ONE Championship overhauls weigh-ins, fighters to compete at 'walking weight'

Roger Huerta

After the weight-cutting related death of Yang Jian Bing ahead of ONE Championship 35, the promotion has completely overhauled their weigh-in procedures.

The new set-up will ban weight cutting through the process of dehydration, according to a press release sent by the promotion.

“The new program, which is the first of its kind for combat sports, is focused on athlete safety by introducing ‘walking-weight’ competition via multiple weigh-ins and tests before and during fight week, including 3 hours before an event begins,” the release states.

The complete rules for the new system are posted on the ONE Championship website, but one of the key changes is in the frequency of weight check-ins and urine gravity tests.

“During fight week, weights are checked daily,” the guidelines state. “Urine specific gravity will also be checked the day after arrival and 3 hours prior to the event. Athletes must be within their weight class and pass specific gravity hydration tests all week and up to 3 hours before the event. If an athlete falls outside the weight, or fails a test, they are disqualified from the event. Doctors may request additional testing at their discretion.”

Athletes must also wait until they are outside the eight-week “competition zone” to request a change in weight class and they can be requested to weigh-in at any point at ONE’s discretion.

Also, the guidelines state a percentage of weight a fighter must be within during the eight-week competition period. Starting at 8-percent over in the first two weeks and slowly tapering down to “within contracted weight class” on the week of the fight.

“ONE Championship has paved the way for MMA in Asia and we have always been at the forefront of innovation for the sport,” ONE CEO Victor Cui stated in the press release. “By banning weight cutting by dehydration, we are leading the way globally for enhanced safety standards for professional MMA athletes. We believe that through the implementation of this new weigh-in program, our fighters will enjoy a safer and healthier life inside and outside of the cage. I invite the other two major global MMA organizations, Bellator and UFC, to follow in our footsteps to protect athletes and to eliminate the process of weight cutting by dehydration.”

For more on the upcoming ONE FC schedule, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.