Gunnar Nelson calls for weight cutting to be abolished
Recently in the UFC we have seen some resurgent careers and I cannot help think weight cutting (or lack thereof) has played a part. Last month on the podcast we were answering our fan questions and our good friend Victor Vargas from Juice MMA recognized the ascendancy of fighters such as Anthony Smith and Thiago Santos… both were middleweights who clearly made big weight cuts to make 185-lbs. and now compete in the lightweight division at 205-lbs.
20-lbs. is a BIG difference as we know, however this has got to be a peace of mind in training camp, not having to worry about getting down in size, makes sparring and recovery much, much easier (I would imagine).
Gunnar Nelson is a guy I am a big fan of, and to my knowledge he has never been one to weight cut. Keeps himself in shape, sure, but never a drastic drop in weight in order to compete. Is he doing things the right way? You could argue absolutely yes.
LISTEN TO GUNNAR NELSON BELOW:
https://www.facebook.com/martialartschat/videos/vl.133151057273822/1531308700255227/?type=1
When I got the chance to meet Gunni I asked him his thoughts on weight cutting, he did not hold back.
“I think it’s ridiculous to be honest! It’s not healthy and it’s not good for the sport!”
Perhaps one day we will be rid of it, but it seems far off for the moment. As we know competitive athletes will look for ANY advantage, and weight cutting can still be one of those.
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