Combat Sports Law

Update January 4, 2016 -Full video of the Summit has now been published and can be viewed here –

 

Update – MMAFighting’s Marc Raimondi attended the summit and authored this helpful summary of what transpired.

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Today the California State Athletic Commission is holding a “Dehydration and Weight Cutting Summit” in Los Angeles.

The meeting aims to canvass the well documented injuries and tolls caused by Rapid Extreme Weight Cut practices in MMA, and more importantly discuss various options to tackle this problem.

The various solutions California is considering adopting are as follows –

Weigh-In Modification Options:

• All Day Weigh-In
• Fight Weigh-In Two Days Before
• Increased Time To Weigh-In Athletes The Day Before Competition
• Second Weigh-In That Would Occur the Day of The Event to Evaluate Weight Gain Where Athletes Would Be Prohibited From Having Added More Than 7.5% In Body Weight Before Incurring A Fine and 10% In Body Weight Before They Would Be Disqualified From Competition

The Use Of Specific Gravity Strip Tests To Detect Dehydration

Expanding The Number Of Weight Classes Under The Association Of Boxing Commission’s Unified Rules For Mixed Marital Arts

Implementation of a “Minimum Allowable Competition Weight” Similar To The NCAA Weight Management System Where Each AthleteIs Assigned a Safe Minimum Fighting Weight Based On Body Composition

Ways To Further Educate Athletes And Trainers Regardingthe Health And Safety Risks Associated With Dehydration/Rapid Rehydration As Well As The Scientific Evidence Demonstrating Decreased Performance

Engaging Influential Fighters And Fight Teams To Publicly Support Safe And Reasonable Weight Cutting Methods And Educating Fighters About The Real Health Risks Of Dehydration/Rapid Rehydration

Establish Mandatory Weight Class Changes If An Athlete Fails To Make Weight Twice In Any Two-Year Period

Banning IV Rehydration In The Unified Rules Of Mixed Martial Arts