This week, MMA Live looks back at WEC 43, which included a fight-of-the-year candidate. Plus, an update on Anderson Silva's next move, news on King Mo Lawal taking his act stateside, and the UFC 104 preview gets underway.Tags: Mixed Martial Arts, Ufc
Fighters cut weight. It's an ugly thing to watch, and it's not doing their organs many favors, but it's a port from wrestling and it's not going anywhere.
Most of the time, the ceiling is roughly 20 pounds. If you're making 155, you're probably walking around at 175 during camp.
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Anthony Johnson, a welterweight (170 pounds) UFC contender, recently admitted to Yahoo's Kevin Iole that he plans on dropping 50 pounds to face Yoshiyuki Yoshida on Oct. 24 in Los Angeles. He's at a reasonable 190 now but clocked in at 220 when camp started.
"The only pressure I feel, honestly, is the pressure to make the weight," Johnson told Iole. No kidding.
I'm not going to psychoanalyze Johnson, but the precipitous weight gain of some fighters in their "offseason" appears to be a little bit more than just letting go: Gorging is a sign of looking for some emotional fulfillment, or as a stress leveler. Quinton "Rampage" Jackson has been known to swell up to 250 after some bouts; Forrest Griffin, the same. No one is confusing this space for "American Physician," but rapid weight gain is probably not the best idea for already-stressed bones and joints. And heart disease probably appreciates the additional stress on blood vessels and muscles.
Go pick up a 50-pound sandbag; your body will like you a little less for it.
Jake Rossen's editorials appear weekly on Sherdog.com. Currently acting as editor of Real Fighter magazine, he has been covering the sport of mixed martial arts since 1998. He lives in Binghamton, N.Y.
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