Cut the Crap: ONE Championship Has NOT Solved Weight Cutting

Editor’s note: the opinions expressed about ONE Championship here reflect the author and is not indicative of the thoughts from My MMA News.

In 2017, much to do has been made about ONE Championship “solving weight cutting.” They have implemented hydration tests to make sure their fighters do not dehydrate themselves to the point where they are on death’s door. But in recent times, it seems that despite all their efforts, weight cutting is all of a sudden an issue now that they’ve gone on Amazon Prime. What gives? I thought hydration tests solved that? Well, no.

Earlier today, ONE Championship suffered a huge blow with ten fighters initially missing weight or failing hydration tests. In other words, they were still cutting weight. Just within the parameters allowed by ONE Championship (they’re not bound by an athletic commission in Singapore. Today, their champion Kiamrian Abbasov missed weight and was stripped of the title. Last card, John Lineker missed weight and was stripped of the title.

ONE Championship: All eyes on you

The timing is a bit odd to me that when ONE Championship goes to Amazon Prime where people actually pay attention that their weight cutting issues start to rear their ugly head. Previously, ONE held weigh ins behind closed doors and that was a little suspect but everyone just accepted it was how they operated. But now that they are in the Prime time (pun intended) the problems are happening.

At ONE on Amazon Prime 1, nine fighters failed hydration. Adriano Moraes, Walter Goncalves, Itsuki Hirata, Lin Hequin,and Zebaztian Kadestam all missed hydration. Panpayak and Iuri Lapicus missed weight and had until 3 am local time to made weight. Sherzod Kabutov and Rodtang couldn’t provide samples and had until 3 am to do the same. That was just the first card.

My real question is if Panpayak wasn’t cutting weight, how did he miss weight?

Just be honest…

Look, I don’t like when people act like I’m stupid and think they can pull the wool over my eyes. Most people feel that way. ONE Championship dug their heels in the ground one the mole hill that weight cutting could be solved and they did it. But we all know it’s not and now it’s happening in broad daylight.

Let’s just admit it was a failed attempt. Or! This is a novel idea, lie some more and say that the United States athletic commissions aren’t accepting hydration test results and that you are going to switch to the normal way of setting up weight classes to get rid of confusion.

ONE has been rumored to be nefarious in the past. Check out the tweet about Angela Lee:

Angela Lee also ("allegedly") missed weight for her title defence against Mei Yamaguchi, which Chatri and ONE covered up so that Lee could keep her title.

Even though ONE "banned" weight cutting, Lee is allowed to do it, and she may or may not have made 115 at all since 2016. https://t.co/f2Ce3Ridke

— Robert Sargent (@MMARising) October 16, 2021