Was it Worth the Weight?: The ‘Nightmare’ Effect of Weight-Cutting on a Fighter’s Career

**MilesHackett** · 01-01-2010, 03:02 PM

To ring in the New Year, I present you my latest piece. It's quite lengthy, so I'm just going to post a snippet in this thread (as reading the actual article page is easier). Let me know what you think about it!

http://www.fightlockdown.com/article...ighters-career

Quote:

The issue of weight-cutting as a ‘quick fix’ to a fighter’s divisional troubles came to me as an interesting subject for discussion following B.J. Penn’s destruction of Diego Sanchez at UFC 107. Not to take anything away from Penn’s phenomenal performance, but it’s hard for me to sit back and honestly say that Diego Sanchez’s transition to 155 has been a wise move for his career. Sanchez’s drop was inspired by two back-to-back defeats and the allure of physical advantages (strength and conditioning) he would supposedly hold over his fellow competitors at lightweight. But where have those advantages been displayed? Certainly not in his last three fights, which I will get to, but first, let’s take a stroll down memory lane..

**randyspankstito** · 01-01-2010, 03:06 PM

okay, you sold me on it. I'll give it a read.

**MilesHackett** · 01-01-2010, 03:07 PM

Haha, thanks! I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts (as we tend to bump heads quite a bit with our opinions lol).

**Thaispider** · 01-01-2010, 03:14 PM

great article to start the year , it was really refreshing to read about a diffrent out look on weight cutting , and i agree some fighters should take altenate routes rahther than dropping down to a weightclass where they are less effective. nice job.

**Jack** · 01-01-2010, 03:17 PM

I really like it and I completely agree.

Sanchez is a perfect example of how needlessly dropping a weightclass can be detrimental to a fighters career. I liked how you didn't use the BJ fight as evidence, as you said that would be both easy and essentially wrong to do, as a fight with BJ says more about a gulf in class than an issue with weight cutting.

Well written as always, informative and using strong evidence to back up your points. Now we just need Rogan to stop going on about Frankie Edgar cutting to FW 24/7.

Oh yeah, two quick things that I'm not sure if you noticed (or might have fixed already), in the paragraph just after the numbered points (below the Rashad picture) maneuver is missing the A. Also the "discuss this article" part at the bottom is hyperlinked to this thread, although you just posted it so I'm assuming you're doing that now.

EDIT - Forget that second one, you were obviously linking it as I was typing this reply lol.

Great piece Miles, I don't see why most of the MMA community see dropping a weight class as a quick fix when a fighter loses a fight or two. Sometimes it works but it's not a guaranteed solution like people make out.

**MilesHackett** · 01-01-2010, 03:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jack

I really like it and I completely agree.

Sanchez is a perfect example of how needlessly dropping a weightclass can be detrimental to a fighters career. I liked how you didn't use the BJ fight as evidence, as you said that would be both easy and essentially wrong to do, as a fight with BJ says more about a gulf in class than an issue with weight cutting.

Well written as always, informative and using strong evidence to back up your points. Now we just need Rogan to stop going on about Frankie Edgar cutting to FW 24/7.

Thanks Jack, I appreciate your feedback. It frustrates me to no end that people act as though cutting weight will automatically produce success. In a number of cases it does, but it's not a quick fix to a fighter's problems, and I think that's what Diego (and his management) looked at it as.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jack

Oh yeah, two quick things that I'm not sure if you noticed (or might have fixed already), in the paragraph just after the numbered points (below the Rashad picture) maneuver is missing the A.

Thanks, I must have accidentally deleted it. I read these things over 2-3 times before I post them, and I still miss the occasional thing lol.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jack

Great piece Miles, I don't see why most of the MMA community see dropping a weight class as a quick fix when a fighter loses a fight or two. Sometimes it works but it's not a guaranteed solution like people make out.

Very true, and thank you.

**randyspankstito** · 01-01-2010, 03:24 PM

Nice read Miles.

I think also, that the 15 lbs between welterweight and lightweight is a huge gap for somebody at that weight range, and in the long run MMA would be better served by having junior and super classes so fighters like Diego don't fall through the cracks weight-wise.

As for Diego's career, he definitely looked better at welterweight, he looks unhealthy at LW because he is so skinny.

Also, cutting a lot of weight is not got for you physically as well, and from what I have read can lead to long term (or very serious (stroke, heart attack) in the short term) health problems. So there is that angle as well.

**MilesHackett** · 01-01-2010, 03:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by randyspankstito

Nice read Miles.

I think also, that the 15 lbs between welterweight and lightweight is a huge gap for somebody at that weight range, and in the long run MMA would be better served by having junior and super classes so fighters like Diego don't fall through the cracks weight-wise.

As for Diego's career, he definitely looked better at welterweight, he looks unhealthy at LW because he is so skinny.

Also, cutting a lot of weight is not got for you physically as well, and from what I have read can lead to long term (or very serious (stroke, heart attack) in the short term) health problems. So there is that angle as well.

Thanks man, and you bring up some excellent points. Fortunately, Diego has said that he will move back to welterweight when he's in his 30s, but I honestly feel as though he's wasting his time at LW.

Technically his stand-up has improved since dropping, but I sincerely do not believe it's because his conditioning is no longer something he has to focus on -- it has more to do with him actually working harder at it. I think it could be also argued that Diego's striking power translated better at 170lbs. Like you said, he appears so gaunt for his LW fights that it's hard to believe he hasn't sacrificed strength just to make weight.

CockPuncher · 01-01-2010, 05:15 PM

Good article. Diego is ever improving, Fitch seems to have peaked, I'd love to see a rematch.

I think good reasons to drop down are chin and reach when they are otherwise a problem. I think Bisping was right to go down to mw.

Strangely size and power seem to be a big issue at ww and lw, which is full of strong wrestlers, even ufc new fighters. Other divisions have some good wrestlers, but aren't so chock-a-block from the bottom up

**Brad.Taschuk** · 01-01-2010, 05:50 PM

I hate to be accused of just agreeing with you -- because god forbid people are of the same opinion -- but we're on the same page with this topic.

I made a thread a while back about getting sick of the Edgar to 145 talk. Diego has never impressed me at 155 (I never had him ranked top 10, when some people were putting him in their top 5's).

Another couple guys you can add to your "undersized" list are Shogun and Machida, who are both traditionally small 205ers. It's funny that the top 3 LHWs right now are all considered small guys, when there are some absolute monsters in the division.