California State Athletic Commission looking to increase fine for missing weight

Part of being a professional mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter is stepping on the scale at the correct weight. From there, participants who hit the benchmark can enjoy their full fight purse and the ensuing in-cage action. Fighters who are unable to make weight either hand over a portion of their show money or encounter serious health issues that prohibit them from competing all together.

Luckily, the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) is making serious strides in combating extreme weight cuts and enforcing stricter penalties for those who miss weight, according to CSAC meeting documents (h/t MMA Fighting).

The proposed change in protocol would allow a fighter’s win bonus to be fined 20 percent, in addition to the 20-percent fine already in place for a fighter’s show money. That means that if a fighter who misses weight wins the fight, a 40-percent fine would be set in motion. Half of that money would go to the fighter’s opponent and the other half would go to the commission.

It’s a tough pill to swallow for any fighter, whether they’re making $20,000 or $200,000. But in effort to limit detrimental weight cuts and unfair advantages for those unwilling to take extra measures in their diets, the CSAC is making real progress.

Just recently, Kelvin Gastelum had his bout with Donald Cerrone at UFC 205 cancelled due to missed weight, Johny Hendricks missed weight and was essentially booted from the welterweight division, Charles Oliveira missed weight by nine pounds for his UFC Fight Night 98 bout with Ricardo Lamas and “The Bully” still agreed to fight him, Thiago Alves came in six pounds overweight for his lightweight debut opposite Jim Miller at UFC 205 and Jason “Mayhem” Miller came in 24 pounds overweight for his Venator FC debut last year (which is in a league of its own).

You also have Khabib Nurmagomedov, who was forced out of his UFC 209 interim lightweight title fight with Tony Ferguson earlier this month after a debilitating weight cut forced him into a hospital bed.

The examples are truly endless. But if more money is on the line to lose, even if you win, maybe fighters will start making changes in their personal lives and fight camps to relieve some stress off their bodies when it’s time to sweat the pounds off.