Wildest Weight Cut Stories in MMA: How Fighters Push the Limits

MMA is considered one of the most challenging disciplines in the world. Whether it is the fighting that happens inside the cage or the training that goes on in preparation for the match, everything about MMA is hard work and requires a fighter. The most interesting and perhaps the most dangerous aspect of the sport is the process of weight reduction. In the bid to be able to compete in a lower weight class where one is likely to have an added advantage, most fighters subject themselves to very dangerous and drastic ways to lose lots of weight within a short time before a bout. This has been most notably illustrated in MMA, where the extremes of weight cutting have tested the human will and endurance to their limits and, in the process, produced some of the most inspirational and, at the same time, cautionary stories.

What Happens in the Body During Weight Cutting

However, to appreciate some of the crazier weight-cutting stories that I am about to tell you, it’s important to first grasp a few basic principles of weight cutting. Weight reduction in MMA is usually done a few days before the fight, where the fighters make a large percentage of weight loss, say, 10-20 pounds or even more. This is normally carried out by water depletion, very low energy intake, and perspiration.

Calorie restriction is the most important factor in achieving rapid weight loss, and water makes up the largest part of calorie intake. Athletes deplete their body’s water reserves sometimes to the extent of 10% of their body weight in water. Techniques like sitting in saunas, hot baths, and even wearing plastic cover-ups while exercising are typical to lose weight. They will then try to recover the most of the weight they have lost within the following 24 hours in an effort to rehydrate and replenish the energy sources before the fight in the cage.

These methods have been employed by many fighters to gain an edge in size, but they are dangerous and can lead to organ failure, heat stroke, and even death. Here are some of the most famous weight-cut stories in MMA history that show how far fighters go and what they sacrifice for their performance and the dangers that come with it.

Anthony “Rumble” Johnson: The King of Extreme Cuts

Perhaps one of the most famous weight-cutters in MMA history is Anthony “Rumble” Johnson. A natural light heavyweight fighter who looked more like a monster as he tipped the scale over 220 pounds, Johnson started his UFC career in the welterweight (170 pounds) class. The idea of a man his size being able to lose enough weight to get down to 170 lbs is mind-boggling, but Johnson was able to take his body to the extreme to achieve that.

Weight cutting also became the new norm at Johnson’s camp. Johnson was also said to have dropped a staggering 55 pounds in the space of weeks leading to his bout with Yoshiyuki Yoshida at UFC 104 to reach the required 170-pound weight. His body, however, couldn’t stand the pressure, and he entered the ring at 176 pounds, thus having to fight in a catchweight bout. While he was able to win the bout, his crazy weight reduction measures finally caught up with him in his boxing career. Johnson was able to make weight several more times but was constantly struggling with the weigh-ins and was eventually moved up to the light heavyweight division, where he enjoyed immense success without having to cut so much weight.

Johnson’s narrative is a great example of a fighter who sought the size advantage through drastic weight cutting but then changed his mind because it was not only unhealthy, but it also did not bring the best results.

Darren Till’s Near-Death Experience

British fighter who fights in the UFC, Darren Till, had one of the most dramatic weight cuts in recent years. Till, who was a welterweight competitor (170 lbs), was well known for his severe weight cutting, and before the fight with Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson in 2018, Till nearly died during the weight cut.

In the run-up to the weigh-in, Till could not lose the final few pounds of water weight. He was said to have suffered blindness as well as being unable to stand on his feet due to cutting his weight. During a 2019 interview, Till was forced to confess that he was dehydrated to the point of losing his sight and needed his team’s help to get to the scale. His organs were almost getting to a point of failure due to the severe level of dehydration.

While Till did take the time to make weight for the fight, the experience was a rude awakening. He later on shifted to the middleweight (185 lbs), a division that saw him regain his health and form.

Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino: The Attack on the innocent

Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino is considered by many to be the best female fighter in the history of the MMA, but her weight loss stories are as epic as her career. Cyborg by nature now competes at 170-175 pounds, but for a long time she competed in the 145-pound featherweight category. But the toughest sacrifices were made when she tried to reduce her weight to 140-pound catchweight to show that she could one day fight at 135 pounds.

This weight cut was very taxing on her body, as can be seen from the following effects. In one of the most gruesome episodes in 2016, Cyborg had tried to lose weight to a UFC Fight Night bout against Lina Lansberg that was in the 140-pound category. From the videos and the reports coming from her camp, one could only imagine the level of suffering she was going through. Cyborg was presented sitting in a sauna suit and crying with almost no movements due to the effects of dehydration on her body.

It was not easy for Cyborg to make weight and fight, but she did it and won the bout. But she promised not to try out such a cut again in the future, in a bid to reduce her weight. Following that fight, the UFC created a 145-pound women’s division for Cyborg to fight at a weight more natural for her, thus solidifying her place as one of the most devastating strikers in the history of MMA.

Khabib Nurmagomedov: The Story of the Undefeated Champion

Khabib Nurmagomedov has an unblemished record and is regarded as an excellent grappler and the current UFC title holder in the lightweight category (155 lbs), but has suffered some terrible weight-cut issues in the past. Khabib, who is usually around 190-200 lbs, struggled when it came to making the 155 lbs weight limit.

It was not easy for him, but one of the most terrifying episodes occurred when he had to face Tony Ferguson in the UFC 209 event in 2017. Before the weigh-ins, Khabib had several complications when trimming down for the fight. He was taken to the hospital the day before the weigh-in after vomiting from severe dehydration and kidney pain. His body just could not take the cut, and the fight was off, much to the chagrin of fans who were anxious to see him fight Ferguson.

This case brought out the risks that are associated with cutting weights no matter the level of the fighter, including Khabib. Despite the fact that he would be able to make weight for more fights in his career, the UFC would begin to publicly discuss changes to the weight-cutting process, in part because of incidents like this one.

Yoel Romero: Weight Struggles of the Soldier of God

Another example of an MMA fighter who had to go through extreme weight loss is Yoel Romero, a Cuban wrestler, the 2013 World Champion and the 2008 Olympic silver medalist, who is among the strongest fighters of the MMA division. Romero fights in the middleweight category (185 lbs), but he boasts muscles that weigh over 210 lbs, and this means that weight-cutting to 185 is always a challenge for him.

One of the most popular weight-cutting cases of Romero was witnessed before the fight against Luke Rockhold at UFC 221 in 2018. As it could be expected, the fight was marked by some controversy since Romero missed weight by 3. 3 pounds after he was said to have shed almost 30 pounds within one week. Nonetheless, Romero did not manage to make the weight and was scheduled to face Rockhold in a non-title fight but KO’d him in the third round.

The severe cuts that Romero had to make and the physical wear and tear that they had on him invited more discussions about the feasibility of fighters fighting in weight classes below their natural weight class. Despite the fact the fact that Romero is still one of the most dangerous men in the division, he has had weight-cutting problems for his entire career.

Mackenzie Dern: A Star’s Weight Cut Redemption

Mackenzie Dern is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt and a new UFC strawweight fighter weighing in at 115 pounds. During her early MMA fights, she had problems with weight loss and missed several fight weigh-ins. Her most famous weight cut was before her bout against Amanda Cooper at UFC 224 in May 2018, in which Dern weighed 7 pounds over the limit.

The miss in weight also created questions regarding Dern’s dedication towards the sport and her capacity to fight at strawweight. She was stripped of the official weight but won the fight anyway, and this was the worst that could have happened to her. Afterwards, Dern promised that she would get back into the habit of cutting weight, thus hiring a new nutritionist as well as changing her training program.

Since then, Dern has been able to make weight for all her subsequent fights and has risen to become one of the best strawweight fighters in the division. This shows that even after a horrible experience in weight cutting, fighters can come back and succeed.

Conclusion

MMA weight-cutting is a two-edged sword. On one hand, it gives the fighters a possibility to have a greater size and strength compared to their rivals. On the other hand, many fighters use extreme measures to shed off the pounds, and this almost breaks down their bodies to their weakest point. Some of the most insane weight-cut stories in MMA include Anthony Johnson, Darren Till, and Cristiane Justino, and the stories show the physical and mental endurance that is needed to make weight, as well as the risks involved in it.

While some fighters are able to achieve success by moving up in weight, some continue to endanger themselves in a bid to become champions. That is why stories like that of Khabib Nurmagomedov, Conor McGregor, or other fighters discussing weight cutting in MMA indicate that one may need reforms to prevent fighters from using the most severe methods of weight loss, but these stories are also a source of motivation and learning for the future generations of the MMA fighters.