One of the most pressing issues hanging over mixed martial arts is finally being addressed by the most powerful athletic commission in the world.
The Nevada State Athletic Commission has officially approved the new early weigh-in protocol that we’ve seen used ahead of UFC 199 in California and UFC Fight Night 89 in Ottawa.
During a sitting on Tuesday, the NSAC unanimously agreed to approve the fighters’ ability to weigh-in during a two-hour window the morning before the day of their fights, rather than wait until the designated time slot later in the day which would coincide with the live broadcast of the fighter staredowns.
The changes will come into place for international fight week next month, when there will be three UFC fight cards in the space of three evenings.
The July 7 card will be headlined by a lightweight title fight between Rafael dos Anjos and Eddie Alvarez while the July 8 event will see Joanna Jędrzejczyk defend her strawweight title in a rematch against Claudia Gadelha at The Ultimate Fighter 23 finale.
It all leads up to UFC 200, which takes place on July 9, and is one of the most stacked cards ever put together by the UFC.
Fighters’ reactions to the weigh-in procedure in place at the two most recent UFC events has been universally positive as it enables them to weigh-in exactly when they’ve reached the required limit that morning, rather than hang around, dehydrated, until the promotion are ready to broadcast the weigh-ins.
It also allows fighters a longer rehydration period as they essentially have two full days of proper meals.
While the danger still exists that fighters will cut more weight due to the fact that they know they will enjoy a longer rehydration process, it certainly seems like a step in the right direction.
