Plenty of fighters are moving up a weight class at UFC on ESPN 10, another by-product of hosting fights in the pandemic era.
Like it or not, weight-cutting is deeply rooted in mixed martial arts. MMA adopted its weight-cutting from the sport of wrestling, where it is presumed to be very advantageous to be the biggest and strongest in your weight class. Known as the ‘fight before the fight,’ most UFC fighters cut anywhere from 5-25 pounds, with some fighters even in excess of 30 pounds.
Weight-cutting is the ultimate test of discipline and willpower. Many fighters in the sport consider it very unprofessional to miss weight. In this series, we will shine a light on fighters who cut a massive amount of weight, who have missed weight multiple times in the past, who have made weight-class changes, along with how the weight-cut and weigh-in could affect possible upcoming match-ups. Basically, every aspect of weight-cutting and how it affects the fight game.
During this difficult and uncertain time, the UFC has been constructing and announcing many short notice cards, venues and bouts. With so many fast-moving pieces this difficult time seems to have slowed down the number of extreme weight cuts and increased the number of fighters and bouts that are moving up from their ‘normal’ weight classes.
Cynthia Calvillo (8-1-1 MMA, 5-1-1 UFC)
Strawweight (115lbs): 5-1-1 (UFC), Missed weight two times
Flyweight (125lbs): 0-0 (UFC), Making her UFC debut at the weight
Cynthia Calvillo missed weight before her first-round submission win over Poliana Botelho in November of 2018. Cynthia weighed in at 118lbs, for her fifth fight under the UFC’s promotional banner. Now 32, the weight doesn’t come off as nearly easily for Calvillo during her weight cut and that could threaten her ability to make a run at the UFC strawweight belt.
In Calvillo’s most recent UFC bout she missed weight coming in at a whopping 120.5lbs for her bout against Marina Rodriguez in December of 2019. The fight, in which Calvillo had to dig deep and come from behind, ended in a majority decision draw. After the bout, at the post-fight media scrum, Calvillo was very honest when speaking with reporters including Cageside Press saying:
“I walk around about 130. When I go to fight week for 25, I don’t even have to go in the sauna. But 115, and if I get that time of the month, I’m older now — I’m in my 30s, I don’t look like it but — it’s just harder on my body.”
Now, fight fans will see Calvillo make her UFC debut in the flyweight division as the main event of UFC on ESPN 10 opposite Jessica Eye.
VIDEO: Cynthia Calvillo misses weight at #ufcargentina weigh-ins. pic.twitter.com/UamGpVFSzv
— MMAFighting.com (@MMAFighting) November 16, 2018
