Weight Cutting and MMA

MMA Prospects UK like to cover topics that don’t really get mentioned so much elsewhere to try and provide our readers with a better insight into the MMA World. However a topic that is never far away from the MMA media attention is fighters and their weight cutting; the failed weight cuts to be precise. We decided to speak with those that have knowledge on the subject to get their opinions and advice on the matter with the hope of providing a better understanding for fighters that have not done it before and for those who don’t really know a lot about it.

Have you ever seen a fight before and thought, ‘that fighter is a lot bigger than the other, they look too heavy to be fighting in this weight division’? I know I have and this illustrates a fighter cutting weight successfully before a fight. In the pre-cut stage they have dropped their weight sufficiently to come in under the weight limit at the weigh-in, and in the post-cut stage they have re-gained weight taking themselves back up to a more optimum weight for their body (which can be heavier than the weight class they’re competing in) giving them an edge in the bout. This is an explanation of weight cutting at its most simplistic level and there is obviously a lot more to it than that including a certain element of danger and risk to a fighter’s health if not done correctly.

As previously mentioned, below we have some more information regarding weight cutting that we hope will help you understand it better and may even provide you with some advice on how to cut your weight successfully and more importantly, safely. Not only this but we will also look at the post-cut stage and highlight what you need to do after the weigh-in so that you can perform at your best.

Spencer Jackson is the in-house Nutritionist for MMA Prospects UK and is an experienced martial artist, sports nutritionist and fitness trainer.

What is the quickest and safest way to lose weight prior to a fight if I'm slightly over the weight division? 

To quickly lose bodyweight safely prior to a fight it is not too difficult for some and difficult for others. I would advise drinking plenty of tap water in between meals to help flush out water retention which can sometimes equate to a few pounds of bodyweight; do not drink mineral water as this contains salts which can cause more water retention which could increase body weight.

Eat small and often, up to 6 to 8 small meals a day increases resting metabolic rate which will burn more calories. Do not eat carbohydrates after 4pm in the evening; eat plenty of green leafy vegetables and fresh oily fish or poultry instead. During the day do not eat white bread (eat oat bread), long grain rice (eat basmati or wild rice), potatoes (eat sweet potatoes or butternut squash), wholegrain cereals (eat porridge oats or oatabix), cakes, biscuits, desserts (eat rice cakes or plain nuts as a snack instead), fruit juices, alcohol or fizzy drinks (drink tap water).

If you can keep to these safe eating principles then you should find your bodyweight and body fat levels will decrease at a substantial rate. Or if you find this still doesn't work then try wearing a vinyl sweat suit to help get rid of water a few hours before the weigh in, but remember after the weigh in to fully hydrate yourself with a good hydration drink as if you are not fully hydrated before your fight your performance will suffer greatly and it can also be physically dangerous.

Once the weigh-in has happened what must I eat, drink and do immediately following this and why?  

After the weigh in, if you have depleted your glycogen and water levels then these are the most important things for you to replace. Have some organic porridge oats mixed with dried apricots, dried cranberries a handful of pumpkin and sunflower seeds with skimmed milk. This will quickly boost your blood sugar levels and glycogen stores. Also for a meal eat some basmati rice or cous cous with beans and pulses or chicken/fresh oily fish. And, if you can, have some fresh fruit and vegetables.

Make sure you fully hydrate yourself with a good energy and hydration drink like Maxifuel Viper Active, if you don’t fully hydrate yourself you will not be at peak performance and it could also be dangerous if your hydration levels are too low.

Remember if your glycogen and hydration levels are low you will burn out fast and have no chance of winning your fight.

What are the dangers surrounding cutting weight, the long term health implications and what must I do to ensure I lose weight safely? 

Cutting weight drastically can have a multitude of problems. Doing it too quickly risks losing too much quality muscle, meaning that your metabolic rate will drop causing more chance of weight gain and fat storage in the near future. Doing it too often can also cause your bone density to weaken causing osteoporosis in older age. Too much weight loss can cause problems with your heart and other internal organs. In other words do not lose weight drastically; if you have to for a weigh-in make sure afterwards you quickly replenish all the lost carbohydrates and fluids.

To lose weight safely you should eat small and often, up to 6 to 8 small meals a day as an athlete, making sure you gradually reduce carbohydrates throughout the day, breakfast and lunch should contain more carbohydrates than the evening meal. So porridge or natural muesli for breakfast, fruit for morning snacks, brown rice, bread, pasta with meats or beans and pulses for lunch, natural yoghurts and protein shakes for afternoon snacks and fresh oily fish with vegetables for evening meal.

And remember to drink water in between each meal not with it as this can cause bloating and indigestion. Drinking plenty of water between meals will help rid the body of excess water and toxins and also aids with fat loss.

Bowel emptying can mean an athlete can lose another 5 pounds on average; what sort of natural laxatives can a fighter use to empty their bowels and intestine prior to a weigh-in?

Prune juice and figs are probably the best colon cleansing foods you can use, if not senakot tablets or senakot chocolate are excellent herbal laxatives which work well. Remember to drink plenty of natural water to as this will also help flush out any water retention you may be holding as well as making the laxative effect work faster.

What are the dangers of using Diuretics to do this, what is the likelihood of this creating electrolyte imbalances and what is the consequence of this?

Diuretics can cause dehydration and electrolyte imbalance, including loss of potassium, calcium, sodium, and magnesium. It is especially important to prevent potassium loss. Excessive use of diuretics will most likely lead to a metabolic alkalosis due to hypochloremia and hypokalemia. Overdose may lead to dehydration, seizures, kidney damage, lethargy, collapse, and coma.

Nick Osipczak has fought in the UFC and is now the head coach at New Wave Academy in South London.

What do you generally think about weight cutting and why do fighters do it?

I don’t enjoy it obviously, but it’s a part of the game. Fighters do it because they are in constant search of gaining an edge in every area. If you don’t cut weight and everyone else you're fighting does cut weight, then you're at a significant disadvantage.

As a coach what general advice do you give to your fighters that want to cut weight?

Learn about the art of cutting weight, and don’t leave too much until the last minute! You want to get down to within about 4-5kg of your target weight the day before weigh-ins.

As a fighter did you used to cut weight yourself and how did you go about doing this?

I used to walk around at 84kg and cut to 77kg. This would usually take me a week, but I’m not your typical fighter. I’m never carrying much fat so it's a different process for me and I can drop it quickly, but struggle to put it back on quickly.

Do you have any tips for fighters wanting to cut and what do they need to be careful of in order to do it safely?

Make sure you always have someone monitoring you when doing hot baths/sauna.

The less time you spend dehydrated the better.

Take the post-cut phase as seriously as the pre-cut phase to ensure you're 100% fit come fight time!

Stacy ‘The Hammer’ Hayes is a Professional MMA fighter and knows firsthand the issues behind cutting weight and how to overcome this.

What problems/difficulties have you had with weight cutting before?

The problem and difficulties I’ve had with cutting weight is not having the right information or the right understanding of how to cut. For example my second fight, for which I never made weight , my ex-coach did not give me an eating plan or even any idea of how to exercise for a cut; so I went about it all in completely the wrong way and if anything got damaged it was my health.

How have you overcome these problems and what has helped you cut weight successfully?

I have learned to overcome these problems by dropping down to near my fight weight with the right advice and walking around at that weight, maybe 2 kg out, a day before I fight. Then the night before I exercise cardio as well as the morning of the weigh in (lightly) and successfully make weight, which is a great feeling. However cutting too much weight and trying to get too low can also leave you tired, lethargic in the cage and weaken you; so the key is to find that class that you can fight in and still have optimal strength, power and be at a weight you can make so that you can be competitive.

Why do you think fighters, in general, try and cut weight to fight in other weight divisions? Is it because they know they can 'beef-up' after the weigh-in?

It depends, a lot of fighters do it for the advantage over the opponent, for example if you are a natural heavy weight and you cut weight to fight light heavy, you have a power advantage over an opponent that is a natural light heavy weight. You take your power down with you. This doesn't necessarily work at all weight class transitions, for instance a middle moving down to welter may find that his strength advantage is not that great and is offset by the speed of the true welter weight.

Do you think that weight cutting is more of an issue for female fighters and why?

I think weight cutting is more of an issue for female fighter’s as we have to work around hormones; our monthly's can be quite a nightmare and if we drop too much body fat our periods stop. If a women is on certain contraceptives that can cause weight gain its dangerous for anyone to cut weight but I feel women are in more danger of risking their health since the female body was created primarily to bear and sustain life (child birth), not to battle. So yes it is harder for women.

Christian Vila is a Strength and Conditioning Coach who has trained many notable fighters including UFC's recent signing Oli Thompson. He runs Combat Ready Training and Brighton Kettlebells.

Do you have to make adjustments to your training programs as fighters near the time they start to cut weight and how do you change them?

The Combat Ready Training programmes are always perdiodised, so that a fighter peaks just in time for their fight. We work different attributes of a fighter’s fitness in 4-week blocks to include Strength/Power and Power Endurance which is more aerobic. This formula does not change according to their weight cut.

What are your thoughts on fighters cutting weight to be in weight divisions they wouldn't naturally normally fight in?

Personally I think a fighter should be within 5-10% of their fighting weight all year round. It’s becoming a game of who can cut weight most effectively, often resorting to drugs and extremely dangerous practices. The problem is, it’s hard to police.

When you know a fighter is going to cut weight for their fight it must limit their potential to improve their strength; will this affect their overall performance during the fight and why?

We only work Strength specifically in the first four weeks of a fighter's training camp, then try to maintain that strength in the eight weeks leading up to the camp. Some strength will be lost leading up to the later stages, but using the right techniques you can keep a lot of strength which is neurological. All my fighters come in to the octagon strong and powerful.

In your capacity as a Strength & Conditioning Coach what previous experience do you have of diet and nutrition and do you ever advise those you're training?

I write out diets for fighters, giving them advice on what they should and shouldn't eat. I personally eat clean and maintain healthy all year round, so I lead by example. If there's anything really technical or if a fighter has very specific needs I have a great nutritionist by the name of Darren Deane of Physiques Training to hand.

To summarise this article we have a great insight into this topic from Professional fighter Nick ‘Headhunter’ Chapman who not only speaks from personal experience but also from his Fight-Science background.

Weight cut & weight loss

I think it is best to clear up the difference between the two. Weight cut would be the rapid drop in body weight (mostly from water) before a weigh in for competition. Weight loss would be the gradual drop in body weight (mostly from fat) through the manipulation of macro nutrient ratios/calorie consumption and intensity of training leading up to competition.

Please be aware that weight cutting is an exact science and requires knowledge, experience and practice. Your performance can be drastically affected by cutting weight if not applied correctly. The weigh ins for pros are usually the day before the fight which gives the fighter 30 hours or more to rehydrate and replace glycogen levels, however amateur and semi pro fights often require same day weigh in which is a little more difficult.

This subject is an extensive one to say the least and you should make sure you seek comprehensive, professional advice and guidance before you even consider trying to cut weight. Below I have listed some of the techniques I have used to cut weight.

Fluid Restriction

This is possibly the easiest and most effective way to cut weight. I load up the week before the weigh in and then stop fluid intake the day before.

Sweating

This is a very popular way to decrease weight before a weigh in. Either by exercising in a sweat suit, sauna or very hot bath. I always use the hot bath method, it’s much more enjoyable.

Bowel Emptying

This is a simple task I use Fibro-gel every day the week leading up to the weigh in and then just make sure I have been to the toilet as much as possible on the day of the weigh in. You would be surprised how much weight you hold in your intestines.

Diuretics

I would only recommend this method using completely natural and gentle diuretics. I have used Vit C and Dandelion Root. If this is a must, this should be used the day before the weigh in, so not to have problems during the fight. Make sure you get good advice on this.

Top tips

Never try something new before the fight, always experiment weeks before to see how your body responds.

Don’t just wing it. Make sure you have done your research and gotten the right advice.

Remember that scales are often calibrated differently and can provide different results. Do not rely on your scales at home as they can often be different to the official scales - not much you can do.

Remember weight cut is an art and must be taken very seriously.

MMA Prospects UK would like to thank Spencer, Nick Osipczak, Stacy, Christian and Nick Chapman for their input on this controversial and important topic. We hope that you find the above information interesting, whether it is as a fighter wanting to pick up some tips or as a fan wanting to learn more about the process. One thing is clear though, weight-cutting can be dangerous to your health if not done properly therefore we advise you seek professional help if you are going to try and cut weight.