Yesterday the UFC confirmed what we had expected for some time – perennial middleweight contender Nate Marquardt is making the leap to welterweight. His first opponent at 170 pounds will be Anthony Johnson, an enormous welterweight who actually weighs more than Marquardt between fights.
Both fighters are well rounded, capable of grappling and striking with equal skill. But for Marquardt, and for many fighters about to cut to a new weight class, the battle that happens before the fight is just as interesting as anything that happens in the cage. Marquardt’s nutritionist P.R. Cole talked to us last week about how Nate will make the transition:
“When you look at people who are incredibly muscular, it tends to be easier for them to do a water cut because that muscle mass holds in so much water,” Cole said. “Let’s say you have two guys who are 180 pounds and want to get to 170. They may weight the same on the scale but if one guy has more muscle mass, the guy with muscle is going to have an easier time because he’s swollen with water.”
For the move to be successful, Cole believes it will need to begin right away. An optimum weight cut, she says, begins long before a fighter starts preparing for his next bout. The battle will be fought and won in the months between fights when it’s easy for a fighter to take the easy road that leads to junk food and video games instead of concentrating on fitness and diet.
“The first thing you want to do if you want to make a significant drop in weight like that is start the diet as soon as possible, even before you start your serious training camp,” Cole said. “A lot of guys who have never done a big drop like that think ‘I’m going to be training really hard for eight to twelve weeks during my camp so why don’t I just diet then? I can do it all at once.’ It’s my preference to have the fighter come into camp at the weight he wants to cut from. People think it’s just about weight loss. It’s really about optimization of athletic performance. Timing food and nutrients to promote workouts and optimal recovery. It’s hard to do that when you add on the challenge of creating a calorie deficit.Your performance and recovery can never be 100 percent if you have a calorie deficit while training. So, if you’re even pondering a cut like that – start dieting. Before your camp.The sooner you can get to the weight you really want and start training hard, the easier it’s going to be.”
Marquardt and Johnson will headline the UFC’s next free show on Versus June 26 from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, joining a stacked card that includes Cheick Kongo, Matt Mitrione, and Martin Kampmann.