Fighters in the UFC must make weight a day before a fight and often go to extensive measures to lose pounds for the weigh-in. It is possible for fighters to cut 10–20 pounds of bodyweight, usually by cutting water weight. Conor McGregor famously had an extreme weight cut when he fought at Featherweight.
Fighters rush to rehydrate after weigh-ins so that they walk into the cage back at their normal weight.
Where and when to watch the UFC weigh-ins
You can watch the official and ceremonial UFC weigh-ins on the UFC’s Official Youtube page.
The official weigh-ins start in the morning and end in the afternoon. The ceremonial weigh-ins take place later on the same day.
Official vs Ceremonial weigh-ins | Whats the difference?
The official weigh-ins are when fighters must make their contracted weight in front of athletic commission officials. The ceremonial weigh-ins are where the fighters face off against each other in front of live audiences. The two used to be combined – the ceremonial weigh-in was once the official weigh-in as well. The change was made to have earlier official weigh-in times to give fighters more time to rehydrate after cutting weight.
What happens if a UFC fighter doesn’t make weight?
Fighters are fined between 20% to 30% of their purse if they miss weight. The opponent receives that amount if they agree to go ahead with the fight at catchweight. The UFC does not pay fight bonuses to fighters who miss weight.
For a championship fight, fighters who miss weight are ineligible to win the belt regardless of result. Yoel Romero, defeated Luke Rockhold in an interim title bout in 2018, but did not become champion after missing weight.
Famous weight-cutting incidents
Most fighters do not enjoy cutting weight. For the most part, they remain professional and weigh in under or on weight. Fighters who have have missed weight regularly are usually told to move up a weight class.
Anthony “Rumble” Johnson now fights at Light Heavyweight (205 lb) but used to attempt the shred down to Welterweight (170). Between 2009 and 2012, he missed weight multiple times – once by a whopping 7 pounds. He was given the order to move up to Middleweight and has ended up fighting at Light Heavyweight.
Charles Oliveira got choked out by Ricardo Lamas in 2016 after a 9 pound weigh-in miss for a Featherweight bout. The fight went ahead at a 155 lb catchweight and Oliveira lost despite the weight advantage. He now fights at Lightweight permanently. After his earlier weigh-in struggles he has captured the UFC Lightweight belt, beating Michael Chandler at UFC 262.
Find out how to watch UFC streams after the weigh-ins are over.
