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.
Honorable Mentions this week include:
-Jorge Masvidual who is a former lightweight that had an excessive weight cut, but he made the move up to welterweight over six years ago.
-Former UFC Middlweight Champion Chris Weidman who is taking his second fight back down at 185lbs after his short stint at light heavyweight.
-Anthony Smith who was formerly a middleweight before moving up to light heavyweight and seeing lots of success event challenging for the belt.
