Weight-cutting in MMA presents a critical and precarious challenge, heightening risks before fighters enter the arena.
Daniel Cormier, a former UFC two-division champion, faced demanding weight reductions during his tenure in the light heavyweight division, despite never officially missing the mark.
His weight fluctuations during fight weeks raised red flags, illustrating the difficulty in reaching the 205-pound limit.
In a recent appearance on the Joe Rogan Experience, Cormier divulged his last-minute approach to shedding nine to ten pounds. This involved water loading, a brief sauna stint, and an hour-long process of layering clothes, including socks, shoes, shirts, gloves, a hat, and plastic sweat suits. Though arduous, this method consistently yielded positive outcomes.
“I would go right out of there, because that would take me to like 15 minutes in the sauna, I would walk straight to the treadmill. I’d run a mile but only at five because now my heart rate, my hearts doing this (tapping chest rapidly) because it’s hot from the sauna, then I’m trapping all this heat in. I’d run for a mile, 12 minutes, now I’m at 27 minutes. Then I walk, I walk for 20 minutes on two.
“If my heart rate slows, I would put on a little bit of an incline, go to three. Walk for 20 minutes, now I’m at 47 minutes. I get off the treadmill where straight away they wrap me for 13 minutes and in those 13 minutes, I’m hurting Joe. I’m hurting. I’m laying there and people are like rubbing me and they’re talking to me, trying to comfort me but every time I took all that sh*t off, pool of water, nine and a half-10 pounds.”
Cormier Discusses Pre-USADA Weight-Cutting and Rehydration Process
While the UFC’s connection with USADA went through a notable transformation lately, the initial collaboration was a major progression for the promotion.
However, a downside emerged for fighters due to the ban on using IVs for rehydration following weight cuts. Cormier emphasized that after a draining weight cut, the IV made the rehydration process much simpler.
During a podcast appearance, the former UFC heavyweight and light heavyweight champion discussed why the IV was notably more effective than current methods fighters utilize for rehydration.
“The best was before USADA when you could take an IV. That was the best. Joe, it beats your stomach, like the problem with rehydrating is it would mess with your stomach. Everything you drank would make your stomach hurt. Everything you ate would make your stomach hurt. So, even if you made weight at four you’re not really eating a good meal until six because you gotta get through the cramps, you gotta get through the diarrhea, you gotta get through all this stuff that you did. So, the IV was the best because while you’re doing the IV, it’s going directly into your blood.”
Daniel Cormier’s insights into weight-cutting and rehydration processes provide valuable perspectives. His experiences shed light on the challenges fighters face, especially regarding the weight-cutting regimen and the subsequent rehydration phase.
