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They UFC loves to talk about their partnerships with regulatory agencies. It’s one of the major selling points for the promotion, that they adhere to all government standards wherever their cards may be held. It’s also something they’ve worked continuously to obfuscate as well, lobbying states like Nevada and Florida to stop the release of fight purse information.
As a result, while the UFC may only very rarely operate without commission oversight (and in those cases brings their own version of the NSAC with them), fans, pundits, and other industry figures rarely get a look at the business side of MMA anymore. That said, the California State Athletic Commission has held fast, not just as one of the few regulating bodies that still releases fighter purse numbers, but perhaps the only regulator that releases rehydration weights for competing fighters.
CSAC releases UFC 298 rehydration weights
That bit of info comes as part of a long-standing (but largely unsuccessful) attempt by the CSAC to limit weight cutting in MMA. Fighters that gain back more than 10% of their body weight on fight night, get a recommendation from the commission to move up a division. Fighters that gain back more than 15% are in danger of having their bouts cancelled altogether.
The reality of this kind of attempted crackdown hasn’t been anywhere near as strict as the CSAC has advertised, but it does mean that they’re releasing some very interesting data to the public. TSN’s Aaron Bronsteter first dropped the info on social media.
UFC 298 fight night numbers
Ilia Topuria: 167.2 lbs, 16% gain (144.5 @ weigh-ins)
Alexander Volkanovski: 166.2 lbs, 15% gain (144.5 @ weigh-ins)
Robert Whittaker: 207.6 lbs, 12% gain (185.5 @ weigh-ins)
Paulo Costa: 215.2 lbs, 16% gain (185.5 @ weigh-ins)
Ian Machado Garry: 180.6 lbs, 6% gain (170.5 @ weigh-ins)
Geoff Neal: 200.8 lbs, 18% gain (170.5 @ weigh-ins)*
Merab Dvalishvili: 156.8 lbs, 16% gain (135 @ weigh-ins)
Henry Cejudo: 150.6 lbs, 12% gain (135 @ weigh-ins)
Anthony Hernandez: 203.6 lbs, 10% gain (185.5 @ weigh-ins)
Roman Kopylov: 194 lbs, 5% gain (185 @ weigh-ins)
Amanda Lemos: 123.8 lbs, 7% gain (115.5 @ weigh-ins)
Mackenzie Dern: 127 lbs, 9% gain (116 @ weigh-ins)
Marcos Rogerio de Lima: 273.4 lbs, 5% gain (261.5 @ weigh-ins)*
Junior Tafa: 247 lbs, 1% loss (249 @ weigh-ins)
Rinya Nakamura: 147.2 lbs, 9% gain (135.5 @ weigh-ins)
Carlos Vera: 158.6 lbs, 17% gain (135.5 @ weigh-ins)*
Zhang Mingyang: 230.2 lbs, 13% gain (204.5 @ weigh-ins)*
Brendson Ribeiro: 219.6 lbs, 7% gain (205.5 @ weigh-ins)
Danny Barlow: 197.8 lbs, 16% gain (171 @ weigh-ins)*
Josh Quinlan: 187.8 lbs, 11% gain (169 @ weigh-ins)
Oban Elliott: 185.2 lbs, 9% gain (170.5 @ weigh-ins)
Val Woodburn: 184 lbs, 9% gain (169.5 @ weigh-ins)
Miranda Maverick: 135.8 lbs, 8% gain (126 @ weigh-ins)
Andrea Lee: 136.2 lbs, 9% gain (125.5 @ weigh-ins)
Those fighters listed in bold gained more than the recommended 10% set by the CSAC. Those fighters in italics gained more than the 15% threshold at which the CSAC has threatened to cancel fights. Those starred fighters entered the Octagon on fight night with a 10 lb or greater weight advantage over their opponent.
Clearly, from the data above, Danny Barlow, Carlos Vera, and Geoff Neal appear to be the most egregious ‘weight bullies’ on the card. Neal, especially, came in a whopping 20 lbs heavier than Ian Machado Garry for their welterweight PPV bout. Both Vera and Neal, however, suffered decision losses on the night, despite the size discrepancy in place.
Despite already having announced 15 UFC events at multiple locations both around the US and internationally, the promotion does not yet have another card on the horizon that will include any publicly released commission data along with the event.