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Cutting Lots of Weight, Aesthetics or Advantage?

Richard Weston
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Richard Weston Contributor

Richard Weston

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So, as a retired fighter, its OK for me to tell you some secrets about when I used to fight. I have fought everywhere between 57kg and 75kg over a 13 year career(all as an adult). I have to admit that when I fought very light for my frame that is was more about how I looked than how I felt (or performed).. I trained to lose weight and look very slim rather than train new techniques and get better. My walk round has always been between 75 and 85 kg but I would not dare fight at that weight (which I was very strong and comfortable at) for fear of carrying a bit of fat. I learned this behaviour when training in Thailand early in my career, and also it was about ego and body image - fear of what others think. Does anyone else have the same issues or was it just me? 

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Kevin von Duuglas-Ittu Community Regular

Kevin von Duuglas-Ittu

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Can't speak as a fighter, but as an observer, especially for westerners, training & fighting is a self-disciplining act. You are putting yourself through something, and when that manifests itself as something like low-body fat, and exposed muscularity, it makes sense that that is part of the meaningfulness of doing that. It also helps that big cutting is seen as a way of gaining advantage in matchups, so if you win that way, it makes sense for it to add to the meaningfulness of the training & cut.

But, you are right, it does detract from just becoming the best fighter you can be, developing the skillsets to win in fights closer to your walk around weight, etc.

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