The Weight Debate

I was listening to Brendan Schaub’s podcast ‘Below the Belt’ during my evening run around my local park yesterday.  I use the term ‘run’ loosely.  I could see an old lady walking around the same track in the distance and I never once overtook her.  It was more of a light saunter.  Anyway, one of the guests on the podcast was none other than dietitian, nutritionist, body transformation specialist and the Guru of how to not be a fat ba$tard, Mike Dolce.  Remember him?

There was a time in MMA where you would see Dolce stood behind at least one fighter, holding a bottle full of a peculiar coloured fluid during weigh-ins, on every fight card.  The fighter would strip down to their boxers / matching knickers and bra set (depending on gender), stand nervously on a weighing scale and breathe a huge sigh of relief if the numbers on the scale were within the tolerance of their chosen weight class.  Dolce would then scream a few Americanised words of encouragement like “Let’s get it” or “Eeeeeeeaaasssy money”, handover the bottle full of the peculiar coloured fluid to the fighter, and then station himself in a spot with a good view of the pending stare down.

I actually recently wondered why we had seen so little of Dolce recently.  Had fighters turned their back on good ol’ Mike?  Well, if you’ve been doing the same, listen to the podcast because this piece isn’t about that.

What I want to discuss is the current hot topic in MMA, what I like to call ‘The Weight Debate’.  On one side we have the president of the UFC, Dana White.  On the other, we have what seems to be every single fighter on the UFC roster.  The bone of contention?  Should weigh-ins remain in the current morning slot or be moved back to the old 4pm start time?

It’s not often the consensus amongst fighters on any given issue is universal.  Weigh-ins remaining in the current morning time slot happens to be one.  During the podcast, Dolce defended this position passionately.  He mapped out how a fighter typically negotiates weigh-in day using the two scenarios, (morning weigh-ins Vs 4pm weigh-ins).  Dolce spoke in detail about the rehydration process a fighter goes through once they’ve weighed in, highlighting the health benefits of remaining in the current slot.  Echoing a sentiment many fighters have shared via social media.  If you like to be entertained, Al Iaquinta’s take on the “MMA Hour” is a must watch.

After Yoel Romero missed weight for his fight at UFC 225, Dana White seemed to point the finger of blame at the early weigh-in time, arguing it gives fighters less time to cut weight before stepping on the scales.  There is some credence to this outlook.  Since the introduction of the early weigh-ins, missing weight has become a more regular occurrence, putting scheduled fights in jeopardy.

White went on to say he had spoken to ‘many’ fighters about the situation and they all want to go back to the old protocol.  Only Dana knows which fighters he actually discussed this with because we haven’t seen a single one of them publicly come out in favour of the decision.

This got me thinking, has Dana White actually discussed this with anyone?  I’m not just talking fighters.  I’m talking the athletic commissions.  I’m talking doctors.  I’m talking physicians.  I’m talking the Vice President of Athlete Health and Performance for UFC, Jeff Novitzky.

Novitzky was brought onboard to oversee the implementation of a year-round drug testing policy.  Something that has been largely successful in combating the use of performance-enhancing drugs in the UFC.  I may not be the sharpest tool in the box, but his job title alone tells me this is a matter Novitzky should not only have a vested interest in but should be at the forefront of the decision-making process.

Unfortunately, I don’t have his phone number or email address so I did a quick google search on whether Novitzky had commented on the matter.  Nope.  Nothing.  Being the super geek that I am, I remembered Novitzky appeared on Joe Rogan’s podcast a few months ago and vaguely recalled a brief discussion they had about weigh-ins.  So, obviously, I opened the Youtube app on my phone and watched the episode.

As I listened to him speak, I got the sense Novitzky takes his job seriously.  He comes across as a highly intelligent individual.  If I’m right, it means the absolute priority for him as the VP of Athlete Health and Performance, is to ensure fighters are as fit and healthy as possible so they can perform at their optimum.  When Rogan touched on the subject of weight-cutting, I can’t say I was surprised when I saw Novitzky speak about the health benefits of fighters weighing-in earlier in the day.  He too seemed to be in favour of the morning weigh-ins.

It’ll be interesting to see how all of this plays out.  It’s the first time since joining the UFC Novitzky has been put in a compromising position.  Will he stick to his principals and be vocal about the dangers of moving weigh-ins?  Or, will he simply tow the company line to appease his boss?

Right now it seems Dana White is on a collision course with the fighters on the UFC roster.  The question is, will the real Jeff Novitzky standup?