Opinion: The Real Skinny on the UFC’s New Weight Cutting Rule

Editor’s note: The views and opinions expressed below are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Sherdog.com, its affiliates and sponsors or its parent company, Evolve Media. The talk of a potential Ultimate Fighting Championship sale, or partial sale, is understandably the hot news topic of the week, just days ahead of an outstanding UFC 198 card that could draw in excess of 40,000 fans in Curitiba, Brazil. Selling another fraction of the UFC, especially to a company like China Media Capital, could finally pave the way for the mainland Chinese conquest Zuffa has dreamed about for years, ever since it sold a 10-percent of the company to Flash Entertainment in 2010. While a potential UFC sale may be the biggest MMA story of the week, it’s not the only important story with implications for the organization’s business. The Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Adam Hill on Tuesday first reported on new weight-cutting regulations that the UFC is soon to implement. The new guidelines outlined by UFC Vice President of Athlete Health and Performance Jeff Novitzky will debut during the week of UFC 200 in July and prescribes that athletes should be no more than eight percent over their contracted weight on check-in day, which is typically Tuesday for a Saturday fight. “The only hard and fast rule in there — and I think it’s probably the most important thing in terms of the guidelines — is that eight percent number,” Novitzky told Hill. “If they’re not, it’s not in the rules the fight won’t happen, but we sure are going to pay very close attention to them, including taking daily weight, daily vitals, and as it progresses, if they show signs of being dehydrated, they will be pulled from the fight.” Since the ban on intravenous rehydration took effect in October — and since the United States Anti-Doping Agency starting testing more rigorously — we’ve seen many UFC fighters change weight classes; and according to Novitzky, fighters across the board are routinely coming in at progressively lower weights during fight week. These are definitive positives. In terms of the practicality of the proposed system towards the goal of a universally higher standard of fighter wellness, I think it has the potential to work well. However, like just about any major structural decision the UFC makes, there are unintended consequences to discuss, some more valid than others. The most common blowback I’ve seen so far is the idea that eight percent is too prescriptive and stringent, and worse, may lead to fighters doing a pre-cut weight cut before checking in, rehydrating moderately and then finishing their full cut. First of all, given the goal of curtailing excessive cutting, eight percent seems to strike a good balance between institutional progress and not putting an absurd onus on fighters. More importantly, Novitzky’s statements suggest a rational level of flexibility. Novitzky is a tough-on-crime type and an experienced politician, so he naturally claims that fighters who aren’t on target will be closely monitored and serious steps will be taken to protect their health, but the subtext to that statement is that compromise exists. That is to say, if Jon Jones shows up in Las …

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