The culture of extreme weight cutting in mixed martial arts is finally acknowledged as a deadly and entirely solvable issue. Some steps are being taken to address it, most notably earlier weigh-ins, and requirements that UFC fighters have to show up fight week less than insanely far from their contracted weight.
UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway recently posted an image on his social network indicating he has aims on conquering a new division; the goal that has been hastened by the new processes.
https://twitter.com/BlessedMMA/status/957742562743222272
Holloway says the recent changes have made it harder to make weight, and if more are to come, he will inevitably have to move to lightweight.
If they change a few things around, I’m probably not going to be able to make 145,” said the champ, as transcribed by Peter Carroll for MMA Fighting. “If it happens, it happens. If UFC keeps making new rules, I most definitely might have to step up. There ain’t no denying it.
Everybody is talking about being champs and this and that. I’m a champion in my mindset. I’ve told you before, I’ve nothing but time on my side. Man, you might see me with two of these gold belts. Who knows? I’m trying to be a legend.
It’s just UFC with all this USADA, the weight cuts, you’ve got to be a certain weight when you’re checking in and blah blah blah — all of that medical stuff, that’s what I mean. If they start adding more medical stuff I probably would.
Every time I check my weight they’re in disbelief, but I’m like, ‘I’ve never missed weight in my life.’ I don’t know why they’re giving me a hard time, but medically if they’re the rules, then medically I probably won’t be able to make it because of their rules with the cuts.
155 might come sooner rather than later, so we’ll see what happens.
I’m a big boy for featherweight, so 155 is going to happen. Sooner or later, we don’t know when, we’re just waiting. But when the time comes, it comes.
California State Athletic Commission executive director Andy Foster has developed a 10 Point Plan. It works. The UFC supports it and will continue to adopt further parts of it, so Holloway’s move up is going to happen at some point.
