Beneil Dariush talks Khabib Nurmagomedov and weight-cutting issues in the UFC
By Clinton Bullock
In the aftermath of UFC 209, No. 9 lightweight contender Beneil Dariush spoke about the weight-cutting issues that plague the world of mixed martial arts.
On the eve of UFC 209, No. 1 lightweight contender Khabib Nurmagomedov was hospitalized due to weight management issues. The Russian fighter was later discharged, but the co-main event between Nurmagomedov and No. 3 lightweight contender Tony Ferguson was subsequently cancelled.
Despite the cancellation, Ferguson was paid his show money ($250,000) and offered up encouraging words to his opponent on Twitter.
At the same time, weight cutting represents a significant problem in the sport of MMA. Fighters and pundits alike share differing viewpoints regarding the issue and ways to rectify the matter.
Some fighters, like lightweight contender Beneil Dariush, believe that extreme weight cutting is a necessary evil, given the current climate.
“Here’s the issue: I don’t want to fight at 170 and… on the day of the fight, he’s walking in 200 pounds… while I’m walking in there at 175. That’s also dangerous to my health,” Dariush told FanSided. “So, it’s like, which poison do I want to choose?”
Dariush’s concern regarding weight cutting is sound. Jeff Novitzky, who serves as the UFC’s vice president of athlete health and performance, has attempted to ease the pain of the weight-cutting process by having fighters participate in morning weigh-ins. This prevents a fighter from having to maintain the respective weight limit all day.
Vice President of the Association of Ringside Physicians (ARP) Dr. Edmund Ayoub recently commented on the Invicta FC featherweight champion, Cris “Cyborg” Justino, who has been known for having massive weight cutting issues.
According to MMA Fighting, he stated:
"“She’s (Cyborg) cutting [nearly] 20 percent of her body weight — that’s an unprecedented amount of weight. In theory, is [an earlier weigh-in] better? Absolutely,… but she’d need weeks to recover from that, in order to rehydrate from that type of weight cut. Not hours — weeks. So, it’s very dangerous.”"
Dr. Ayoub’s concerns were evidenced by the death of ONE Championship fighter Yang Jian Bing who died in 2015 due to weight cutting complications.
Dariush has witness the complications and issues with extreme weight cutting first hand.
“Before the fight [with Eddie Alvarez, Rafael dos Anjos] passed out… twice, and he still showed up to weigh in and made weight, but he passed out twice,” Dariush said. “Think about that, and he still fought. If you pass out, your chin is not going to be there.”
In the end, though, until a more efficient system is implemented regarding the issue of weight cutting, more fighters will continue to endanger their lives in an effort to make a living in the fastest growing sport in the world that is mixed martial arts.