How you will gain 10kg in 24 hours and the dangers that come with it
The hours before a big UFC fight like Alexander Volkanovski vs Ilia Topuria are exhaustive. The days, rather. And all because of the weight. That great factor that decides everything.
Because although the Honda Center in Anaheim is preparing to vibrate this February 18 with a High-voltage showdown in UFC featherweight world title battle, both have already spent weeks of high-intensity preparation. Not only in combat matters.
Before their fight in a few hours to decide the champion of the UFC Featherweight category, both have already undergone the traditional weigh-in. Both have made the cut, as expected, after a week of little food and drink in order to reduce their body total to a minimum and be able to compete in said category. But now it’s time to win it again, and time is of the essence.
The weight cut in the UFC: a dangerous dance between the scale and the octagon
In the world of the UFC, The official weigh-in is a ritual as important as the fight itself. Wrestlers undergo an extreme process, known as “weight cutting,” to get to the scale in their weight class. However, this practice carries risks that can affect your health and even endanger your life.
What does ‘weight cutting’ consist of? Actually, the goal is simple: lose weight as quickly as possible to compete in a lower category which would compete with the “regular” weight, let’s say. To achieve this, fighters implement a combination of strategies:
- Calorie restriction: Food intake is kept to a minimum, consuming only a few calories a day.
- Dehydration: Perhaps the most important part, limiting water consumption and increasing sweating through saunas, hot baths and intense workouts.
- Diuretics: Some athletes also use medications that increase urine production to eliminate fluids.
All of this represents a relevant moment of “stress” for the body, and can entail a certain danger for even expert athletes, such as Topuria and Volkanovski. They would not be the first to be hospitalized or suffer fainting as a result.
Ilia Topuria weighing, recovery and weight ‘rebound’:
After weighing, fighters rehydrate and consume food in large quantities to regain their normal weight. But this “bounce” of weight can be dangerous, as it increases the risk of injury during the fight. Ilia Topuria himself has assured on several occasions that after the weigh-in he has 24 hours to gain 10kg again.
“65.7 is the weight I have to give, and the next day I get into the octagon at 77-78 kilos more or less”
“The weigh-in is on Friday, about 30 hours before the fight,” Topuria related in a recent interview. And then, the rebound. “65.7 is the weight I have to give, and the next day I get into the octagon at 77-78 kilos more or less.”
But how is it possible? The first thing Ilia Topuria will do is rehydrate herself, which will make her rise quickly. Then, You will start eating high carbohydrate meals tomorrow.so that he arrives at Sunday’s fight in a state similar to that he had when the dehydration process began.
All of these extreme changes to the body pose enormous risk. That is why high-level fighters, like Volkanovski and Topuria, always have medical advice and supervision to be able to do it in the safest way possible. Although nothing is one hundred percent certain.
Clash of the Titans: Topuria vs. Volkanovski for the UFC Featherweight Belt
Ilia Topuria, the “Matador”, and the reigning champion, Alexander Volkanovski, “The King”, faces will be seen on the night from Saturday to Sunday (around 6am on Sunday, Spanish peninsular time, 11pm on Saturday, Mexico City time) in a fight that promises to be explosive, with contrasting styles and a lot at stake.
The Australian has held the belt since 2020 and has successfully defended it four times. Topuria, for its part, has a streak of 13 victories, all completed before the limit. And he has said that he will knock down Volkanovski in the first round. There it is nothing.
With the weigh-in completed, and with both fighters in good shape and health, all that remains is to wait for it to be decided if Topuria manages to take the title from Volkanovski and be crowned the new Featherweight champion.