Weight cutting in the UFC is out of control. Opinions?

Question

I've always been critical about guys who cut ridiculous amounts of weight to compete at a lower weight class. To me it's cowardly. I always put it this way... It's like a fourth grader who can't beat other fourth graders so they drop down to third grade or second grade where they're a little bigger and stronger. Honestly. You remember there was always one big kid in school who was held back and everyone was afraid of him. Anyways, my views don't matter, and if it doesn't effect the fights or the integrity of the sport I don't have any grounds to complain.

However... 

Recently there's been a ton of problems with guys NOT MAKING WEIGHT. This problem goes way back, but things have been picking up recently. Travis Lutter, Thiago Alves, Anthony Johsnson, Vitor Belfort, Gina Carano, Junie Browning (not that anyone cares...) Just to name a random handful...

My point is, the list goes on and on, and it only seems to be getting worse.

UFC 104 was a disaster as far as weigh ins go. Gleison Tibau and Anthony Johnson both coming in over weight.

What really sparked me to say something was the most recent weigh ins.

Alan Belcher and Wilson Gouveia are fight at 195 pounds now. (Both are middleweights...) Who's to blame for this one? Diego had to be weighed in twice. Shane Nelson had to weigh in twice. Edgar Garcia made weight AFTER the ceremony.

Not to mention the rash of weigh in DISASTERS on the Ultimate Fighter... 

Now it seems like the UFC is bending the rules and creating 'catch weights' for when a fighter decides he doesn't want to make the cut...

So what's your opinion? 

I think it's a little out of hand. It's starting to effect the legitimacy of the sport. It can go one of two ways. Either we can ignore all weight classes and find ways around the issue, allow fighters to cut ridiculous amounts of weight to essentially have an unfair advantage over those fighting at their natural weight class, go back to the early days of open weight classes and have the sport be dominated be Diesel *** freaks, OR something can be done to regulate the sport, maintain the integrity of the weight classes, and force fighters to make weight or suffer the consequences.

I would really like to know how anyone can defend this? 

To be fair, I'm not against cutting weight completely. If you need to drop a few pounds to fight at a weight class where you're on an even keel with the other competitors that's cool. I just believe there should be a limitation in place.

The problem is when everyone is cutting 20 to 25 pounds to fight in a certain division. Say you weigh 175 pounds, it seems silly to pop up to 185 pounds, so you go to 170, the problem is the guys fighting at 170 naturally weigh 190 to 195 pounds OR MORE, so in order to have a fair shot at guys your own size you're almost FORCED to drop to 155. The integrity of the weight class is completely compromised.

I don't pretend to have all of the answers, but if the sport wants to maintain its legitimacy, professionalism, and integrity, than fighters have to make weight and something has to be done about the excessive cutting to get a size advantage. 

When five fighters don't make weight on one card, something needs to be done.

(The fighters are blaming the scales, and that's a load of crap. All of the other fighters made weight. The scale wouldn't pick and choose who to find overweight, and other people on that card were cutting weight as well, so if it were the scales, EVERYONE would have been over.)

A Modest Skeptic · Accepted Answer

My opinion: your question is as long as the bible. 
Yeah, weight cutting in the UFC can get crazy. So can the length of Y!A questions...

xtinax3eric · Answer

If you can't make the cut, to say be lighweight, then you should fight at WW, even if you are a smaller welterweight, thats how its going to be, you aren't always at an advantage by going down in weight, you can be more weak or gassed, and there's a lot of dehydration involved. I know it kind of sucks if you walk around at 180, to get lean you might cut down to 165 but then you would be a much smaller WW, but then cutting down to 155 is even harder. I don't know what they can do. No one really fights at say 155 the day after weigh ins, they go back up, so is a bit superficial. But you have to have the weight classes to categorize who is best at what division. Its just harder if you are for example smaller WW or smaller MW, because then is either have a disadvantage of fighting someone naturally bigger than you or choosing to fight at an even lighter weight class and be a bigger WW or LW. Its just how it is, plus if its a title fight if you don't make weight and win then you still have a win, but don't win the title. I'm new to MMA, but that's how I understood it, so there are some penalties for not making the right weight I assume depending on the situation, title fight, the fighter making weight having to agree, the winner who didnt make weigh i think sometimes has to give some of their winning money to the disadvantaged fighter? I missed weigh ins, did Diego not make weight? Which hey if he is smaller for a WW and made the switch to LW and isnt making weight, then that kind of makes it seem as though he isnt working hard enough....to not come in on weight for a title fight???

+Hammer+ · Answer

Dude, great question.  Alas, an intelligent question!  Dropping weight is fine, but I think the UFC should fine a fighter 10% for every pound over the limit and give that money to their opponent.  The opponent can also have the option of not accepting the fight or being granted 1 point advantage for every 5 pounds over the weight limit.  

If that were to happen, you would see more guys make the weight limit.

Anonymous · Answer

In my opinion I don't really mind weight cutting and the people who do it. In my opinion actually there shouldn't be weight classes, MMA isn't as one sided for the bigger person like boxing or wrestling is and little guys have beaten bigger guys before. If someone wants to fight outside of their natural weight class then that's their choice because they take the advantages and disadvantages.

Kev · Answer

so u think the UFC should have 2 weigh ins like boxing to make sure that they are at that weight hours b4 the fight, which is what some people will agree with. i don't really mind it personally, weight cutting itself is a challenge and if you can make it, why not.

Anonymous · Answer

I personally don't care if they all cut weight, but I would really love to see them weighed again at ringside, right before the fight, just so the fans can get an accurate idea of how big they actually are.

ffasds · Answer

did you see the weigh-ins for UFC 107?  One guy was 1/2 lb over and claimed that taking off his underwear worked.  I don't think underwear weighs a 1/2 lb.   UFC isn't a real sports organization.  It's just for entertainment.   The weigh-ins are a fraud and the fights are a fraud.

mister trev dog · Answer

your question is ridiculously long, but my opinion to your "headline" is that the weigh in should be the day OF the fight, that way there is no water weight advantages of disadvantages

Anonymous · Answer

i really like your Analogy. The 4th grader that drops down.

Perceviran · Answer

It starts out in high school wrestling.. thats just how it is.

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Weight cutting in the UFC is out of control. Opinions?

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