How do fighters lose and regain so much weight in a short time?

Today, one of the highlights in sports news was the great weight loss of fighter Cris Cyborg, who will compete against the Swedish Lina Lansberg at UFC Brasilia. Cris had to lose no less than 11 kg to stay in the category and said that by the day of the fight, he should have already regained much of his weight. But how can fighters vary the scale numbers so quickly?

Weight loss

To begin with, you need to know that there is no magic: athletes have specialized follow-up, follow strict diets designed exclusively to meet each fighter's goals.

To understand more about this phase of preparation, we talked to UFC fighter Elizeu "Capoeira" Zaleski, who is just a few days away from a competition. He says that to reach the weight of the category, it is common for athletes to start a special diet between four and three weeks before weighing.

This loss is directly linked to the body's carbohydrate and water stores, enabling recovery in such a short time. Who explains this is the professional André Benkei, in an interview with ESPN. He has worked at the largest MMA centers in the world and says he needs to evaluate how each athlete dehydrates and what his metabolic profile is.

Within the process, the athlete needs to drink a lot of water, increasing diuresis and causing the body to naturally eliminate excess water. Sodium intake is also controlled as it is responsible for “bringing” water into cells.

The diet also needs to be high in protein and restricted in carbohydrates, but that is not all that will guarantee success on the day of weighing.

The sauna

Elizeu explains that during the decisive week and with 5 kg left to reach his goal, training becomes more intense and it is necessary to spend a long time in the famous saunas, which will ensure the elimination of excess water.

Athletes can wear plastic clothing to intensify the outcome, but little can be done to ease the discomfort. One of the tactics is to use an ice in the mouth, which should be spit out as soon as it melts, since the goal is only to "fool the body".

Also, to dry sweat, they often use plastics and even credit cards, as towels can make water return to the body.

Gaining 10 Pounds In A Day

After climbing on the scale and getting the weight according to the desired category, the athlete has a day to recover the lost pounds. This is where another dietary step begins: fast-absorbing carbohydrate intake.

To replenish water and calories, the athlete will ingest an electrolyte replenisher, which is a fast-absorbing serum. At this stage, carbohydrates have a greater share in food, so don't be surprised to read that a fighter gained 10 kg in just 24 hours.

The risks

One does not have to understand much about the human body to know that rapid weight loss can be very dangerous. In 2013, MMA fighter Leandro Feijão, 26, fell ill before weighing and eventually died. The case sparked discussion about the dangers of the practice and brought several warnings for younger athletes.

In 2013, MMA fighter Leandro Feijão, 26, fell ill before weigh-in and died.

If once the use of diuretics was common, now they are considered the greatest villains of dehydration, and may even lead to death, as in addition to water, eliminate sodium and potassium in an uncontrolled manner.

According to the fitness coach Rogério Camões, the cut should be around 10 pounds to avoid damage to the athlete's health; In addition, he points out that no one should follow the footsteps of the fighters with other intentions: "It's not fat loss, that percentage is not changed."

The practice is part of the strategy of fighters who, by losing a large amount of weight, can enter lower categories and may have an advantage against lighter athletes. In this “game”, those who adapt more easily to weight changes do better.

In this “game”, those who adapt more easily to weight changes do better

Even so, Zaleski points out that the sport has strict and clear rules so that no athlete is harmed or puts his health at risk: "In the week of the fight, you must be at most 7 kg above the required in the category."

If an athlete does not follow the instructions to the letter, they will see their performance decrease and feel muscle fatigue in the crucial moments of a confrontation.