Was it Worth the Weight?: The ‘Nightmare’ Effect of Weight-Cutting on a Fighter’s Career
Monday, January 4th, 2010
The issue of weight-cutting as a ‘quick fix' to a fighter's divisional troubles came to me as an interesting subject for discussion following B.J. Penn's destruction of Diego Sanchez at UFC 107. Not to take anything away from Penn's phenomenal performance, but it's hard for me to sit back and honestly say that Diego Sanchez's transition to 155 has been a wise move for his career. Sanchez's drop was inspired by two back-to-back defeats and the allure of physical advantages (strength and conditioning) he would supposedly hold over his fellow competitors at lightweight. But where have those advantages been displayed? Certainly not in his last three fights, which I will get to, but first, let's take a stroll down memory ...