Cris Cyborg has to lose 25 pounds by Friday noon

Cris ‘Cyborg’ Justino appeared recently on Ariel Helwani’s The MMA Hour, and discussed her catchweight fight with Lina Lansberg in the main event of UFC Fight Night 95 on Saturday, September 24, 2016 at Ginasio Nilson Nelson in Brasília, Brazil. The contest is at 140, as was Cyborg’s last fight, vs. Leslie Smith at UFC 198 in May.

That cut was brutal, and this one, unfortunately, promises to be much worse.

For reasons that are not fully understood, women generally have a tougher time cutting than do men. It is easier to cut from muscle than fat, and women have a higher body fat percentage than do men, which could be the cause. Or it may have some hormonal component.

Normal weight divisions are given an extra pound, but catchweights traditionally have to be hit on the nose. Justino said she was 165. A 25-pound water weight cut is tough for a light heavyweight male. It is a lot tougher for a featherweight, or less. And for a woman to cut that amount is unprecedented. Cyborg reported that she needs to drop 25 pounds by the time weigh-ins close at noon on Friday.

For her last cut, which was brutal, Justino entered fight week at 153.

“I fly from America to Brazil [five days ago] 168 pounds,” said Justino, as transcribed by Dave Doyle for MMA Fighting. “Today, I wake up 165.”

“In this camp, my nutrition coach, he starts giving to me birth control, and I never take this in my life, and I take this three months, every day. My coach says it will be good for me, I believe in him, and, man I fly from America to Brazil 168 pounds. My body will hold more water than normal, and I don’t think this will really help my body.”

“This camp I don’t touch 150. It’s really scary, I look in the mirror, I trained double and I don’t know why I don’t touch ’50. Just something different in this camp is I take birth control. Last fight, I make 140, it was successful.”

“I don’t want to say I’ll never fight 140 again, that’s probably not true. But a lot of things have to change. If I make 140, I sacrifice a lot of things in my life, my diet, my training, my thyroid, it’s insane to make 140, I think a lot of things have to be put on the table before I make 140 again.”

Justino said that her doctor has advised against dropping to 140 again.