Why the new early weigh-in procedures for upcoming UFC events is so important
The NSAC will allow early weigh-in procedures for upcoming UFC events in Las Vegas
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2 min read
The Nevada State Athletic Commission is the latest to approve new weigh-in procedures for UFC events that will allow fighters to complete their weigh-in between 8 and 10 a.m. rather than waiting until the 4 p.m. televised weigh-in the day in the lead up to International Fight Week for UFC Fight Night on July 7, The Ultimate Fighter finale on July 8 and UFC 200 on July 9.
The new procedures have been widely praised by fighters, who get an extra six-to-eight hours to rehydrate after cutting weight. The biggest difference for the fighters is the timing of their weight cut, as they must ensure that they come into fight week at a lower weight without the full day before the fight to cut.
Fighters regularly rehydrate 10-15 pounds overnight following a weigh-in, so giving them more time to add that weight back on is a help. Tyron Woodley, who will face Robbie Lawler in the main event at UFC 201, told CBS Sports that the new weigh-in procedures are helpful as they keep fighters from having to maintain a lower weight than normal and then have a significant amount time to rest and recover.
"I like it, because sometimes I won't get myself all the way down to weight -- because the goal is to hold the weight the least amount of time possible -- if we're weighing in at 4 p.m. until maybe 12, so I don't have to hold it for two days or one day," said Woodley. "If we have the option to weigh in earlier, I can get up in the morning at 8 a.m., knock off two pounds, hold that weight for one hour, weigh in at 10 a.m. and then in the main event I'm going to get six to eight more hours, not 24, you might be looking at 30-plus hours of recovery time to rehydrate, be able to sleep, watch a movie and hang out. Sometimes [under the old system], the weigh in ends and then you do the meeting, you eat some food and the next thing you know it's 10 a.m. and you don't get a chance to relax and you're like 'oh, s---.'"
UFC 199 in California was the first to implement the new procedures and they were well received. Nevada is the latest state to approve the measures, and most anticipate other state athletic commissions will follow suit, though the commission has yet to fully implement the procedures.
