How to Cut Weight for a Fight

Co-authored by Ross Dempsey

Last Updated: September 14, 2022 References

While the life of an MMA fighter or boxer may seem hard enough in the ring, a large part of any fight is cutting weight for the weigh-in. In order to fit into a certain weight class, you might need to cut up to 10% of your body weight in the week before a weigh-in, and gain it all back in the 24 hours before the fight. By flushing your body of water, reducing your intake of salt and carbs, and eating to gain it all back in a day, you can learn to cut weight for a fight like a pro.

Part 1

Part 1 of 2:

Losing Weight Before a Weigh-In

1
Eat less than 50 grams (1.8 oz) of carbohydrates each day. Each gram of carbohydrates that you eat will absorb and hold more than double its weight in water, making it more difficult to get rid of all of that water weight. Cut down your carb consumption in the week leading up to the weigh-in, so that you are only eating around 50 grams (1.8 oz) each day.^{[1]
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- Ideally, you should continue to cut down your intake of carbs further leading up to the fight to lose weight. Avoid eating carbohydrates as much as you can before the fight.
- There are many different ways that you can track count carbohydrates. Check the nutritional information on your food package or use a diet app to help estimate how much you are eating.
- You should particularly avoid eating fruits, sugars, and starches, as these are high in carbohydrates or water and will make cutting weight more difficult.
- Track how many calories you eat throughout the day too. Cutting back on calories can help with losing body fat.
2
Load up on proteins and fats. Rather than filling up on carbohydrates, nutritionists normally recommend diets high in protein and fats. These will give you energy without adding a lot of body weight in the short term. Eat mostly eggs, meat, leafy greens, and cruciferous vegetables in the week before your fight.^{[2]
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- On the day of your weigh-in, any food you eat that you cannot pass will contribute to your overall weight. Stick to 1 or 2 smaller meals earlier in the day to keep your weight as low as possible. Try eating a plain chicken breast and some broccoli as soon as you get up, and then a small meal of cooked vegetables just before lunchtime on the day of the weigh-in.
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3
Remove as much salt from your diet as possible. Salt will help your body hold and conserve water, which is the last thing you want when trying to cut weight quickly. While you still need a small amount of salt to survive, cut out any foods high in salt and avoid adding salt to anything you eat to reduce the amount you take in.^{[3]
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- Meats and vegetables that aren't seasoned with salt will be very low in sodium. While this will make your food very bland, it will also make it very effective at helping you cut weight. Try seasoning your food with other spices or herbs to make it more flavorful.
- Your body only needs 186 mg (0.18 g) of salt to continue functioning properly, but it will be very difficult to eat this little sodium. Focus on reducing the sodium in your diet, as it is near impossible to cut it out completely.
4
Start the week drinking 8 litres (2.1 US gal) of water each day. The main way that you'll cut weight for a fight is by tricking your body into getting rid of more water than you are taking in. Start drinking 8 litres (2.1 US gal) 5 days before the weigh-in to begin down-regulating the production of aldosterone, causing your body to start flushing water out.^{[4]
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- Aldosterone is a hormone that encourages water to be reabsorbed into the body. By drinking more water than you need, your body will stop producing as much aldosterone, increasing the amount of water you get rid of each day.
- Be prepared to urinate upwards of 10 times each day that you are down-regulating your aldosterone levels. Most of the water in your body that is flushed will come out as urine.
5
Decrease your water consumption leading up to the fight. Over the 4 days leading up to the weigh-in, begin dropping your water consumption to as little as possible. Start by drinking only 4 litres (1.1 US gal) each day for 2 days, before halving your consumption down to enough occasional sips to keep your mouth damp on the day of the fight.^{[5]
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- If your weigh-in is on a Friday, for example, you should drink 8 litres (2.1 US gal) of water on the Sunday, 4 litres (1.1 US gal) on the Monday and Tuesday, 2 litres (0.53 US gal) on the Wednesday, 1 litre (0.26 US gal) on the Thursday, and nothing but small sips up until the weigh-in on Friday.
- Flushing your body of water and not replacing it will cause you to become very dehydrated, which can be harmful to your kidneys, increase the chances of concussion, and result in heat stroke. Always consult a doctor or medical professional before attempting to do so.
6
Sit in a hot bath or sauna in the days before your fight. As you decrease the amount of water you're drinking, a lot of your water weight will be lost through natural methods. To encourage this and lose as much water as possible, sit in a sauna or a very hot bath for 30 minutes each of the 2 days before your weigh-in. Sit in the sauna on weigh-in day until you reach the required weight.^{[6]
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- The bath should be hot enough to cause “moderate pain”, but not enough to burn your body. You may need to add some water heated over a stove or in a kettle to get your bathwater hot enough.
- To increase the rate at which you lose water weight through sweat, you can exercise in the sauna as well. Be careful when doing this not to over-exert yourself, as this can cause faintness and may make you pass out. Make sure someone can observe you and prevent you from harming yourself.
- You can also help sweat out excess water weight by wearing warm clothes in the week before your weigh-in.
- Forcing yourself to sweat and dehydrate can be incredibly dangerous to your health. Always consult a doctor before attempting to do so.

Part 2

Part 2 of 2:

Gaining Weight for the Fight

1
Start drinking 1 litre (0.26 US gal) of water each hour. Once you've cut enough weight to get through the weigh-in, you'll need to put as much as you can back on before the fight. Immediately after the weigh-in, drink 1 litre (0.26 US gal) of water and continue doing so until around 3 hours before the fight.
- There might not be a bathroom easily available in the few hours before the start of the fight, so it's best to stop drinking so much water a few hours before the fight.
- 1 litre (0.26 US gal) of water is the absolute maximum that the human body can absorb in an hour. Drinking too much water can be deadly. ^{[7]
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- This will help restore your cut water weight, which can give you a competitive advantage in the fight.
2
Eat as much as you can. Another way to put back on the weight that you lost is by eating as much you're able to without feeling ill for your fight. Eat a big meal of meat, vegetables, or rice soon after the weigh-in and continue eating small meals throughout the next day before the fight.
- Stay away from junk food. It will help you put weight back on, but won't give you the energy you need for your fight.
- Try having a large meal of beef and vegetables with rice a few hours after the weigh-in. Have a large meal of pasta and chicken in the mid-morning the day before your fight. Eat as much as you can for each meal without feeling bloated or ill at the time of your fight.
3
Consume carbs with each meal. Just as you should avoid carbohydrates when trying to cut weight, you should do the opposite when trying to gain the weight back. Make your first meal after the weigh-in heavy on carbs, and continue eating them in smaller amounts the next day.^{[8]
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- Carbohydrates will help to draw the water into your body and add to your overall weight.
- Potatoes, sweet potatoes, rice, and pasta are all great options for carbohydrates. Have 1 or 2 servings with each meal in the day before the fight.
4
Add salt to everything you eat. The more salt that you consume, the more your body will try and pull in water. Keep a salt shaker with you and sprinkle a generous amount of salt over every meal that you eat in the day before the fight.^{[9]
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- Only ever add salt to your food, rather than eating salt by itself to increase your sodium intake. Your food should be salty, but you shouldn't be salting it to the point that you can't taste anything but salt.
- The American Heart Association recommends a maximum intake of sodium around 2300 mg (2.3 g) each day. It is likely that you will go over this by adding salt to each meal. This may be detrimental to your health long-term, but going over the recommended intake occasionally shouldn't harm you.^{[10]
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- Always consult a doctor or nutritionist before increasing your sodium intake suddenly and drastically.

Warnings

Never cut more than 10% of your body weight for a fight, as this can be incredibly dangerous to your health.

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Always consult your doctor, and ideally a nutritionist, before attempting to cut weight in this method.

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Many professional fighters have ended up in hospital from attempting to cut too much weight too quickly. Make sure you have someone who can keep an eye on you, and call an ambulance if something goes wrong.

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You should never use this method to lose weight in the long term, as you will be dangerously dehydrated. Always follow the steps to gain the weight back as soon as possible after you have finished cutting weight for a fight.

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