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**What Happened:** In a packed arena, former UFC champion Michael Bisping was delivering one of his classic, no-holds-barred rants about the brutal realities of weight cutting. As he animatedly explained the torturous process of saunas, dehydration, and the sheer willpower required to make weight, suddenly, right on cue, a fighter in the background collapsed in a dramatic heap. The crowd gasped, a mixture of shock and laughter bubbling up as Bisping’s timing couldn’t have been more ironically perfect.
**Why It’s Funny:** The sight of Bisping passionately describing the struggles of weight cutting while someone literally dropped like a sack of potatoes was like a real-life sitcom moment. It was as if the universe conspired to serve him a punchline, reminding everyone that while talk of sacrifices is one thing, the reality of the fight game brings a whole new level of drama—and hilarity. Bisping, half laughing and half concerned, was left standing there, transforming from a motivational speaker to an accidental stand-up comedian in a matter of seconds.
C
You couldn’t have scripted that any better
K
For real. “It’s not hard, is it” thunk!
T
In theory he is right. A well managed camp, proper nutrition, proper weight cut and all should be good. Unfortunately in practice these guys are pushing their limits so they can suck as much as possible under the regulations and then step into the ring as heavy as possible on fight night. As long as weight classes are a thing. And I don’t see a good reason why they shouldn’t be. Then this will always be an issue.
M
Just a suggestion … two or three weigh ins , probably best to consult a sports doctor but like a week before or 10 days before and then a day before and the night of… Maybe I’m being naïve , even missing something but open to hear
H
In theory that sounds fine, but in reality I’m imagining guys going from pushing the medical limits for a few days before weigh in, to a full 10 day marathon of really dangerous practices.
L
Right, boxing already extended weigh-ins to 36 hours out and made them private, the public weigh-in now is just for show. Either we allow people to feel the consequences or enable them enough to where they don’t respect them anymore.
M
I mean, they’d have to be at the same weight 10 days before , the day before, and the day of.. and it’s at least better than the current system..
E
I think you’d really have to get more into stuff like ‘Weigh in of this much with a Hydration of X% or more..’ gotta try to explicitly rule out what the unhealthy ways are
M
Totally , like it’s doable it’s completely doable. The problem is that the governing bodies don’t want to do it… and the fans and press aren’t pushing for it …
B
They can keep the weight classes, just add a second weigh-in 30s before the starting bell. Pass both or you don’t fight.
S
If you have pushed things so far you are about to keel over, then you really won’t do well in the fight, so this should prevent the extreme end of it. You would be your true fighting weight.
F
Will never happen when there is pay per view on the line.
G
Well good thing that’s not a thing anymore then 😉 (they just switched to a subscription)
P
Is there a reason the weigh in isn’t right before the fight? That way you’d have to be at weight, but healthy enough to actually fight.
L
What’s the ruling theory as to why they aren’t weighed on the day, seconds before stepping into the ring? Who cares what your opponent weighed a couple days ago lol
G
Why can’t they just make them weigh in on the way to the ring? That way you are definitely fighting in the weight class you belong or your cutting and will pay the price by being not in the right shape to fight.
R
It reminds me of the Italian verb ‘gufare’. It was best illustrated during an F1 race by a commentator saying the cars have luckily cleared the first corner without an accident. As he was saying it, a car appears in a frame sideways, cutting a corner, through the grass, then taking a bunch of other drivers with him.
B
We call this in the FGC and esports scene “commentators curse”
E
Common in American Football as well. “He hasn’t missed a field goal all season from this range..” \*Kicker shanks it wide right\*
B
Literally looks like it straight out of a sitcom
N
The timing of that is hilarious. That’s the only part that’s funnny. It’s sad that athletes push themselves into medically dangerous territory in order to make weight for fights. Doctors should be involved at weigh-in checking for dehydration, tachycardia and any other weight cutting maladies that can come up. Both the fighter and coaches should be fined for being so reckless.
S
They canceled his fight, so that’s a bit of a fine.
W
IMO, there should be a 2nd weigh in AT the fight. Everyone knows that these guys weigh like 15-20 lbs more on fight night–that’s not “making weight”. If you’re fighting 155, you should weigh 155 before the fight, not weigh 154.9 at the weigh in and 173 at the fight.
H
Are we all just going to ignore ONE championship weigh ins? That already do this so much better?
A
Good shout
M
The ONE championship rules are easily exploitable and put fighters in even more danger. There is a good video by [MMA on Point](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RaqqicqGL0s) where they discuss this. In a follow up [Oliver Barley shows that this works in practice](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XORKwmGmsKA). Realistically, the only way to really prevent weight cutting is to follow fighters around for month(s) and track their weight.
W
Please explain.
H
They monitor fighters water levels before the fight. So if they weight cut, by cutting water, they are disqualified.
W
People would die in the ring if they did ring side weigh ins
W
It would force people to actually fight their weight. You can’t cut that close to a fight and be able to fight, so it would actually make the sport healthier.
W
In theory people wouldn’t cut weight, but some still would do it.
Z
Yea and those that would do it to fight in a lower weight class would be at a severe disadvantage to someone fighting closer to their natural weight and likely lose most of the time.
T
Yeah but how are they supposed to weigh people before the fight? We just don’t have that kind of technology.
E
Perhaps if we set up a pool of water and see how much is displaced when they get in. That’s really good for determining mass. The only reason I can think they might say no to that kind of technology is because they’re all secretly witches.
W
In theory, PED testing would eliminated PEDs, but some would still do it.
C
You would think that- but organizations have tried, it’s not any safer and arguably more dangerous. People will still cut, and then they are fighting dehydrated and increased risk of injury or serious medical complications. Organization have tried measuring how concentrated the urine is to try and prove hydration… and fighters will take diuretics to try and fool the test. It would be great to say “fight at their natural weight” but people will always be angling for an edge, and I am not saying the current system is best, but I also realize there is not some easy solution that people are ignoring, because no matter the rule people are going to try and exploit it for advantage (like this fighter cutting weight to the point of collapse) I to would rather “fighting at their weight” but it just don’t know how you enforce it without increasing danger or immediately having loop holes.
D
That’d be hilarious to see sleepy nearly already fainting macho men trying to paw at one another to knock eachother out
M
Just a suggestion … two or three weigh ins , probably best to consult a sports doctor but like a week before or 10 days before and then a day before and the night of… Maybe I’m being naïve , even missing something but open to hear
M
Then people will enter the fight dehydrated and hungry, which is even more dangerous since during dehydration your brain’s damping is reduced due to less cerebrospinal fluid.
W
OR, the fighters will see the danger in doing that (along with the diminished strength and stamina) and fight at a higher weight.
M
I don’t think you gain that much weight when the fight starts lol. The fight takes place the next day. You can eat but you still can’t just load your body right off the back or the fight will suck for you
_
They cut water weight.
M
15 to 20 pounds though? You could lose maybe 15 and that’s a stretch. I feel like the most I ever lost was 10.
_
Yes. Georges St Pierre fought at 170 and regularly walked around at 185-190.
–
YES bro go and watch the videos they take of these fighters cutting weight the days before, it’s brutal. All water weight. 15-20 pounds is a bit much but yeah it’s all water.
D
Can definitely drop a bunch of water weight which is what cutting is. Absolutely impossibly to lose more than a few hundred grams of fat (in a day for a hard cut), but 5kg water is fairly common. Water weight is then easily replaced.
R
Dehydrating yourself by 5 litres doesn’t seem great for the kidneys, I guess receiving punches to the head isn’t too good for brain either
A
It’s mostly about water weight. These players are severely dehydrated at the weigh in.
W
Guys do this for high school wrestling. By the time they’re pro fighters, their body is used to the extreme cutting and replenishing. From weigh in to fight, all they’re doing is drinking and eating basically.
N
IIRC I think it is One Championship that has hydration tests along with the weigh-ins now. If you are under hydrated the fight is automatically cancelled as well.
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