So here’s an awful story that will hopefully resonate with the combat sports community.
Jessica Lindsay, 18, died last week from dehydration while cutting weight for a Muay Thai fight in Perth, Western Australia, just a couple of days removed from her Instagram post that read “cutting weight is sick.”
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is set to make its Perth debut in February.
Extreme weight cuts have been linked to concussions, traumatic brain injury, susceptibility to knockouts, and poor performance, according to this report, and have already caused a major shift in practice in the United States.
Weight cutting, it should be noted, is not governed by Perth’s Combat Sports Commission.
“There is a point of no return, it is quite extreme and it goes beyond dehydration,” Dr. Joe Kosterich told 9 News. “People may choose to ignore the warning signs because they're focused on what they're trying to achieve and it's an issue for amateurs - professionals will be coached, they will be monitored.”