Harm and even deaths from rapid extreme weight cutting in MMA are well documented. Despite this the practice remains prevalent with athletes hoping to gain any competitive advantage they can. This month a study was published suggesting athletes who regain more weigh do not get any statistically significant competitive advantage.
In the study, titled The Impact of Rapid Weight Regain on Fight Outcomes in Bellator Mixed Martial Arts Athletes, the authors examined how much weight athletes regained from formal weigh ins to competition time. They then looked at fight outcomes contrasting those who regained more wight vs those who regained less. In short the authors concluded that “weight gain did not significantly (p ≥ 0.05) predict fight outcomes.“
The full abstract reads as follows:
Abstract
Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of rapid weight regain on the fight outcomes in
professional mixed martial arts (MMA) athletes competing in Bellator.
Materials and methods: Twenty fighters (16 male and four female fighters) were included in the analysis.
Official weigh-in and fight-night weights were recorded, and percentage weight regain was calculated.
Fighters were divided into groups based on their percentage weight regain (<10% vs. ≥10%). Descriptive
statistics were calculated, and independent t-tests and logistic regression were employed.
Results: The results indicated that while fighters significantly regained weight between weigh-ins and fightnight, this weight gain did not significantly (p ≥ 0.05) predict fight outcomes.
Conclusion: These findings suggest that weight regain may not provide a competitive advantage in Bellator MMA athletes.
The authors arrived at the following conclusion:
In conclusion, this study highlights that while RWRG is a prevalent practice among Bellator MMA athletes, it does not statistically influence fight outcomes. These findings are similar to previous research on similar
populations, suggesting that the competitive advantage often associated to RWRG may not be prevalent.
Despite the significant weight changes observed between weigh-ins and fight-night, these shifts were not
predictive of success during competition. The study underscores the need for further investigation,
particularly between organizations to comprehensively understand the role of RWRG in MMA. These
insights may inform future discussions on weight management practices and athlete safety by sport
performance professionals.
Combat Sports Law 