Weight cutting in female UFC fighters

Abstract

Background It is common practice for fight sport athletes to use a variety of weight manipulation strategies to compete in desired weight classes. Although numerous studies have highlighted rapid weight loss (RWL) strategies and the magnitude of weight loss, few have focused specifically on weight loss in female fighters. The purpose of this study was to provide descriptive information on professional UFC female fighters engaging in RWL in all women’s UFC weight divisions: strawweight (52.2 kg): flyweight (56.7 kg); bantamweight (61.2 kg); featherweight (65.8 kg). Methods All fighter’s weights were obtained at five separate time points: 72 hrs. pre-weigh-in, 48 hrs. pre-weigh-in, 24hrs. pre-weigh-in, official weigh-in, and 24 hrs. post-weigh-in (competition weight). Mixed effects models and random effects analysis were used to assess changes in weight and differences between weight divisions. All statistics were analyzed, and significance was set at p ≤0.05. Significant changes in weight between all time points were reported. Results No statistical differences between weight divisions were observed. Female fighters lost 4.5–6.6% of their weight prior to the official weigh-in. Conclusion Females engaged in RWL practices lose weight in a similar fashion irrespective of weight class.

The Effect of Tongkat Ali Supplementation on Body Composition in Exercise-Trained Males and Females

“…Utilizing the InBody 270 (InBody, Cerritos, CA, USA), a bioelectrical impedance assessment device capable of measuring multiple frequencies, body composition metrics, including body mass, fat mass, lean body mass, body fat percentage, and total body water, were evaluated [7][8][9]. Participants were asked to fast three hours prior to the assessment.…”