CSAC requires hearings for multiple fighters at Bellator 214 over fight …

The culture of extreme weight cutting is the most dangerous regulatory issue in mixed martial arts. Andy Foster, executive director of the California State Athletic Commission has created a 10 Point Plan to fix the deadly problem. It works. The ABC medical committee supports it. The ABC has adopted it. The UFC supports it and will continue to adopt further parts of it.

One of Foster’s 10 Points is a requirement that fighters stay within 10% of contracted weight, as determined by the official weigh-ins and then another weigh-in on fight day. Several fighters at Bellator 214 on January 26, 2019 at The Forum in Inglewood, California failed to do so. The heavyweights appear at the bottom of the list, as they do not cut; otherwise, the list is ordered by greatest percentage of body weight.

In EVERY case where a fighter put on more than 10% of bodyweight, that fighter won. In the most egregious case, “lightweight” David Pacheco fought at the middleweight limit, while his opponent actually stayed at lightweight. This is a terrible perversion of a safety rule intended to avoid fighters being at different weights.

Fighter put on more than 10%
David Pacheco (155.6 to 184.7 = 18.4%) def. Jorge Juarez (154.2 to 153.8 = -1.4%)
Weber Almeida (136.8 to 157.4 = 15.7%) def. Odan Chinchilla (135 to 142 = 4.4%)
Henry Corrales (145.7 to 167.6 = 14.8%) def. Aaron Pico (145.5 to 159 = 8.9%)
Juan Archuleta (135.8 to 156 = 14.7%) def. Ricky Bandejas (136 to 146.2 = 7.5%)
Ryan Lilley (135.8 to 153.2 = 12.6%) def. James Barnes (135.7 to 144 = 5.9%)
Jay Jay Wilson (146 to 160.8 = 10.1%) def. Tyler Benecke (144 to 155 = 6.2%)

Neither fighter put on more than 10%
Craig Plaskett (170.9 to 187 = 9.4%) def. Ian Butler (169.3 to 186 = 8.8%)
Adel Altamimi (144.9 to 158.6 = 9.4%) def. Brandon McMahan (144.7 to 147.2 = 1.7%)
Desmond Torres (135.1 to 144.8 = 6.5%) def. Steve Ramirez (136 to 146.4 = 7.6%)
Jesse Roberts (159.8 to 168.6 = 5.4%) def. A.J. Agazarm (159.6 to 170 = 6.3%)
Thor Sckancke (168.4 atto 179.4 = 4.9%) def. Jesse Merritt (169.4 to 179.6 = 5%)
Ozzy Diaz (188.3 to 198 = 4.2%) def. Chris Reyes (187.9 to 194.2 = 2.2%)

Heavyweights
Ryan Bader (227.8 to 223.4 = -1.9%) def. Fedor Emelianenko (236.2 to 237.4 = 0.5%)
Art Rivas (255.8 to 258.2 = 0.9%) def. Sean Johnson (252 to 251.4 = -0.2%)
Jake Hager (238 to 245.8 = 3.3%) def. J.W. Kiser (224.3 to 223.2 = -0.5%)

Under CSAC regulations, any fighter gaining more than 10 percent over the contracted weight by fight night, is subject to being moved up a division unless cleared by a doctor. Henry Corrales, David Pacheco, and Weber Almeida, will have to come before the commission’s medical advisory committee for a hearing in order to continue fighting in their division. Juan Archuleta must get physician clearance before competing again at bantamweight. And Ryan Lilley was given a warning by CSAC.

ht/ Marc RaimondiMMA Fighting