The single most important responsibility of athletic commissions is fighter health and safety. There is an inherent level of danger in contact and combat sports, but the single most dangerous aspect of the game that is not inherent, that can be prevented, is the culture of extreme weight cutting.

California State Athletic Commission executive director Andy Foster has taken the lead in addressing the issue. UFC Fight Night 123 takes place in Fresno, California, and Foster and his doctors have been monitoring the weight of the fighters on the card via medicals, Skype, and in person during fight week.

Four fighters initially appeared problematic, but CSAC doctors eventually were satisfied in all cases but one that weight could be made without compromising health and safety. One of the stupid simple things Foster does is ask fighters to keep their walking around weight within 10% of their contracted division, and 8% at the start of fight week.

Dehydration is characterized by Mild (< 3% body weight lost), Moderate (3-9% body weight lost), and Severe (>9% body weight lost) stages. Healthy people can tolerate mild dehydration with no adverse effects. Moderate dehydration can cause fatigue and dizziness. Severe dehydration can cause physical and mental deterioration, accompanied by severe thirst. A decrease in water levels of 15-25% is fatal.

Sijara Eubanks said that during TUF 26, she was asked to maintain a weight of 150, and had to cut to 125 three times. That’s 16% of her body weight. She initially failed two of the three times. And when Eubanks tried to cut a fourth time, for a title shot, she reports that her kidneys failed.

In contrast to TUF and the NSAC’s unfathomably irresponsible actions, Foster is a model regulator. But note, Foster allows the athletes to severely dehydrate themselves. What he will not tolerate is a level of cutting that endangers an athlete’s health or life.

Now CSAC has moved the fight between Carls John de Tomas and Alex Perez from flyweight to bantamweight. De Tomas missed weight by five pounds his last fight at UFC Fight Night 111, and apparently did not keep within CSAC’s required weights. Perez agreed to the change. So the fans get to enjoy fighters who have not been debilitated by a severe cut, and the fighters avoid a terrible cut and the attendant kidney damage.

Based on the progression of his weight leading up to this week, Andy Foster expressed some concerns, and we came together to make this decision, said UFC Vice President of Athlete Health and Performance Jeff Novitzky to John Morgan for MMAjunkie. It was a collaborative effort, as it always has been with the California commission. They are definitely on top of this issue more than any other commission, and we all felt this was in the best interest of the athletes.

This is excellent regulation – everyone wins and no one is needlessly hospitalized. Why it’s not the norm is utterly baffling, and a question that may have to be asked at graveside before responsible action is taken.