The California State Athletic Commission put its new set of weight-cutting regulations to the test when it held an initial weigh-in via FaceTime for UFC 214 on June 30—a full month before the event.
The regulations, introduced by CSAC Executive Officer Andy Foster at the Commission’s May 17 meeting, are a 10-point plan designed to combat extreme weight cutting and severe dehydration in MMA fighters. Components of the plan include stricter fines for fighters who miss their weight limit, fight-day weight checks and the addition of new weight classes.
Another part of the plan gives the CSAC the right to check the weights of fighters competing in title fights both 30 days and 10 days before the event in order to ensure they were en route to making weight in a healthy and safe manner.
CSAC has six fighters—Daniel Cormier, Jon Jones, Tyron Woodley, Demian Maia, Cris Cyborg and Tonya Evinger—competing in title fights at the July 29 event in Anaheim.
Weight cutting is a dangerous practice used by fighters to change weight classes and gain advantage over an opponent. Severe dehydration and other methods of dropping weight have caused brain injury, heart attack, stroke, and kidney failure, leading to the deaths of several fighters in the United States and around the world.
MMA promoters UFC, Bellator and Invicta support the new CSAC plan. The Association of Boxing Commissions and Combative Sports (ABC) will introduce and recommend the plan at its annual conference this month.
