Weidman, Poirier Recall Opponents' Drastic Changes After Weigh-Ins
Chris Weidman and Dustin Poirier shared their experiences with opponents who looked severely depleted at weigh-ins before dramatically transforming on fight night.
· VILLAND PICK editorial
The realities of extreme weight cutting in mixed martial arts were highlighted during an episode of Deep Waters featuring Chris Weidman, Dustin Poirier, Din Thomas, and Jorge Masvidal, as reported by MMA Fighting. The conversation began with Thomas arguing that cutting excessive weight can ultimately backfire on the larger athlete, leaving them completely depleted and vulnerable inside the cage on fight night.
Former UFC middleweight champion Weidman offered a counterpoint based on his experience facing Yoel Romero at UFC 205. Weidman warned against feeling confident after seeing a depleted opponent on the scale, explaining that the rebound on fight night can be jarring. He recalled Romero, known for having one of the most imposing physical frames in the division's history, looking entirely different once stepping into the Octagon the following evening.
Poirier echoed those sentiments when recalling his UFC 302 lightweight title clash against Islam Makhachev. Poirier noted that Makhachev appeared to be struggling significantly during official weigh-ins, to the extent that people were assisting him to walk. However, by the time they met under the cage lights the next night, Poirier was stunned by Makhachev's physical transformation, describing him as looking like an entirely different, fully recovered fighter.
Sources
This article was written by VILLAND PICK based on the reports listed above. Original articles are not reproduced.