UFC's new Weight Management Policy would add check-in on fight week

Extreme weight cutting in the UFC could soon be a thing of the past.

The organization confirmed to MMA Fighting that its planning to implement a new Weight Management Policy to address the unhealthy practice of fighters fooling the scales by dehydrating themselves in order to have a size advantage in the Octagon.

The boldest part of the proposal would see fighters check in a week before their scheduled bout at no more than an additional eight percent of their target weight.

UFC vice president of athlete health and performance Jeff Novitzky said a failure to meet that requirement won't result in the automatic cancellation of a bout; however, the offending fighters will face further scrutiny during the week.

"The only hard and fast rule in there, and I think it's probably the most important thing in terms of the guidelines, is that eight percent number," Novitzky told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. "If they're not, it's not in the rules the fight won't happen, but we sure are going to pay very close attention to them, including taking daily weight, daily vitals, and, as it progresses, if they show signs of being dehydrated, they will be pulled from the fight."

The UFC's plans also involve creating a database of the fighters' vitals and weight, an in-house nutritionist at the Athlete Health and Performance Center opening next year, and a weight management study being conducted in partnership with the United States Army Institute of Environmental Medicine.

Though the policies are being put in place with the fighters' well-being in mind, some are already bristling at the logistical issues surrounding the eight percent limit.

Kevin Lee, a competitor at 155 pounds, doesn't see how the math adds up for himself and his peers:

The policy will have a soft launch in July ahead of UFC 200, with an emphasis on education over punishment.

There's a lot of work that needs to be done to get the officials and the athletes on the same page, but Novitzky believes that they'll be able to reach an understanding when the benefits of the program become more apparent.

"Most of these athletes believe they're bulletproof," Novitzky said. "But when eyes open and ears really perk up is when you start talking about performance. You can say, ‘Hey, look, not only is it not good for you, but if you do it this way with these extreme, rapid weight cuts, your performance is going to suffer.'

"The anecdotes that I get after fight nights are all based on that where you hear, ‘Wow, you're right. I really did feel better, had more energy, felt like I had more legs.' It's very encouraging to hear that."