Frankie Edgar doesn’t agree with those who call for more weight classes in mixed martial arts (MMA).
It’s no secret that weight cutting has become a hot topic in MMA. Many believe it’s an issue that is far too dangerous to ignore. The most recent example of this is a fighter who was dragged to the weigh-ins and looked drained beyond comprehension.
Edgar explained to Ariel Helwani on MMAFighting.com‘s “The MMA Hour” why adding more weight classes may not be the answer:
“I do. Wrestling has seen it happen back in ‘96, ‘97, or something like that, where a few wrestlers died at the college level and they upped the weight classes. If you add more weight classes, it could encourage people to cut less weight, but it also might encourage someone to cut more weight. They’ll say, ‘Oh, I couldn’t make ‘55, but I can make ‘65,’ and they were going ‘70.”
“The Answer” went on to say that fighters will always deplete their bodies if it means getting an edge on fight night.
“So I don’t know, I think people are always going to look for a way to get an advantage and cutting weight is going to be really tough to get people to stop doing that. Maybe hydration tests. In college, the best way we did it, we did hour weigh-ins, you weigh in an hour before you compete. But that’s just not feasible, I think, in MMA.”
