BattleGrounds MMA: O.N.E. features the return of 8-Man tournaments, with a $50,000 prize, live on PPV Friday nighs. During Thursday’s weigh ins, seeded quarter finalist Cody McKenzie weighed in at 172.4, and was given two hours to make the required 171.
In a first for the sport, McKenzie reportedly made weight by having a pint of blood withdrawn. If the blood was or is later put back into his system, it is blood doping, and absolutely forbidden. If it was simply donated however, there is nothing on current regulations forbidding it.
Shaun Al-Shatti, who first reported the story, reached out to SB Nation medical expert Dr. Ali Mohamadi for MMAFighting, to discuss the safety of the measure.
“There’s no question that among a number of weight-loss options, donating blood isn’t among those typically recommended,” began Dr. Mohamadi. “Interestingly, the short term side effects aren’t actually that severe; you can get lightheaded or faint for a few hours, but the actual volume of fluid that’s taken is replenished within 24 hours.
“The real risk is with frequent blood donations. It’s not recommended to give blood more than every 8 weeks or so because it takes about that long for the red blood cells that are lost to be replaced by the bone marrow. Frequent donations also can result in iron deficiency, which itself causes a decrease in hemoglobin, the molecule that transports oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body. So while it may not be an issue immediately, it’s something that can definitely become an issue if this is an option he chooses frequently.”
It doesn’t take a weatherman to know which way the wind is going, and it doesn’t take a brain surgeon to know that allowing fighters to cut weight by donating blood is not a road the sport wants to take. Regulation should be added to prohibit the practice.
BattleGrounds MMA: O.N.E.
Tournament Quarter Finals:
Cody McKenzie vs. Brock Larson
Joe Ray vs. Luigi Fiorvanti
Jesse Taylor vs. Trey Houston
Roan Carneiro vs. Randall Wallace
Tournament reserve fight:
Marcus Sanchez vs. Jordan Smith
Regular singles bouts:
Jonny Carson vs. Danny Navarro
Jamal Parks vs. Ruben Warr
Chris Gutierrez vs. Tyler Shinn
Jen Aniano vs. Nicdali Rivera-Calanoc
