As fans it’s easy to see UFC fighters walk up to the scale on the stage, flex, and hit their benchmark weight the day before their event. What we don’t see is the struggles and sacrifices that go into making that weight and staying in peak condition.
As a journalist I feel that the only way for me to truly offer insight into these fighter’s lives was to first experience some of their sacrifices and tribulations. That is why on July 17th I began a social media based investigatory piece that focuses on the process of cutting weight and maintaining weight for pre-fight weigh ins. I’ve asked numerous UFC athletes for the tips and tricks they’ve accumulated over time so that I can see what it is like to cut weight for a fight.
Over the next 5 weeks I will go from 222lbs, my normal weight, to 205 lbs, the UFC cut off for the Light Heavyweight Division. Most light heavyweight fighters naturally weigh 220 lbs or heavier so I feel that it’s a weight that I could achieve in my given time frame. I’ve chosen 6 weeks because that is the normal training camp for a MMA fight. Many UFC fighters hold 8-week training camps but since I’m not actually preparing for a fight I won’t afford myself the extra time.
The UFC 177 weigh ins are scheduled for August 29th and on that day I will step on the scale just like all of the other UFC 177 participants and attempt to make weight.
This piece serves many purposes. First, it shows everyone how hard it is to train your body like a UFC athlete and the difficulty involved in cutting weight in a healthy manner.
Secondly, it provides me with a different level of insight into what MMA fighters endure. After I am done I can ask better and more informed questions about weight cuts and training camps.
Lastly, It’s a challenge. Its easy for readers to think of journalist as just a group of nerds that sit behind a keyboard with no real idea of what we write about. This is just another way of proving how in depth a journalist can get with their coverage and how immersion into a subject betters the quality of their work.
I’ll be posting photos/videos of my journey on Instagram, Twitter, and Vine up until the final weigh in on August 29th. It should be a fun experience and I hope you enjoy it as much as I will.