It’s not much of a secret these days for hardcore fans, but for the broader world that only knows MMA passingly as “cage-fighting,” or some variation, weight cutting is MMA’s hidden danger. Everyone knows that kicking and punching people can hurt them, or that twisting someone’s limbs or choking them might have a few adverse effects. PEDs and their dangers, once an unspoken standard in athletics, have become a front and center conversation across all sports.
But, unless you’re in the MMA bubble (or the collegiate/international wrestling one) the idea of weight cutting and the potential dangers involved still come as something of a shock to the populace at large. Fighters cut how much water out of their bodies!? Over how little time!? The whole idea seems a bit insane.
Which is why BBC 3 is shining a light on the practice in their 30 minute mini-documentary as part of the series “Extraordinary Bodies.” Their camera crews followed UK based bantamweight Dean Garnett through his weight cutting process (with appearances from UFC welterweight Danny Roberts) as he prepared to fight Luiz Tosta back at Bellator 158 in 2016.
The show includes research being done to track Garnett’s body composition as he goes through his training camp and weight cut, to track changes potentially due to losing large amounts of water weight rapidly. Check it out, as an interesting look at one of the many rigors of being a competitor in mixed martial arts.
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