MMA Diet: Cutting Weight

As a former MMA fighter: I decided not to cut but came to understand why others do. My decision grew from the lack of benefits I felt when I did cut and my knowledge of the potential health risks that could result from a cut. My understanding grew because I ended up competing against those who had naturally larger frames and significant weight advantages. However, I felt my mental health and physical conditioning were the advantages I gained from not cutting. I was competing in smaller shows and was a full-time college student looking to break into the writing industry. My decision was based on careful consideration of my future as an MMA fighter VS. my more likely and enduring future in academia and writing. Also, keep in mind that not all athletes who cut weight are looking for a competitive advantage. Some, like high school wrestlers and those in other weight-based team sports, may cut just for the chance to compete at all. I say all this to provide a glimpse into the complexity and variables figured by those cutting weight.

As an MMA nutritional educator: I, like countless others, wouldn’t recommend cutting weight. But herein lies the parallel with the abstinence-only folk: A recommendation of a few words is not education. It’s not education unless it addresses the practical roots, rationale and reality of both the situation and the resulting recommendation. That said, if cutting, there are two staples a) already having had a solid diet in place for at least three months and b) already being at a body weight that is no more than 10-12 pounds above your fight weight (of course, heavyweights can be at the higher end of this spectrum). This article will not promote methods or recommend how to cut or make weight. Those interested in this process should read this article by Martin Rooney and fuse it with the nutritional implications below.

The two parts of the cutting practice are the “Cut” and the “Regain.” Regarding both, I am speaking of fluid unless otherwise stated.

Even the act of breathing causes us to lose fluid. So when we manipulate fluid levels by going extreme we can disrupt hormones and put the body under a tremendous amount of stress, especially when it’s stressed to begin with - difficult training, nerves from fight, etc. Many fighters are notoriously moody as they’re cutting weight, and this often has to do not only with the physical struggle, but the mental struggle and the mental issues resulting from hormonal imbalances. Yo-yo dieting can cause the body’s natural regulatory metabolic mechanisms to misfire, and, some evidence is suggesting, so can yo-yoing with hormone manipulation. Even fluid loss from sleeping and waking to pee can cut a pound or two, so when a fighter avoids water for 24 hours while not training they can easily cut 5-8 pounds. For fighters who are already lean and low of body fat, this can result in a further tightening of the skin, which is great for a bodybuilding stage but may mean their skin tears easier once inside the cage. The first element of a cut is this type of fluid restriction. At a basic level, restricting fluids can decrease blood plasma levels which means the body will not be as efficient at transporting oxygen-rich blood. This is perhaps one reason why fighters who walk around close to their natural weight may have better cardio come fight time.

More serious cuts involve a tremendous water intake in the days leading up to the weigh-in - often two gallons per day or more. This saturates the body with water, and hormones, in their attempt at homeostasis, begin telling the body to rapidly get rid of the excess water. This response is excellent for weigh-ins because with the body already primed to rid itself of water, sitting in a sauna or even going to a BJJ class can mean cuts of 10 or more pounds just before hitting the scales. But, whereas fluid restriction can result in hypernatremia (too much sodium in the blood) flushing the body with water without subsequent electrolytes can result in hyponatremia (not enough sodium in the blood). Sodium is important for transmitting nerve impulses, regulating blood volume and pressure and for allowing muscles to contract and relax. However, it also helps the body store water. Many elite MMA fighters are health nuts, and health nuts often don’t eat many processed and/or refined foods, which is great, but these are the sources where most Americans take in their sodium, way too much actually. So, we have fighters sweating a ton from training and now cutting weight and if they haven’t been supplementing their diet with additional sodium (or have purposefully been avoiding it for a cut) their bodies are going to be cramping and unresponsive and possibly put in a dangerous state. At the least, they may experience a general sense of full-body fatigue from low blood sugar.

When cutting, think “gradual and natural.” Even a gentle laxative before bed could help a fighter cut pounds of backed-up waste matter throughout the night. It’s when desperation or lack of education comes into play and an athlete takes drastic steps - too large a cut, too long in the sauna, too much of a diuretic or laxative - that performance levels drop because their overall human health drops (everything from sleep disturbances to the body eating its own muscle for fuel). Often, deaths resulting from cutting weight are from heart attacks and kidney failure due to the perspiration-induced hypothermia - athletes layered in winter clothes, endlessly pedaling an exercise bike in a sauna. It’s common knowledge that wrestlers account for the greatest percentage of male athletes with eating disorders. The obsession with competing and/or getting that competitive edge means an obsession with body and often means the cutting of body and dietary fats, water and electrolytes - a potion that can take an unimaginable tool on the brain and the mind’s perception of its own body.

Three rules to remember when regaining

Replace fluids: Steady drinking over the course of 20-24 hours or however long you have until weigh-ins. Drink until near fight-time. Adrenaline and physical assertion trump the need to pee, so fighters always running to use the bathroom pre-fight are often wasting energy and time.

Eat small meals: It’ll shock the system to load the body with a huge amount of food directly after the weigh-in, and chances are you will feel sick and the nutrients won’t be efficiently absorbed.

Get electrolytes: Pedialyte is a great choice, bananas can help replenish sugar and potassium.

Lastly, practice makes perfect. Every body responds differently, so in order to know what you may feel like, what foods sit well, what methods work best for you, you’ll need to practice so there aren’t any major surprises come fight time. Ultimately, you want the real cut to be as stress-free as possible and this takes loads of practice. Cutting weight is an intricate, individualized process, so it’s recommended that a fighter seek basic guidance from a licensed nutritionist who specializes in MMA like Mary Bell, an elite trainer like Martin Rooney or, because this is reality here, from fellow fighters you trust who have cut throughout their entire careers and have proven that they know the ways to do it safely.

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