statement on Weight Management in Professional Combat Sports

The Association of Ringside Physicians (ARP), an international, non-profit organization dedicated to the health and safety of the boxer and mixed martial arts athlete, has released a consensus statement on weight management in professional combat sports as follows:

Introduction
Unhealthy and sometimes dangerous weight loss practices continue to be a significant problem in amateur and professional combat sports. The ARP recommends that regulatory bodies adopt standardized weigh-in policies in conjunction with year-round weight management and educational programs.

Discussion
There is a growing body of information in the medical literature that presents unequivocal evidence of the danger of excessive weight loss, rapid weight loss, and repeated cycling of weight gain and loss. Rapid weight loss and dehydration have been proven to negatively affect a number of health-related parameters including…


(Photo via Andrew Mills/The Star Ledger)

In late January, the Association of Ringside Physicians released a public statement calling for the end of therapeutic use exemptions for testosterone replacement therapy in combat sports. Though the ARP is simply an advocacy group that promotes fighter-safety, and has no official ties to state athletic commissions, the resulting publicity kicked off the final wave of anti-TRT sentiment in the world of mixed martial arts. A month later, the Nevada State Athletic Commission banned testosterone therapy for combat sports athletes.

Fresh off that success, the Association of Ringside Physicians is now setting its sights on another controversial facet of professional fighting that is just as damaging to athletes’ health as PED use — improper weight cutting. Check out the ARP’s new statement on weight management below, which summarizes the health risks associated with significant and repeated weight cuts, and suggests how the situation can be improved.

**********

For Immediate Release
March 24, 2014

Association of Ringside Physicians Releases Consensus Statement on Weight Management in Professional Combat Sports

The Association of Ringside Physicians (ARP), an international, non-profit organization dedicated to the health and safety of the boxer and mixed martial arts athlete, has released a consensus statement on weight management in professional combat sports as follows:

Introduction
Unhealthy and sometimes dangerous weight loss practices continue to be a significant problem in amateur and professional combat sports. The ARP recommends that regulatory bodies adopt standardized weigh-in policies in conjunction with year-round weight management and educational programs.

Discussion
There is a growing body of information in the medical literature that presents unequivocal evidence of the danger of excessive weight loss, rapid weight loss, and repeated cycling of weight gain and loss. Rapid weight loss and dehydration have been proven to negatively affect a number of health-related parameters including: physical performance, cardiovascular function, temperature regulation, hormonal balance, nutritional status, neurologic function, mental performance, and energy utilization. These may cause life-threatening muscle breakdown, shock, heat illness, kidney failure, and electrolyte imbalances, in addition to placing the athlete at increased injury risk, Additionally, the possible relationship between dehydration and predisposition to concussion requires more investigation. Significant dehydration also puts the athlete at risk of improper rehydration techniques — when, in reality, proper re-hydration requires hours to days.

The prevalence of these problems is significant. One recent study found that 39% of MMA fighters were entering competition in a dehydrated state. Many cases of dehydrated athletes using intravenous fluids to rehydrate after weigh-ins have been reported — considered a doping violation with several international organizations. Heat illness and death in athletes have been previously documented in the sports of wrestling and MMA. Weight management regulations for boxing/MMA competitors are warranted to mitigate improper weight loss techniques contributing to severe dehydration and starvation and their complications.

A number of organizations including the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) have adopted rules to minimize unhealthy weight loss in weight-classified sports. The rules emphasize hydration and body composition assessment to identify an individual’s proper weight class, and provide a safe, gradual, weekly weight control plan (gain or loss) to achieve same if desired. The new regulations were subsequently investigated for their effectiveness and were reported to be successful by minimizing unhealthy weight loss, excessive weight fluctuations, and competition at weight classes inappropriate for a given athlete. It is noted that the effectiveness and success of protocols such as same day weigh-ins are directly tied to proper weight management.

Recommendations
The ARP recommends standardized weigh-in policies in conjunction with year-round weight management programs. These would include scheduling weigh-ins twenty four hours or less before the start of competition. Therefore, establishing a lowest allowed fighting weight (weight class) for competitors through body composition and hydration assessment is essential. Combatants should be assessed and certified at their appropriate weight annually. This assessment should be completed by non-biased examiners, in conjunction with licensure, and stored in an international data bank accessible to athletic regulatory bodies, In this light, the ARP will be establishing a medical database to provide this and other resources. Regulatory bodies should also consider adding additional weight classes in certain sports where needed.

Additionally, in order for an athlete to maintain proper weight control and optimal body composition, a continual commitment to proper diet and training is required. Educational programs should be established to inform coaches, athletes, administrators, promoters and sponsors about the adverse consequences of prolonged fasting and dehydration on performance and health. These programs should discourage the use of extreme methods for making weight; i.e., excessive heat methods (such as rubberized suits, steam rooms, hot boxes, saunas), excessive exercise, induced vomiting, laxatives and diuretics. Nutritional programs should also be instituted to emphasize and meet an athlete’s individual needs for adequate daily caloric intake from a balanced diet high in healthy carbohydrates, the minimum requirement of fat, and appropriate amounts of protein.

The ARP wishes to thank Alan C. Utter, Ph. D., M.P.H., FACSM, Appalachian State University, Boone, NC for his dedicated assistance in the development of this consensus statement.

For more about the ARP, visit its website at www.associationofringsidephysicians.org.

Ulysses Gomez Collapses While Cutting Weight; Cage Warriors 62 Main Event Scrapped


(Photo via Dave Mandel/Sherdog)

The physical stress that fighters endure during weight cuts can inflict more long-lasting damage than anything they do inside the cage. MMA’s most recent death was reportedly due to weight-cut-related complications, and just last month Brian Melancon retired because of worsening kidney problems.

MMA’s latest weight-cutting cautionary tale comes to us courtesy of flyweight Ulysses Gomez, who collapsed while cutting weight for his Cage Warriors 62 headlining fight against Neil Seery and was hospitalized. Even though Gomez wanted to move forward with Saturday’s fight anyway, Cage Warriors made the only sane decision and scrapped it. If you’ll recall, Gomez vs. Seery was one of the non-UFC fights we were most looking forward to this weekend, so this sucks on multiple levels.

Once considered one of the greatest 125-pounders in the world, Gomez couldn’t find success on the sport’s largest stage, going 0-2 in the UFC. He was released by the promotion February, and was subsequently denied the chance to try out for TUF 18. The Cage Warriors 62 main event was supposed to be Gomez’s return to competition. Unfortunately, his layoff will continue until he gets his next fight booked.


(Photo via Dave Mandel/Sherdog)

The physical stress that fighters endure during weight cuts can inflict more long-lasting damage than anything they do inside the cage. MMA’s most recent death was reportedly due to weight-cut-related complications, and just last month Brian Melancon retired because of worsening kidney problems.

MMA’s latest weight-cutting cautionary tale comes to us courtesy of flyweight Ulysses Gomez, who collapsed while cutting weight for his Cage Warriors 62 headlining fight against Neil Seery and was hospitalized. Even though Gomez wanted to move forward with Saturday’s fight anyway, Cage Warriors made the only sane decision and scrapped it. If you’ll recall, Gomez vs. Seery was one of the non-UFC fights we were most looking forward to this weekend, so this sucks on multiple levels.

Once considered one of the greatest 125-pounders in the world, Gomez couldn’t find success on the sport’s largest stage, going 0-2 in the UFC. He was released by the promotion February, and was subsequently denied the chance to try out for TUF 18. The Cage Warriors 62 main event was supposed to be Gomez’s return to competition. Unfortunately, his layoff will continue until he gets his next fight booked.