The MMA Depressed-Us: Rampage vs. Rashad

We’re back again with a bad-fight smorgasbord of MMA. This week we’re using the theme of MMA retirements to take on an all-time classic disappointment Rashad Evans vs. Quinton Jackson back at UFC 114. To open the show, we’re watching Felipe Arantes vs. Josh Emmett as our good-bad fight, and Johny Hendricks vs. Neil Magny as our bad-bad fight. So watch along with us, on Fight Pass and enjoy.

As always, if you enjoyed the show, give us a “like” over on YouTube. And while you’re there subscribe to MMANATIONDOTCOM. That way you’ll always be among the first to get the latest BE shows, interviews, and analysis.

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Henry Cejudo taking lessons from Colby Covington’s rise: ‘People want to watch him fight’

It’s no secret that the UFC’s flyweight division is not among the promotion’s chief attractions. A weight class, dominated by the absurdly impressive title reign of champion Demetrious Johnson, has been wholly unable to build any cache with the MMA fanbase. And while there are a whole slew of reasons behind that, one may be a lack of strong personalities that can drive attention toward potential fights.

That’s Henry Cejudo’s train of thought, at least. The top ranked former Olympic gold medalist is gearing up for his second chance at the belt – having been defeated by Johnson in the first round of their bout back in 2016. To get his rematch – along with winning fights – he took a bit of a heel turn back in May, calling out the champ on Twitter.

I was being told DJ overplayed his hand, they asked him to fight in August he said no and now he’s trying to get on again because he knows he can’t sell his own PPV and want to make money off others. Fact. #makeyourownmoney https://t.co/QL65Ox9OUp

— Henry Cejudo (@HenryCejudo) May 16, 2018

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It was an unusual move for a fighter who largely seems to treat his Twitter account as a re-posting platform for his Instagram (most of which is pretty tame). But, in a recent interview with MMA Junkie, Cejudo revealed that he’s been inspired to work on the “entertainment side” of fighting more, in the hopes of creating more professional opportunities. And the source of that inspiration? Newly minted interim welterweight champion Colby Covington.

“I come from the sport of wrestling where there’s nothing but respect on the mat,” Cejudo told MMAjunkie. “In MMA, it’s a sport, but it’s entertainment, too. Look at Colby Covington. The guy can fight and the guy can talk. To a lot of people he just grinds people out, and many people consider him boring, but because he opens his mouth, people want to watch him fight. A lot of people want to see him win, a lot of people want to see him lose. There’s more eyes on him. I’ve learned that in MMA it’s the entertainment side. I’m grasping that from now on. If I have to pick on somebody to get the fight, then that’s what I have to do, especially for the flyweight division.”

Cejudo and Johnson will face off again, with the flyweight title on the line, on August 4th at UFC 227. Their bout is expected to co-main the card under another rematch, the bantamweight title fight between champion T.J. Dillashaw and former champ Cody Garbrandt. Stay tuned to Bloody Elbow for more news and updates as the card approaches.

UFC says takedowns not a top factor in winning following extensive study

It appears that UFC is taking a serious interest in statistics and the ‘meta-game’ of MMA. Back in 2017 – when the world’s largest MMA organization opened the doors to their new $14-million complex – it was advertised as a place where fighters would be able to go to fine tune their strength and conditioning, to learn about proper diet and nutrition, and to generally push the sport forward. If that all sounds a bit like ad copy, it’s not without reason.

There was a certain air of justifying a shiny new toy when the project was unveiled. Yes the UFC built this impressive facility, but would anybody really get the use out of it that they were suggesting?

To their credit, however, it seems like they’ve done well to regularly attract fighters to spend time under the institute’s roof. In part thanks to athlete summits, but they’ve also seen top contenders like Francis Ngannou, Claudia Gadelha, Joseph Benavidez, and others take portions of their training camps at the facility. Currently, they report an average of 18 fighters visiting at the UFC PI on any given day.

And to prove that they’re invested in advancing understanding of the sport, the institute has apparently published 80 pages of new analysis, including metrics on judging trends and how actions in the cage translate to winning fights on the scorecards. That’s according to a report from MMA Fighting, summarizing the UFC’s analytics.

The biggest takeaway from their analysis, apparently, is that among the 167 fight metrics created for the study – which covers bouts stretching back to 2002 – takedowns aren’t as important as previously suspected. They still rank 19th – so by no means a minor influence – but most of the top judging indicators belong to striking stats.

Across most divisions, “total strikes landed” is the top performance indicator for fighter success. With other areas like “significant strikes success percentage,” “total strikes attempted,” and “significant strikes landed” all playing major roles. It should be noted, that while not directly related to takedowns, per se, “time in ground control” was also listed among the top 5 indicators for fighter success. It seems it’s just not that important how you get there.

Former UFC light heavyweight champion, Forrest Griffin, spoke to Fighting on behalf of the UFC, where he expressed his surprise at the results.

“I would have thought from my coaching that the ability to dictate where the fight is is the most important thing in a fight,” Griffin said. “But as far as judging criteria and winning a fight, strikes landed to the head is the most important thing. Significant strikes. Those are the most important things. It’s not that takedowns aren’t important. It’s just that of the 167 metrics — data points — that are collected from each fight, it falls down to 19th. Which surprises you, right?”

Hopefully this kind of information can be used to create a broader understanding of not just what wins any one fight in MMA, but how MMA is ‘played’ as an athletic contest. That kind of influence may result in more gamesmanship from athletes looking to exploit flaws in officiating, but it could also lead to more rapid evolution away from entrenched ideologies.

Check out MMA Fighting’s report for more details on the UFC PI’s data, including injury prevention, finishing rates, and striking output.

Nikita Krylov hoping to make UFC return at Moscow event

Nikki Thrillz may be on his way back to the UFC. The Russo-Ukranian light heavyweight left the promotion back in early 2017, following a loss to Misha Cirkunov. However, in a rare move, he didn’t go because the UFC wasn’t interested in keeping him around.

Nikita Krylov negotiated an early end to his UFC contract claiming that he was spending too much time away from his family and wanted to compete closer to home. Soon afterward he signed a contract with Russian promotion Fight Nights Global. Krylov competed four times under the FNG banner between 2017-2018, going undefeated – with all wins coming inside the distance.

Related

Nikita Krylov details various reasons for leaving the UFC

Feature: How a Dagestani oligarch’s arrest will impact Russian MMA

Now, MMA Fighting has confirmed a report from MMA Team Dagestan that Krylov has been released from his FNG contract in order to pursue a return to the world’s largest MMA promotion. The move was apparently prompted by the announcement of the upcoming UFC card in Moscow, headlined by Mark Hunt vs. Alexei Oleinyk. FNG president Kamil Gadzhiev spoke to Fighting about the decision.

“Krylov’s contract is up in August and the UFC is coming to Russia on September 15th,” said Gadzhiev.

“As a result of that, [Krylov’s] management contacted Fight Nights Global and asked for a release so they could negotiate a deal for him for September. As his contract was up in August, Fight Nights Global did not want to prevent Krylov from fighting in the UFC in Russia, so he has been released to allow him to negotiate.”

Reportedly, should the deal fall through, FNG will be more than happy to welcome Krylov back with a new contract.

Also worth noting, Krylov’s exit from FNG comes just a few months after the arrest of the promotion’s owner, on charges of embezzlement. As reported back in April, Ziyavudin Magomedov – one of the richest men in the Russian Federation – could be facing as much as 20 years in prison for the reported theft of $35 million dollars. The reported embezzlement is under investigation surrounding the construction of a World Cup stadium in Kaliningrad, which Magomedov’s company won the rights to build.

Magomedov is a notable figure in the Russian MMA scene. Not only as the owner of FNG, but also as the principal investor behind Khabib Nurmagomedov’s Eagles MMA fight team. Perhaps Krylov’s exit could be indicative of the ripple effects of Magomedov’s arrest.

Either way, the return of the ‘Miner’ would be a welcome breath of life into a division that needs all the fresh talent it can get.

Video: Nate Diaz involved in brawl at Fight to Win BJJ event

Nate Diaz is fighting again! No, not in MMA. But, he’s been involved in his second crowd brawl at a combat sports event in 2018. Back in May, Diaz got into things with Clay Guida at Combate Americas 20: Mexico vs. USA, reportedly pushing the fellow longtime UFC lightweight and slapping another fighter.

This time around, however, his involvement in a cage-side scuffle isn’t just Twitter hearsay, it was captured live on video. TMZ acquired cell phone footage, reportedly taken at Fight to Win Pro 77, a pro grappling event that took place in Sacramento on June 22nd.

Related

Nate Diaz and Clay Guida involved in scuffle at Combate Americas event

Nate Diaz shuts down GSP bout: ‘Fight yourself, cheater’

The video identifies Diaz, wearing a black t-shirt and jeans, as he winds up and punches a man during what looks like a multi-person fight, near the mats. Apparently Diaz was there to support students of his that were competing in the event. The TMZ report states that neither Diaz, nor anyone else involved, was arrested following the brawl.

Diaz was last seen in a sanctioned bout back in 2016, when he took on Conor McGregor for the second time. Since then he’s teased an end to his UFC hiatus on multiple occasions, but a return to the cage has yet to come to fruition.

Note: The video above can be found here, if it’s not working in this article.

UFC Singapore: Cerrone vs. Edwards – Fights to make

For a card that wasn’t terribly meaningful, UFC Singapore was just right. It may have broadcast at an ungodly hour, but that made it perfect watching first thing in the morning. There was a lot of solid action, several top prospects showed up huge. Leon Edwards tossed his name into the hat as a member of the welterweight elite, and Ovince Saint Preux sent a message that he’s not to be passed over just yet.

So, what’s next? What does the UFC do with thrilling prospects like Song Yadong, and Petr Yan? What should Edwards’ next test be? Where does Donald Cerrone go from here?

To answer these questions (and more), I’ll be using the classic Silva/Shelby fight booking model of years past. That means pitting winners against winners, losers against losers, and similarly tenured talent against one another. If you’d like to take your own swing at some fantasy matchmaking, leave a comment below starting out, “How could you not love that, oh my god. It’s like a sickness I have.” I’ll pick one winner from the responses to join me next time.

This week’s winner is BE reader ‘Yourroleandyou’:

Hello, “Fights to Make” readers! I’m a big fan of this series and am glad to make my return to the main article (my first was UFC 207, some eighteen months ago). Nothing really to say, beyond that I always look forward to reading this article and thinking about what fights to make next. Hopefully, you all enjoy reading mine.

LEON EDWARDS

YR&Y – Certainly the biggest win of his career, and even though it wasn’t a scintillating performance, he deserves a top ten opponent next time. Demian Maia is a top ten opponent (and a pretty big name). He’s on a three-fight losing streak, but he deserves a chance to bounce back as much as Leon deserves a step up, and a loss from either guy wouldn’t hurt their drawing power (as they have none in the first place).

Zane – Too much too soon? Maybe, but I still feel like the right for for Leon Edwards right now is Stephen Thompson. I know ‘Wonderboy’ tore his MCL in his fight with Darren Till, but he said he’d be back to training in 8 weeks, and that should put him on schedule for another fight soon enough to make that bout work. With a win for Edwards, he enters the suddenly very crowded title picture, and a loss probably doesn’t send him too far back. Otherwise, fights with Neil Magny, Santiago Ponzinibbio (once he returns from injury), or Alex Oliveira would work. But I’d be interested to see Edwards try and make a real run right now. Edwards vs. Thompson is my fight to make.

DONALD CERRONE

YR&Y – This loss marks a clear decline for Cowboy, and probably an end to him as anything beyond a lovable action fighter at 170. Maybe I’m overstating things, given he was reportedly seriously ill the day of the fight and it was still a competitive affair, but he’s not getting any younger. Dong Hyun Kim is in a similar boat, and while it’s been much longer since his last fight (since the last show in Singapore, in fact), he’s on a much different schedule than Cerrone. If you want to go winner/loser again, there are any number of surging action fighters at 170 he can face, but who can resist some Cowboy Dong?

Zane – Dong Hyun Kim would be a very good fight for Cerrone right now, although I admit I’d also be perfectly fine seeing him face Demian Maia or Thiago Alves. Part of me would like to see him face a few more young, hopeful contenders as long as he’s still the ‘fight anyone, anywhere, anytime’ guy he’s always been, but I don’t see much that makes sense in that arena. Warlley Alves? Vicente Luque? Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos? None of those feel like the right fight really. To that point, I’m going to say book Donald Cerrone vs. Demian Maia. It’s a fight both men would probably like to have, and it would feel like a meaningful bout.

OVINCE SAINT PREUX

YR&Y – Another wild win for one of the most impressive physical specimens at 205. There are a number of good options for him, including Alexander Gustafsson, Luke Rockhold, Yoel Romero, and the winner of next month’s Volkan/Shogun match. There’s advantages and disadvantages to each, but I’ll take the most straightforward one and say OSP vs. Gus. He’s in need of an opponent with Rockhold hurt, and it would be a chance to recreate some of that Jones/Gus magic (or maybe Jones/OSP, but let’s be hopeful).

Zane – I really feel like this win did absolutely no favors to the UFC from a matchmaking position. Rockhold and Romero would both make fun fights, but are they even going to light heavyweight, or is that all speculation leading to nothing. Otherwise you have OSP vs. Gus or rematches… Since I don’t actually know how often Alexander Gustafsson is really going to fight these days (and since I’d much rather see Romero vs. Gus if I could get it), I’m going to say the fight to book is OSP vs. Jan Blachowicz. Blachowicz seems to have fixed some of his cardio issues, and has quietly polished himself into the best jabber in the division. He’s also snuck ahead of OSP in the rankings. Give him a chance to improve his case for title contention and another chance for a funky OSP win in a fight he seemed on the borderline of losing. Ovince Saint Preux vs. Jan Blachowicz is the most sensible fight available.

TYSON PEDRO

YR&Y – The Light Heavyweight prospect curse continues. He’s still got plenty left in the tank and could have won against St-Preux on a different day, so don’t lose hope just yet. For right now, let’s see him against Patrick Cummins, who is ranked above him but would be a highly winnable fight. Then we can give him another low-end top ten opponent to find a way to lose to, and the wheel of Mother Gaia spins goodly, As does all things…

Zane – Not gonna lie, Patrick Cummins seems like exactly the right fight at this moment for Pedro. A big, tough, aggressive light heavyweight, who is going to push him, potentially into bad mistakes, while also being amazingly hurt-able and hittable. At this point, Pedro’s wins just don’t mean that much and this loss was pretty damning in the way he just dragged OSP down on top of him and got himself submitted. He needs more time in the cage, more rounds, more experience against opponents who won’t just let him win. Pedro vs. Cummins is that fight.

JESSICA EYE

YR&Y – Eye, on the other hand, has gotten a new lease on life at 125. 2-0 at flyweight and 3-5 in the UFC (really 4-5 without the nonsense marijuana failure), she’s probably two fights away from the title. In a similar spot will be the winner of the Roxanne Modafferi vs. Barb Honchak fight at the TUF Finale in two weeks. That fight makes as much sense as anything right now, so Eye vs. the Modafferi/Honchak winner it is.

Zane – The women’s flyweight division is in kind of a weird place. There are a handful of ultra-seasoned veterans – many of whom are currently booked – and then a lot of too-green talents, who barely have a handle on all facets of MMA. Under the circumstances, waiting for the winner of Carmouch/Maia or Honchak/Modafferi wouldn’t be bad. But fights against Andrea Lee and Ashlee Evans-Smith are right there and would provide their own clarity. Plus I’m not against Eye taking the long road to any kind of contender status, given how much she’s struggled to win in the past. All that said, book Jessica Eye against Ashlee Evans-Smith. See which former bantamweight can stay on-track in a new division.

LI JINGLIANG

YR&Y – The Leech rebounds after a disappointing (on multiple levels) loss to Jake Matthews (more on him later). There is no shortage of reliable action fighters at 170, so he’ll have plenty of fights. Faced with this embarrassment of riches, I’ll take Alan Jouban. He’s another big welterweight, his fights are exciting, and he has a similar record in the octagon to the Leech.

Zane – The UFC clearly shouldn’t be booking Jingliang against relative newcomers anymore. He flat-out embarrassed Daichi Abe in this bout and showed that he’s firmly established as a action talent in the division. To that end, he needs some more firm, mid-tier action fights. Alan Jouban is currently booked against Danny Roberts, but either man off that win would be good or the ‘Leech’ right now. Alex Oliveira would also be an intensely good fight, and give Jingliang a chance to enter the rankings – although I could see why rewarding him too much might feel wrong. Fights against Sergio Moraes, Tony Martin, or Claudio Silva would all also make a lot of sense right now. Given all these choices, I’m going to say match him up with Tony Martin. Martin’s boxing looked worlds better than previously in his last outing, and a fight between them should make for a really technical, fun, mid-card action fight. Li Jingliang vs. Tony Martin should be a sneaky good fight.

PETR YAN

YR&Y – Bantamweight is absolutely stacked right now, and among many bright prospects (including Tom Duquesnoy and Sean O’Malley), Petr Yan might just be the best. He ran right through Ishihara and could probably get one of the many gatekeepers at bantamweight (Saenz, Kelleher, Soto, Alcantara), but I think I’d give him one more fight before that. Jose Quinonez has a fair few wins, including one over Ishihara, and a win there would leave Petr Yan right where he needs to be.

Zane – Part of me really wants to see some prospect vs. prospect fights. Put Petr Yan in against Nathaniel Wood or Yadong Song. But, rather than just banging all my toys together to see which one I like best, I’ll try to be a bit more clinical about all this. Manny Bermudez has a super fun, funky submission game, and a striking style that could best be described as precarious. Petr Yan would likely be a harsh wake-up call for him, or a chance to get another marvelous submission that shows he’s dangerous enough to finish consistently at this level. Petr Yan vs. Manny Bermudez.

JAKE MATTHEWS

YR&Y – I promised more on him, and by golly, you’re gonna get it. He’s looked like a whole new man at 170, literally and figuratively. As I said about Li Jingliang, there’s no shortage of exciting, un-ranked fighters at his weight class, so I’m forced once again to pull a man out of the crowd, or in this case actually two men. Niko Price and Randy Brown have a fight coming up at UFC Boise in three weeks, and the winner of that fight would be a great opponent for Matthews. Both are promising, relatively young action fighters, and who ever comes out on top will not be far from a ranked opponent. Jake Matthews vs. the winner of Price/Brown.

Zane – I think Matthews is starting to prove that he needs a real test. More than other fun fighters looking to make a run. Part of me wants to put him in against Warlley Alves or Vicente Luque. Both powerful Brazilians on the verge of becoming elite talents. But, with 10 UFC bouts already under his belt, why not let Matthews take a crack at Alex Oliveira. The Brazilian ‘Cowboy’ has a knack for being dangerous everywhere, and has some surprisingly technical wrestling and grappling, while otherwise being a bit of a physical force. That basically makes him a mirror match for Matthews, who is only just starting to really impose his size, speed, and power on opponents. Give Matthews a crack at a ranked opponent, he’s earned. Jake Matthews vs. ‘Cowboy’ Oliveira.

OTHER BOUTS: Clark vs. Borella, Daichi vs. Enkamp, Ishihara vs. Doane, Yadong vs. Cannetti, Arantes vs. Soto, Young vs. Ige, Dy vs. Santiago, Kenan vs. Pedersoli, Aldana vs. Rencountre, Anzai vs. Aliev, Xiaonan vs. Botelho, Pereira vs. Cooper, Schnell vs. Perez, Inoue vs. Morales, Sasaki vs. Nguyen, Lausa vs. J. Sanchez, Ji Yeon vs. Robertson, Fabian vs. Macedo

UFC Singapore: Cerrone vs. Edwards 6th Round post-fight show

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The MMA Vivisection – UFC Singapore: Cerrone vs. Edwards picks, odds, & analysis

This week’s UFC card in Singapore is… not as bad as it seems. But that doesn’t mean it’s worth staying up all hours for. Donald Cerrone vs. Leon Edwards is a quality fight, as is OSP vs. Tyson Pedro. The card features other interesting prospects looking to make a splash and fun action fighters who tend to entertain. That should make it quality viewing right when you wake up Saturday morning. Something to settle in with a cup of coffee over, and buzz through the Fight Pass recording.

As always, if you enjoyed the show, give us a “like” over on YouTube. And while you’re there, consider subscribing to MMANATIONDOTCOM. That way you’ll always be among the first to get the latest BE shows, interviews, and analysis.

If you’re just here for the audio, you can find us on SoundCloud and iTunes.

Here’s a look at the UFC Fight Night: Cerrone vs. Edwards card as it stands right now:

FIGHT PASS MAIN CARD
Donald Cerrone vs. Leon Edwards – 1:42:13
Ovince Saint Preux vs. Tyson Pedro – 1:31:44
Jessica-Rose Clark vs. Jessica Eye – 1:24:49
Li Jingliang vs. Daichi Abe – 1:19:05

FIGHT PASS PRELIMS
Teruto Ishihara vs. Petr Yan – 1:09:11
Felipe Arantes vs. Song Yadong – 1:00:11
Rolando Dy vs. Shane Young – 50:45
Song Kenan vs. Hector Aldana – 46:29
Shinsho Anzai vs. Jake Matthews – 36:07
Yan Xiaonan vs. Viviane Pereira – 28:08
Matt Schnell vs. Naoki Inoue – 20:33
Ji Yeon Kim vs. Melinda Fabian – 12:12
Jenel Lausa vs. Ulka Sasaki – 4:59

Video – Behind the scenes at Bare Knuckle FC

Bare Knuckle FC made a bit of a splash in the combat sports world with their inaugural event in Cheyenne, Wyoming. The card, headlined by Ricco Rodriguez vs. Lewis Rumsey, featured a bevy of longtime MMA veterans, including former UFC fighters Joey Beltran, Johnny Bedford, Estevan Payan and Bec Rawlings.

Also on the scene was MMA Fighting’s Esther Lin and Eugene Leydon, taking photos and shooting video of the first bare knuckle fighting event to be licensed in the USA in decades. The product of their labor is this fantastic mini-doc – Fight Journal: Bare Knuckle FC.

The video features behind the scenes footage and photos, including interviews with many of the fighters involved. It’s a fantastic second look at a unique event in modern combat sports history, so check it out.

Craig White cut almost 50 lbs in two weeks to make short notice UFC debut

Weight cutting remains one of MMA’s unsolved problems. A recent move to push weigh in times to earlier in the day has been hailed universally by fighters as a good move that gives them more time to rehydrate. But, it’s also appears to have led to more fighters missing weight, and more fights getting cancelled because of it. And because of that, the UFC is electing – against the wishes of their athletes – to go back to a classic late-afternoon weigh in schedule.

Even for fighters who put themselves through brutal weight cuts, and could potentially use every extra minute possible to shed pounds, the UFC’s latest change of course hasn’t been popular.

“Experienced early weigh ins for the first time the other week,” UFC welterweight Craig White wrote in a post on Twitter. “There is a huge benefit to them and my hydration was drastically better with the extra time given. More shows should adopt this.”

White’s statement is notable because, as he revealed in a recent interview with MMA Fighting, his weight cut for his debut bout against Neil Magny in Liverpool was massive. White hit the scales at 171 lbs for his short notice bout against the top ranked UFC veteran, but when he got the call to take the fight, just two weeks earlier, he was tipping 216 lbs.

“In that moment, the Redmond cut was the first thing that crossed my mind,” said White, referring to his bout against John Redmond, where he cut 37 lbs in just nine days. “At that stage, I was out of camp and I was the heaviest I’d ever been. All I could hear in my head was, ‘You’re 98 kilos (216-pounds) — what the f*ck are you doing?’ Two seconds later I accepted the fight.”

After accepting the fight, White went on a 600 calorie a day diet, and after seeing video of Darren Till’s brutal weight cut for the same event – where Till failed to hit the mark by 3.5 lbs – he revealed that his own process “would have made Till’s look easy.”

“I was doing two 15-minute baths for every hour. I started at eight at night and I didn’t go asleep until two in the morning. Then I got up at five in the morning and I did another four baths. Normally I can do 82 kilos (180-pounds) to 77 kilos (170-pounds) in five or six baths, but it took me 14 [baths] in total to hit weight in Liverpool.”

Afterward, however, White says that the extra time to rehydrate made a world of difference. Despite putting himself through one of the hardest weight cuts of his career – and one that he hopes to never go through again – the Lion’s Den fighter says he never felt better by fight day than he did against Magny.

“I think it’s a bad idea based on the experience I had in Liverpool,” White said when asked about getting rid of early weigh ins. “I had got down to that weight and my body was absolutely ruined at that stage, but because I had so much time to rehydrate, it was the best I’ve ever felt on a fight day. I was back up to about 92 kilos (202-pounds) by fight day,” White said.

“The only thing I had to sacrifice because of the early weigh-ins was a bit of sleep, but that was fine because I was able to have a nap during the day to make up for it. The thing is, the night before the weigh-in you never get a good sleep because you’re so dehydrated. [Getting rid of the early weigh-in] just doesn’t make sense to me.”

White’s sentiments seem to be echoed by the vast majority of the UFC’s roster. However, UFC president Dana White seems to have his mind made up already. While that may mean more fighters hit their marks on the scale, it also sounds like it will also mean that they feel less healthy stepping into the cage afterward.