CSAC proposes increased fines for missing weight
In all, the UFC has held six events so far in 2017, and fighters have missed weight in five of them.
Tony Ferguson was contracted to make $250,000 to show and $250,000 win vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 209. Then Nurmagomedov suffered medical issues while cutting, and the fight was canceled just hours before weigh in. Ferguson was paid less than half the show amount, a loss of well over $100,000. Nurmagomedov never even made it to the scales. In all, the UFC has held six events so far in 2017, and fighters have missed weight in five of them.
In all, the UFC has held six events so far in 2017, and fighters have missed weight in five of them.
Although the early weigh-ins have been extremely popular with fighters, there has been a dramatic increase in failed weight cuts in the UFC since the new process was adopted. UFC 199 was the first event to use the new, morning weigh-ins. That happened on June 3, 2016. Prior to that, 2016 had seen just one missed weight. 2016 saw more than a dozen fighters miss weight thereafter.
What you’re seeing there is more attention being paid by the UFC to those fighters,” explained UFC vice president of athlete health and performance Jeff Novitzky to Marc Raimondi for MMA Fighting. “In most of those situations it is me, the medical team or a doctor aware the fighter has come into fight week heavier and have a very close eye on that fighter. So we are often in rooms the morning of, we’ll see a fighter that maybe gets into a struggling area and then call it off right there.
It was no coincidence that the debut of the early weigh-ins took place in California. California State Athletic Commission executive director Andy Foster has taken a lead role in addressing the culture of extreme weight cutting in MMA. The early weigh-ins were a central aspect of a weight-cutting summit in December 2015 organized by Foster.
Now Foster has another proposal. Under a rules change that will be voted on by the commission next week, fines for missing weight will go up from 20% of show money, to 20% of show money and if the offending fighter wins then there will be 20% of win money as well.
For example, at UFC Fight Night 96, Alex Oliveira missed weight by 5.5 pounds vs. Will Brooks, and then won. Oliveira made 24/24, so under the new rules he would be fined $9,600, with half that amount going to Brooks, and half to the regulatory body.
The proposed increase in fines will be voted on this Tuesday.