Beginning at UFC 200, fighters must check-in within 8% of fight weight

Unsafe weight-cutting has been a major issue in the sport of mixed martial arts for years, but recently reached a peak with the death of ONE Championship fighter Yang Jian Bing due to weight-cutting complications last year. The death caused multiple commissions and organizations to re-consider weight-cutting, and also to introduce new policies and rules.

After the passing of Bing, ONE Championship announced a brand new weight-cutting policy, essentially eliminating the entire weight-cutting process altogether. The California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) and Kansas State Athletic Commission (KSAC) have both worked to resolve the issue in recent months. California hosted a weight-cutting summit late last year and in February, banned severe weight cutting and the use of IVs with a set of new rules. Earlier this year, the KSAC allowed Bellator 150 fighters to weigh-in earlier than usual, giving them more time to re-hydrate. With all of this occurring, it seems like MMA organizations and commissions across the globe are headed in the right steps to make weight cutting healthier and safer for athletes.

The UFC hasn’t had much to do with the idea of making weight cutting safer — up until now.

According to a report from the Las Vegas Review Journal, the premier MMA organization has adopted a new weight-cutting policy which will go into effect at UFC 200 in July. “The UFC has introduced a system of data collection and athlete monitoring of weight and vital signs that will enable the organization to create a database to track and analyze information on each fighter,” the report stated.

Fighters must be within eight percent of their official fight weight when they check-in at the beginning …

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