Fighter unable to walk due to weight cut, allowed to fight

The purpose of weight divisions is for safety and fairness. It has turned into a form of normalized madness. In no other sport are the athletes expected to reduce themselves to a dangerously debilitated state just a day before the most intense physical exertion imaginable.

It’s bad for the promoters and the fans, as they get a less conditioned fight; there is a reason people get into shape before fighting. And it’s bad for the athletes as it has caused long-term health issues for a large number of fighters, and is linked with at least two deaths. And cutting solves nothing – both fighters cut and end up putting on weight.

In the latest example of the madness, Brazilian strawweight Daniel Lima cut 16 pounds in two days, and missed the cutoff by two pounds. That’s over 12% of his bodyweight, a dangerous amount. It doesn’t take a medical professional to tell this is someone whose health is in jeopardy.

And the next day he had to fight. It’s no surprise that Lima lost to Daichi Kitakata at Pancrase 290.

“Since it was my first time outside of Brazil and I had no experience, I thought it would be easy, said Lima to Guilherme Cruz for MMA Fighting. “It was tough, painful.”

The promotion asked him if he could fight.

“Of course,” Lima replied. “I’m ready and strong.”

What else is going to say having traveled across the planet to fight for a small purse? The truth?

Pancrase has been around longer than the UFC; they know better and should be ashamed of themselves. MMA is not regulated in Japan; given the great tradition of combat sports there, that is another point of shame.

The sport of mixed martial arts has two option. We can wait for another death and then start addressing the culture of extreme weight cutting in the sport, or we can start to address it without waiting for death. The right place to start is California State Athletic Commission executive director Andy Foster’s 10 Point Plan.