Fighters react to earlier UFC 199 weigh-in, new CSAC rules

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — The way Ricardo Lamas describes it, the backstage area at many MMA weigh-ins resembles a triage unit.

“When we go outside [the curtains], the crowd kind of pumps us up,” Lamas told MMA Fighting on Thursday at UFC 199 media day at The Forum. “If you go behind there and you see guys doubled over, leaning on tables. It looks horrible.”

Fans and onlookers only see the end of the weigh-cutting process. They see fighters walk on stage, step on the scale and square off. That’s it. The few hours prior to that are absolutely loathsome to most fighters.

It’s hard enough to actually make weight. The worst part for many is having to stay there — for hours. Most MMA athletes hit their number about four hours before they weigh-in. Two hours out, the UFC shuttles them to the arena. Once there, they have to wait for the weigh-in show to start and their turn to come up.

“The hardest part about making weight is getting to 155 or 156 — whatever you make — and you gotta wait four hours,” Beneil Dariush said.

That’s four hours without eating or drinking anything. Four hours when just moving is no fun. Four hours at a weight that is sometimes 20 or more pounds less than a fighter should be.

“Draining yourself and holding that for an extended period of time just so we can relate to the media is only harming our own bodies,” Luke Rockhold said Wednesday at open workouts. “Why can’t we just go square off and still give you your show, still give you that square-off full, refreshed and not parched so I can talk on the mic, too?”

This week, that’s exactly what will happen.

The California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) has instituted new weight rules with the most significant change being an earlier weigh-in. On Friday, UFC 199 fighters will hit the scales between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. in the fighter hotel, rather than the usual procedure of a 4 p.m. weigh-in show at the arena. The idea is to give fighters more time before the fight to rehydrate their body and brains.

An added benefit to that is the elimination of those four hours of waiting around. Ideally, this time fighters will only have to be on weight for minutes, step on the scale and then begin rehydrating. Every single fighter interviewed during open workouts and media day this week in Los Angeles is very much in favor of this new process.

…

continue reading in source www.mmafighting.com