UFC Quick Quote: 'No fight is worth dying over,' Dana White on recent MMA-related weight-cut death

"Where you see the dangerous situations are the guys that take last-minute fights and have to lose a ton of weight. It's never good. In the UFC, these guys have plenty of time. They know when they have to fight. They know the time they have. They diet and do the proper nutrition to get down the right way. When they get closer, they cut a few pounds. That's the healthy, normal way to do it. I don't think that the cutting weight process is ever going to be perfect, but I said it today in an interview I did with a gentleman earlier, I don't care what level you fight on, no fight is worth dying over. If you can't make the weight, don't take the fight."

-- Late last week, Leandro Souza died of stroke (full details here) prior to stepping on the scale for a Flyweight fight planned for Shooto Brazil 43. Souza accepted the mixed martial arts (MMA) match against Gabriel Brasil on short notice, needing to lose about 33 pounds in one week to make the contracted limit. As he was attempting to lose the final two pounds, Souza collapsed outside the sauna and was later pronounced dead, highlighting the serious risks associated with a very common element of the sport. Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) President Dana White weighed-in on the issue (via Yahoo!Sports) earlier this afternoon while he was in Brazil to promote the UFC 168 rematch between Chris Weidman vs. Anderson Silva (watch press conference replay here). White is all-too familiar with the practice, fining and spanking scores of fighters over the years who came in heavy. Tales of Chael Sonnen dropping 20 pounds overnight prior to UFC 148, Anthony Johnson ballooning up to 197 pounds because he got "sick" trying to make 185 pounds and Chris Weidman shedding 32 pounds in 10 days are just a handful that have grabbed numerous headlines throughout the years. And with the promotion planning even more events in the future, and fights falling apart almost weekly, don't expect those headlines to go away anytime soon. In fact, with up-and-coming fighters looking to make it to the big show, under any time-constrained circumstances, weight-cutting in MMA could get worse before it gets better. Perhaps Tito Ortiz and his client, Cyborg Santos, were onto something.