Tate’s coach details tough cut
Robery Follis: “It just took a little bit longer than what we’re used to. Just her body wasn’t letting the water go as well as it normally does.”
Next to losing, cutting weight is the most miserable part of combat sports. And women have a harder time cutting than do men, as their percent body fat is higher, among other reasons. Consider that at certain points in a woman’s menstrual cycle, the body typically retains water, as you are trying to lose it. They say the toughest fight is with yourself; this really is that.
UFC women’s bantamweight champion Miesha Tate had to weigh in today between 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. If she failed to show, the fight would be canceled. If she missed weight, she would be stripped of her title, and the fight would have been non title. If she came in late and missed weight, the UFC 200 main event would have been up in the air.
Tate was the last fighter to make weight, at 10:02 a.m.
Given the craziness of the last 36 hours, the level of tension in the room was very, very high.
Afterwards, Tate’s coach Robert Follis spoke with Submission Radio about the close cut.
“You manage that commotion,” said Follis, as transcribed by Marc Raimondi for MMA Fighting. “This isn’t the first time we’ve been close with fighters. I mean, it happens. Cutting weight is not a science, it’s an art. Sometimes things change a little bit and it took a little bit longer to get it off, but we knew we were gonna get it off and we went in and got the job done. Here we are fighting for the title. Now it’s all done.”
“It was just a little bit tougher than we’re used to, but it wasn’t outrageous. It just took a little bit longer than what we’re used to. Just her body wasn’t letting the water go as well as it normally does. But it wasn’t a big deal, either.
“We planned for a title fight and obviously missing it was a big deal. We were confident we were gonna make it, but you never know until you get on the official scale. Our scale said we were on and we were waiting to get on the official one, make sure there wasn’t any discrepancy.”
“We’ve had weight cuts like this before that we’re down to the wire and gone out and performed very well. The last one, we rolled in at the last minute. We don’t like wasting time and sometimes it gets a little too close. But we’ve never missed. This is another one we’ve made. Just because it was close doesn’t mean we didn’t make it.”
Follis joined the chorus in praising the new early weigh in protocol, which gives fighter another eight hours or so to rehydrate before fight time. Given that studies showed the body did not always fully rehydrate within 24 hours, and that a dehydrated brain is more subject to damage, early cuts are a blessed change.
“Love it,” said Follis. “It’s great for the fighters. I’ve actually been talking about this for years and years. Why aren’t we weighing in earlier and doing a mock weigh-in? I’ve been saying that for years. If we truly care about the fighters, let’s get them on weight, get them on a scale, get them rehydrated, give them longer to let their body re-acclimate. So, I think this is wonderful that the commission and the UFC has pushed for this to happen. It’s going to be great for the fighters in the long run.”