Lead Jab – Why Same Day Weigh-Ins Are Needed In Big Time MMA

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Posted by Mika Frankl

MMA is still relatively young and the sport is having rule changes, equipment changes, and many other changes being talked about all the time to help the sport. I would like to even the playing field in a way that would shake up the world of MMA to its core.

Now we all know that MMA for men has really eight weight classes from Heavyweight to Flyweight. This differs from Boxing in that boxing has about 17 weight classes and most only seperated by 3 lbs. In MMA it’s from 10 to 15 pounds that separates the weight classes, which I like. If you have ever watched a weigh-in for big time MMA show you have seen what I noticed, the minute a fighter steps off a scale he’s reaching for a drink to rehydrate. After I see that I always just think to myself I hope he has no kidney problems later in life because I don’t believe that dehydration was meant to happen to the human body. I want to stop the fight before the fight. If the fight is to make weight then us as the viewers are being cheated of an equal, fair fight. To me, this is pro fighting – same size guys in an equally fair setting. Height and reach are uncontrollable factors, so we rile on weight to be a even factor. By now though, diets or books like “The Dolce Diet” are only adding to keeping fighters as heavy as possible by the next day. How does weighing in at 170lbs on Friday make you a Welterweight on Saturday when u could be weighting 185-195. In my book that makes you a Middleweight. In my opinion, it’s a tactic of being a bully. Bullies pick on smaller people, last thing I think of as being a bully would be a professional practice by many in MMA. For many years Anthony “Rumble” Johnson has been the biggest bully in MMA, a man who is known for walking around at 230 plus pounds and then fighting at Welterweight(170 pounds). Don’t kid yourself, fighting at 170 pounds only means you weighed in at 170, what you fight at no one knows. Johnson is now, after 6 years of crazy weight cutting, moving up to Light Heavyweight because of not being able to cut weight due to health issues. Urijah Faber, after his recent loss at UFC 149 was asked if he would test waters at Flyweight(125 pounds). Faber responded by saying that the cut would be too hard and saying he actually weighted 153 pounds at fight time for UFC 149. So to me he should be a small Lightweight. You can look at Travis Wiuff, Bellator Light Heavyweight who said he cuts from 250 pounds to make 205 which is only going from being a large Heavyweight to a huge Light Heavyweight and at fight time could have been 230 pounds or more, now that’s fair. So I propose we do the weigh-ins the day of the fight or even when walking to the cage. I mean it might just lead to two guys the same size fighting, that would be crazy. Some fighter would have to move up a weight class because fighting so depleted could be hazardous, but that’s the point. Fight in the weight class you weigh when you’re actually fighting. The only group of people that are not effected by this weight cutting issue would be the Heavyweight’s, but their weight class is ridiculous due to a 40 pound weight variance when most weight classes are 10 to 15lbs apart. Forty pounds is like having three weight classes in one. The only person in MMA above all this is the man that has my greatest respects, Frankie Edgar is right with how he weights in and at which weight class to compete at and to choice to compete at full strength without dehydration. If a fighter like Urijah Faber has enough time gain 18 pounds after weigh-ins, maybe there’s to much time between weigh-ins and the fight. I understand what I’m complaining about is how smart these fighters are to use loopholes, but if a Mixed Martial Artists believes he’s the best fighter in the world then fight someone your own size or call it like it is, you’re a professional bully with no respect for for Martial Arts.

Follow Knuxx writer Mika Frankl on twitter #Cagedmindsmma