Mixed Martial Arts: Weight Cutting

This is easily my least favorite aspect of the sport, actually something I hate! Competitors will cut down as much water weight in their bodies for their preferred class to get a strength and size advantage over their opponent. I see this as cheating and completely unfair in most cases, especially comparing 2 opponents in which one side drops at least 15 pounds while his or her opponent is a natural in that weight class and drops no significant amount at all.

The beginning of the cut involves proper preparation for weight loss such as trimming back on carbs in your diet exercise an intensively, the ridiculous amount for a period of 6 to 7 weeks. The final week of the cut is considered to be the most serious in which you attempt to become as lean as possible without losing muscle mass or strength.

The competitor will insert oneself in a rubber sweatsuit, pants, and top. Cover their skin with a makeup remover, Abolene to open up their pores. Get on a treadmill and run for several miles and this leads for the sweat to come off easily.

After that, they usually sit in a hot sauna with the sweatsuit on for times of half an hour or longer. The sweating of the water takes place then move on the flush by consuming as much water as possible for a few days to get you peeing a lot.

24 hours away from the official weigh-in, you stop drinking water while still urinating. Your body soon becomes dehydrated. This forces your kidneys to work harder than normal to continue flushing the water and becoming deficient in it.

There are many dangers that come with this practice and are why I despise it which include decreases of blood flow to the muscles, to the heart and cardiovascular function, reduced energy, nutrient exchange and acidosis, heat illness, decreased kidney function, mood swings, and mental changes, increased risk of brain injury, and death.

Just a tiny list of competitors who have passed away this practice include Jessica Lindsay 18, Jordan Donald 22, Leandro “Feijao” Souza 26, Yang Jian Bing 21, and Rondel Clark 26 among many others.

P.S. the guy in the first 2 images is the same person

Photo Credit:metro.co.uk, talksport.com