UFC color commentator Joe Rogan is heavily against the dangers of weight-cutting, particularly in MMA's top promotion.
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During the 163rd edition of the "JRE MMA Show," Rogan, Matt Serra, Din Thomas, and John Rallo discussed several topics related to the sport, including revisiting the chaos ahead of Dan Ige's last-minute fill-in against Diego Lopes in June.
"No one should be cutting weight, kids," Rogan said. "'I think, what they [the commision] really should do, is just find what they f****** actually weigh and just stop this nonsense. It should be looked at the same way steroids are looked at. It should be looked at the same way all other kind of cheating [in sports] is looked at. It's sanctioned cheating. You're not really 155 pounds."
The night of UFC 303, it was revealed on hours notice Brian Ortega would be unable to compete against Lopes due to illness. With close proximity and active training at play, the UFC called on Ige to take the fight and save a then-chaotic pay-per-view offering.
Given the circumstances of the situation, Lopes vs. Ige did not take place at contracted weight. Rogan said the fight is one of several examples which should allow the implementation of newer divisions and more flexibility.
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However, same day weigh-ins is an aspect Rogan said he is strongly against.
"It would get more guys hurt," Rogan said. That's the real problem. One of the things they say about head injuries and death in boxing – the vast majority of them don't take place at heavyweight. So, the guys who hit the hardest are not the guys who are getting horrible brain injuries where they [die] inside the ring. They're not cutting weight."
Rogan said there is no perfect solution to the issue. With how much the sport continues to evolve, however, he would like to see more effort put toward it.
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