Cutting weight is already combat sports’ dirty little open secret. A backbone of the industry that has caused countless fights to fall apart due to health complications and even ruined entire careers. But with money, glory, and titles on the line, fighters will often go to just about any lengths necessary to make sure that they’re under the limit when they step on the scales.
With that kind of drive, it’s no surprise that UFC athletes would have a few stories floating around that they’d rather not make public. Back in 2014, former UFC fighter Cody McKenzie even went so far as to donate blood in order to make weight for his bout against Brock Larsen at Battlegrounds MMA 5.