Document Type
Journal Article
Publication Title
Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition
Volume
20
Issue
1
PubMed ID
37621001
Publisher
Taylor & Francis
School
School of Medical and Health Sciences
RAS ID
62077
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.
DOI
10.1080/15502783.2023.2247384
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Comments
Evans, C., Stull, C., Sanders, G., Ricci, A., French, D., Antonio, J., & Peacock, C. A. (2023). Weight cutting in female UFC fighters. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 20(1), 2247384. https://doi.org/10.1080/15502783.2023.2247384