Is cutting weight cheating?

[madrigan]

I understand that cutting weight is a long-standing practice in all combat sports, and that one of the reasons fighters do it is to go in to a match heavier than they are supposed to be. Even if it's just a side effect of the practice, being heavier at match time is one of the results. This seems wrong to me. If you are fighting in the 186-205 division, you should be fighting at 186-205.

Do you think that cutting = cheating, or is there some way that it is not cheating that I don't understand? It's obviously a very unhealthy practice, and I understand that there are previous-day weigh-ins because of the danger of fighting in a dehydrated and weak state. But I'm just asking about the ethical/moral/rules enforcement aspects.

[cyrijl]

It's not cheating because everyone does it. That doesn't make it right or reasonable.

[BadUglyMagic]

I understand that cutting weight is a long-standing practice in all combat sports, and that one of the reasons fighters do it is to go in to a match heavier than they are supposed to be. Even if it's just a side effect of the practice, being heavier at match time is one of the results. This seems wrong to me. If you are fighting in the 186-205 division, you should be fighting at 186-205.

Do you think that cutting = cheating, or is there some way that it is not cheating that I don't understand? It's obviously a very unhealthy practice, and I understand that there are previous-day weigh-ins because of the danger of fighting in a dehydrated and weak state. But I'm just asking about the ethical/moral/rules enforcement aspects.

There may be another thread somewhere about this.

By definition, if the rules allow it, it can't be cheating.

An opinion would be that it is ethically or morally wrong to meet weight then show up 11teen pounds heavier. That said, if it is an accepted practice and your opponents are doing it, it is only ethically and morally wrong if they do it better and beat you.

[han090]

Do you think that cutting = cheating, or is there some way that it is not cheating that I don't understand?

It's not against the rules. Therefore it's not cheating.

Does it arguably give you an unfair advantage? Yes.
It is morally wrong? Maybe.

I personally don't like it, but then, I'm really light.

[kwoww]

I just don't like the idea of the weigh-in being the day before the fight.

I can understand cutting to fit in a lower weight class, but having a full 24 hours to recover seems wrong to me. I think the weigh-in should be immediately before the fight, so you have to cut more intelligently.

[HailtotheKing]

There are other threads on this. Try using the search function. I won't do it for you because I'm lazy.

[honest_truth]

I understand that cutting weight is a long-standing practice in all combat sports, and that one of the reasons fighters do it is to go in to a match heavier than they are supposed to be. Even if it's just a side effect of the practice, being heavier at match time is one of the results. This seems wrong to me. If you are fighting in the 186-205 division, you should be fighting at 186-205.

Do you think that cutting = cheating, or is there some way that it is not cheating that I don't understand? It's obviously a very unhealthy practice, and I understand that there are previous-day weigh-ins because of the danger of fighting in a dehydrated and weak state. But I'm just asking about the ethical/moral/rules enforcement aspects.

Simple solution:
weight ins before the fight, not 1 night before.

that way:
1) you fight dehydrated/weak and get your ass beaten into a pulp
2) you cut weight properly and fight at 186-205 pounds like you should.

let the fighetrs themselves risk the possibility of a severe beatdown and kidney failure, instead of accommodating their practice and then complaining about how some fighters walk into the cage 10~20 pounds heavier.

[atom]

like weightlifting and roadwork and high protein diets it is simply part of the physical preparation for professional fighting. Its a compromise, the more you cut the bigger you are, but the more likely you are to gas. I don't think there are ethical implications.

What would happen if weighins were immediately before a fight? The same guys would be fighting each other but in different classes and you'd see less fighters gassed. I think more energetic fighters would be an improvement to the fight game.

[Wolf]

Simple solution:
weight ins before the fight, not 1 night before.

that way:
1) you fight dehydrated/weak and get your ass beaten into a pulp
2) you cut weight properly and fight at 186-205 pounds like you should.

let the fighetrs themselves risk the possibility of a severe beatdown and kidney failure, instead of accommodating their practice and then complaining about how some fighters walk into the cage 10~20 pounds heavier.

no, you DIE. One of the places water gets cut is from around the brain. This is one of the reasons there were lots of deaths in boxing a while ago. They weighed in day of, but guys still cut. So they got more brain damage from lack of water around the brain.

yes you could argue it's the fighters fault, but what do you think happens to the sport when dumbasses start dying in the cage because they still cut weight and get beaten to death.

[madrigan]

There are other threads on this. Try using the search function. I won't do it for you because I'm lazy.

I used the search function. I saw threads on how to cut weight, but not on whether it's ethically appropriate to do so. But I miss stuff sometimes.