Ask the Fight Doc: Thoughts on recent death and injuries related to weight cuts

Following recent events – including Leandro “Feijao” Souza’s death and Rodrigo Damm‘s scratch from Wednesday’s UFC Fight Night 29 event – weight-cutting in MMA is back in the spotlight.

A longtime opponent of extreme rapid weight cutting, MMAjunkie.com medical columnist and consultant Dr. Johnny Benjamin said the entire industry should be concerned.

However, until the folks who are in leadership positions are held accountable, Dr. Benjamin believes it’s unlikely we see any substantial changes.

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Doc, what are your thoughts on the recent deaths and injuries in MMA that have been linked to weight cutting? – Numerous readers

Sadness and outrage.

I’ve been warning the MMA community of the very real dangers of the extreme rapid weight loss culture deeply entrenched in this sport, but few – if any – have seriously listened. Even sadder still, after the numerous stories of “bad” weight cuts from world-class wrestlers turned MMA stars and recent tragic events, nothing seems like it will change.

Some seem to suggest that since this is a difficult problem to address, nothing should be or can be done to enhance the safety of combat athletes who already accept tremendous risk. I disagree. Because a challenge is great only means that we must be more committed to finding a reasonable solution.

The U.S. military recently faced a similar problem with heat-related illness (aka heat exhaustion/stroke) while fighting wars in the deserts of Iraq and Afghanistan. Protocols and policies were inadequate, ignored and/or poorly implemented, leaving an unacceptable percentage of war fighters physically unable to perform. Many felt that such “casualties” (heat illnesses) were just an unavoidable result of operating in a desert environment and merely the fault of the war fighters themselves.

Fortunately, those tasked with the health and safety of U.S. servicemen and servicewomen would not accept this “inherent,” unavoidable risk.

U.S. military leadership discovered once they developed proper protocols and policies and directly tied the execution of those initiatives to the chain of command, the heat-related illness problem virtually disappeared. Simply said: The commanders were held directly responsible for each and every heat-related illness suffered by those under their command. Failure to properly protect those under your command was an offense that could/would result in court martial and end to your military career.

Who is in the chain of command in MMA and should ultimately be held responsible for rapid extreme weight cutting? The answer is simple: state athletic commissions (SACs), promoters (and their matchmakers) and coaches.

If established safety protocols and policies are not strictly adhered to, then fines, cancellations and suspensions of promotional and coaching licenses may very well have an effect similar to what was experienced in the military. If members of the SACs fail to vigorously enforce the established rules, they should be replaced.

I suggest top-down implementation starting with the largest promotional companies that have a defined roster of fighters and sufficient resources:

• Multiple, official, random year-round weigh-ins to establish every fighter’s “normal” weight
• Fighters barred from competing in a weight class that’s lighter than 90 percent of their established normal weight
• Short-notice (less than 30 days) fights cannot be offered to fighters greater than 5 percent of their weight limit
• Fighter can be no more than 10 percent over the weight limit 30 days prior to date of fight
• Fighter can be no more than 5 percent over the weight limit 10 days prior to date of fight
• Utilize urine specific gravity via refractometer to assess hydration

Currently, the only stakeholder who pays a price for the continued dangerous culture of rapid extreme weight cutting is the athlete. Athletes are treated as being disposable and easily replaced and have always borne a disproportionate amount of the physical and mental risk.

Just as the war fighter, the cage fighter will not be adequately protected until those in leadership positions are held directly and ultimately responsible for their well-being.

Many will suggest that the athlete is not being held responsible for his or her actions. But believe me, athletes are always held responsible when their kidneys shut down or their brain is injured due to rapid extreme weight cutting.

Dr. Johnny Benjamin is MMAjunkie.com’s medical columnist and consultant and a noted combat-sports specialist. He is also a member of the Association of Boxing Commissions’ MMA Medical Subcommittee. Dr. Benjamin writes an “Ask the Doc” column approximately every two weeks for MMAjunkie.com. To submit a question for a future column, email him at askthedoc [AT] mmajunkie.com, or share your questions and thoughts in the comments section below. You can find Dr. Benjamin online at www.drjohnnybenjamin.com, and you can read his other sports-related articles at blog.drjohnnybenjamin.com.