Competition is often a double-edged sword. It can either cajole you into raising the performance bar or can force you to submit. Mixed martial arts fighters usually switch between weight categories in the quest for dominance, yet at times, they suppress and subject themselves to atrocious treatment which goes against the natural course of action. The barbaric torture that they bring upon themselves is as vile as it is acerbic, reminiscent of Christian Bale’s transformation as the emaciated Machinist. Here are 5 instances where weight-cuts had disastrous consequences for MMA fighters.
#5 Chris Weidman
Even though former UFC middleweight stalwart Chris Weidman has seen enough tough times inside the octagon, but nothing compares with the trenchant suffering he experienced during one of the most harrowing weight-cuts ever in UFC history. Weidman was roped-in for a short-notice fight against Demian Maia at UFC on Fox 2 in the year 2012.
The opportunity was right for Weidman to make a name for himself in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, but the rigmarole that he was subjected to, took a toll on not only his physical but also mental well-being. Weidman described the weight-cut process as ‘scary’ as towards the end of the journey Weidman’s body stopped shedding water. Every time Weidman would stand up, he would black out, requiring two people to hold him up as he got in and out of the sauna.
The weight-cut routine took a massive toll on his overall well being that Weidman can’t remember much of what happened, stating that he was in some weird delirium during the process. The only thing he remembers is his coach Ray Longo was reduced to tears, having seen him endure the hellacious treatment. Despite the concerns over his well-being, Weidman scraped through the hurdle and finally made the
Despite the concerns over his well-being, Weidman scraped through the hurdle and finally made the weight-cut but struggled to remember things as basic as his date of birth. The fight that ensued post the traumatic 10-day shred wasn’t quite a spectacle, yet Weidman did enough to win the fight. 18 months later he won the title!
#4 Anthony Johnson
Another person notorious for putting his body through hell has been none other than Anthony ‘Rumble” Johnson. Johnson, from being well over 200lbs cut down to the welterweight limit of 171lbs. Ever since his major weight fluctuation, Rumble had had troubles maintaining it with instances of him coming in as overweight in some of his notable bouts.
While, the struggle to keep his weight in check was irksome, Rumble agreed to move up to the middleweight division to squared off against Vitor Belfort in 2012, but knowing Rumble’s tenacity to botch weight limits, it turned out disastrous. On the day of the weighing-in, Johnson fell ill and a doctor had to administer fluids into his body ballooning him up by over 11lbs later that day!
During the fight, Rumble was clearly struggling to keep up with Belfort who submitted him in the very first round with a rear-naked choke. The UFC, deciding they’ve given him too many chances, ejected Johnson from the promotion. His weight woes carried forward on to the Titan FC promotion where he was overweight yet again, despite the 195lb limit. Johnson finally gave up on weight cutting and later sought solace in the light heavyweight division.
This prompted his return to the Ultimate Fighting Championship where he is currently ranked number two in the light heavyweight division and is arguably one of the hardest punchers in the promotion!
#3 Travis Lutter
Travis Lutter went to appalling depths to “condition” himself for the fight against Anderson Silva. UFC 67 was right around the corner and the stage was set for Travis Lutter to challenge Anderson Silva for the title. The weight-cutting saw Travis return as an abominable version of his healthy self.
His lips were chapped and his body completely dehydrated. It looked as if he might have collapsed at any moment. He had lost the ability to shuffle and was merely sliding his feet across the ground. The dehydration bestowed upon him an appearance so frail it was as if he had starved himself to succour the weight-cut.
This wasn’t a healthy sign, considering the fact that he was locking horns with arguably the toughest fighter in the Ultimate Fighting Championship! Despite stripping down to his skin-suit, Lutter failed to make the 185lb limit which instead forced the competition to be a non-title bout. Lutter was successful in controlling Silva early in the fight but Silva being Silva, forced him to tap out in the second round! Had he not played around with his weight so much, things might have taken a different course.
#2 James Irvin
James Irvin, despite being a shredded fighter, elicited a shocking response from the Ultimate Fighting Championship fraternity when he announced that he was cutting down to the middleweight division to compete against Alessio Sakara at UFC ON Versus 1. Irvin was successful in cutting weight, but he appeared cadaverous, which made him look more like a scarecrow than a competitor inside an octagon!
The performance that ensued was even more disastrous as he looked totally off-balance for the majority of the match. It only took three minutes for Sakara to pick a TKO victory over him. Post this catastrophe, Dana White made it clear that James Irvin wouldn’t ever be allowed to compete in the 185lb division.
#1 Rory Markham
Rory Markham is one such competitor whose name froths to the very top of the list of the most excruciatingly painful weight-cuts. It all started when he was supposed to face Dan Hardy in his UFC 95 fight back in 2009. Markham went through utter mayhem in order to shred down to the welterweight limit and though he managed to do it, it tore him apart.
He ended up with a collapsed lung that went unnoticed during the course of the fight. A post-match medical led to the diagnosis of the collapsed lung! A year later he returned to the ring to fight Nate Diaz but missed the weight by coming in 6lbs overweight. Diaz’s victory over him marked the end of his career.
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