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.
Misha Cirkunov (15-6 MMA, 6-4 UFC)
Middleweight (185lbs.): 0-0 (UFC)
Light Heavyweight (205lbs.): 6-4 (UFC)
Misha Cirkunov is a six year veteran of the UFC that has competed for the entirety of his career in the light heavyweight division. Cirkunov is 34 years old, stands at 6’3″ tall, and holds a 77″ reach. Cirkunov is extremely built with a very muscular frame.
The vast majority of Cirkunov’s fights outside of the UFC were also at or around 205lbs, including a catchweight bout at 210lbs. Cirkunov has won just two of his last six fights (dating back to 2017) in the UFC’s light heavyweight division, so understandably he is looking to try something a little different. Misha will be making his UFC debut in the 185lbs weight class for UFC Vegas 38. The 20lb weight gap between middleweight and light heavyweight is one of the largest gaps between weight classes in the sport of MMA. And most of the time fighters move from middleweight to light heavyweight, like Thiago Santos and Anthony Smith.
So Cirkunov will undoubtedly be one of the fighters fans should watch on the scale as he moves down to a new weight class later in his career.
