Paulo Costa picked up the biggest win of his career in a “Fight of the Night”-winning brawl with Yoel Romero at Aug. 17’s UFC 241 from Anaheim, California.
The bout was arguably the best middleweight contest of the year thus far. However, it didn’t come without a price for Costa. According to a public records request made by MMA Junkie, the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) has recommended Costa to move up a division after UFC 241.
Five other fighters were also directed to move up a division. They were Sabina Mazo, Brandon Davis, Kyung Ho Kang, Manny Bermudez, and Sodiq Yusuff. The fighters were directed to do so after making weight gains of 15 percent or more in the time between the official UFC 241 weigh-ins and the fights the following day. The notices were given to the fighters per the CSAC’s increased rules against weight-cutting.
CSAC executive director Andy Foster also confirmed with MMA Fighting’s Damon Martin that Costa, along with the five others, is being advised to move up a weight class by the commission. A point of emphasis was placed on the changes as they pertain to the fighter competing in California. Foster confirmed the fighters are not being forced to make the move. If they want to continue fighting at their normal divisions, they will need to be cleared by the commission.
CSAC Efforts To Curb Weight-Cutting
The UFC 241 card saw quite a bit of action based on the CSAC weight-cutting rules. For example, 13 fighters from the event gained more than 10 percent of their body weight in that window. That is in violation of the CSAC’s continued efforts to stop drastic weight cuts in mixed martial arts. It’s important to note that Costa and Davis were rounded up from 14.9 and 14.7 percent weight gain. CSAC representative Patrisha Blackstock recently weighed in on the topic with MMA Junkie.
She said any fighter who hits the 15 percent threshold is sent a “notification letter” that states “they have been moved up a weight class in California.”
But all is not lost. Blackstock wrote in an email to MMA Junkie that they can still compete in the lower weight class. They would have to work with a facility like the UFC Performance Institute to curb their weight fluctuations. The CSAC will then review the findings in that regard:
“If those fighters wish to fight below the weight class that CSAC moved them to, then they will have to enroll in a nutrition program and work with the (UFC Performance Institute or a similar place) to address their weight/weight gain. Their nutrition program and findings from the PI will have to be sent to CSAC for review and approval before the fighters are moved down in weight class.”
Canceling Fights In The Future
The CSAC is at the forefront of efforts against excessive weight-cutting in MMA. For example, women’s bantamweight contender Aspen Ladd was visibly shaken while weighing for her UFC Sacramento main event against Germaine de Randamie in July. It was the latest in a long streak of weigh-in issues for Ladd.
She was banned from competing at bantamweight and ordered to submit ‘extensive medical documentation’ in order to fight there again. If she does, it would also remove an administrative note with the Association of Boxing Commissions (ABC). The note potentially stops her from fighting at 135 pounds in states outside of California.
The CSAC, spurred by executive director Andy Foster, is looking to implement stricter rules along those lines. That includes canceling fights in which competitors gain more than 15 percent of their body weight from the time they weighed in until the start of their scheduled bout. The efforts are undoubtedly a breath of fresh air in a time where weight-cutting regulation is needed.
