Cutting Lots of Weight, Aesthetics or Advantage?

[Richard Weston]

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? 

[Kevin von Duuglas-Ittu]

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.

[Richard Weston]

Also often a dramatic weight cut can become a "badge of honour".. From the outside it seems bizarre now 

[Richard Weston]

I starved, dehydrated, ran miles on weigh in day, took pills... All to "look right" for muay Thai. 

[Richard Weston]

Hi true, I did eat clean ish between fights.. Just still had to go to extremes to make unrealistic weights set by myself