Extreme weight cuts and birth control pills: Why the UFC needs to change tack with Cris Cyborg
SunSport's MMA reporter Simon Head on why it's unfair to force Brazilian women's MMA star Cristiane 'Cyborg' Justino to fight at 140lbs
sees one of the biggest stars in MMA step into the Octagon in the main event.
But for Cristiane 'Cyborg' Justino, the biggest fight is with the scales.
The Brazilian women's MMA superstar is widely considered to be the best female MMA fighter in the world, but she fights as a featherweight, at 145lbs - and that's a problem.
The issue with her fighting weight is the fact that there isn't a 145lb women's division in the , with the promotion running two weight classes - for 115lb strawweights and 135lb bantamweights.
And in what is most likely to be an attempt to lure some of the UFC's top 135ers into a possible matchup with Justino, the UFC has looked to match the Brazilian at a catchweight of 140lbs, both for her Octagon debut against Leslie Smith in Curitiba and again this weekend in Brasilia.
The footage of Justino during her weight cut for her last bout against Leslie Smith was, to put it mildly, tough to watch.
And on Monday night on The MMA Hour, we heard Justino reveal that she weighed 165lbs with just four days to go until her weigh-in for Saturday's fight.
Her maximum allowable weight for her bout against Lina Lansberg? 141lbs.
That means 'Cyborg' will need to lose a colossal 24lbs in just four days in order to make weight for her main event fight on home soil.
And it sounds like she's taking some unusual measures to help her achieve it, with Justino revealing to Ariel Helwani that her weight-cutting expert George Lockhart had her taking birth control pills as a way of dropping weight.
It's all extremely concerning at a time when weight cutting is being closely looked at as one of the most dangerous aspects of the sport.
The introduction of USADA has seen the use of IVs banned, meaning fighters can no longer rehydrate via that method, leaving them to do so the natural way.
And the UFC recently introduced a new weigh-in procedure which sees fighters make weight first thing in the morning the day before the fight in order to allow them more time to adequately rehydrate before stepping into the Octagon.
Early morning wake-up calls aside, it's a move that has received near-universal approval from the fighters.
We've also seen a host of fighters moving up in weight class in order to fight at a more natural, comfortable weight.
But in Justino's case, it seems like the opposite is happening, with her being pushed down the road of having to make weight at a level she's simply too big for.
The notion of making weight for a specific weight class is one thing, but in Justino's case, there isn't even a permanent weight class for her to shoot for.
The 135lb division is clearly a bridge too far for her, so why are we seeing her asked to force herself down to 140?
It's made all the more baffling when you consider her opponent on Saturday, Lina Lansberg, also plies her trade as a 145lb fighter. If the fight isn't going to be in a regular UFC weight class anyway why not just hold the fight at 145?
The calls for extra women's weight classes in the UFC have grown louder over recent months, with a 125lb flyweight division and a 145lb featherweight division suggested.
But while UFC president Dana White admitted it was only a matter of time before the promotion expanded its women's divisions to accommodate more weight classes, he said there was nothing in the works for the immediate future.
"Obviously it's been very popular and the women have done very well, but as far as the expansion I think it's inevitable as the sport continues to grow," White told Globo in Brazil.
"But no plans in the near future, no."
That means more 'showcase' fights for Justino, whose dream of holding UFC championship gold remains as distant as ever.
Justino remains the Invicta featherweight champion, and is able to defend her belt in that promotion as part of her current deal. That, at least will give her the opportunity to fight at a healthier weight.
And there's also a strong argument that somebody close to Justino should take a stronger role to ensure she isn't exposed to the sort of extreme weight-cutting measures that could seriously damage her health.
But these problems could be addressed - and fixed - at source. If the UFC are going to continue to give her fights, why not let her show us the REAL 'Cyborg' on the big stage and let her compete at her natural fighting weight?
It'd make for a better spectacle, it would show the world just how good she is and, most importantly of all, it would mean she fights healthy.
And in this toughest of all sports, that's the most important thing of all.
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