Weight cutting in female UFC fighters

Area of Science:

• Sports Science
• Combat Sports Physiology
• Human Performance

Background:

• Weight manipulation is a common practice in combat sports for athletes to meet specific weight class requirements.
• While rapid weight loss (RWL) strategies are studied, research specifically on female fighters is limited.
• Understanding RWL in female fighters is crucial due to its prevalence across all UFC women's weight divisions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide descriptive data on the rapid weight loss practices of professional female UFC fighters.
• To analyze weight changes in female fighters across all UFC weight divisions: strawweight, flyweight, bantamweight, and featherweight.

Main Methods:

• Fighter weights were recorded at five distinct time points: 72, 48, and 24 hours pre-weigh-in, at the official weigh-in, and 24 hours post-weigh-in (competition weight).
• Statistical analysis involved mixed effects models and random effects analysis to assess weight changes and inter-division differences.
• Significance was determined at p ≤ 0.05, with all statistically significant changes reported.

Main Results:

• Female fighters lost between 4.5% and 6.6% of their body weight leading up to the official weigh-in.
• No statistically significant differences in weight loss were observed between the different UFC weight divisions studied.
• Significant weight changes were reported across all measured time points.

Conclusions:

• Female fighters utilize rapid weight loss strategies in a consistent manner, irrespective of their specific weight class.
• The findings highlight a uniform approach to weight cutting among professional female UFC athletes across various divisions.