The Scourge of Weight Cutting

The Most Significant Form of Cheating in Combat Sports

In mixed martial arts (MMA) and other combat sports, the pursuit of victory often drives athletes to extremes that undermine the principles of fair competition. Weight cutting, the deliberate and rapid reduction of body mass to qualify for a lower weight class, stands as a pervasive practice that distorts the integrity of these disciplines. Far from a mere strategy, it represents the most egregious form of sanctioned cheating in sports today. By exploiting loopholes in weigh-in protocols, fighters gain unnatural size and strength advantages over opponents, rewarding deception over disciplined training and innate talent. This not only erodes the meritocratic foundation of athletics—where success should stem from skill, effort, and resilience—but also perpetuates a culture of risk that endangers lives.

Weight cutting involves a calculated process of dehydration, caloric restriction, and sometimes extreme measures to shed pounds temporarily before official weigh-ins, only to rehydrate an…