My entry into management and matchmaking was not pretty. It began trying to get my son his first fight. I screwed the pooch righteously putting him in the cage with Brandon Thatch for his first fight. Although it was a good reality check and a bit educational for me and I am sure painful for him. Brandon was obviously well trained and ready vs. a couple of month of training for Josh. A friend of mine said to me only a wrestler would have taken that fight. Go figure!  

My naivety was quickly washed away as I realized everyone is looking for something different in a matchup. Camps are all looking for a winnable fight, Promoters are looking for the right fight for the crowd and possibly for the fighters they are managing, and Fighters are looking for something altogether different, some chasing the best, some looking to add to the win column on a safe bet.  

As someone who works in many capacities coach, manager and matchmaker, I have some understanding of the different paradigms even if I do not agree with them all.

Coaches and Managers:

I believe it is the responsibility of the coach as well as the manager to use whatever resources are available to them to research and gather as much data as possible about an opponent prior to putting your fighter in the cage to be chewed up and spit out so some promoter can fill a card. With rare exception the promoter isn’t going to watch out for your fighter, and quite frankly I don’t think it is their responsibility, although they should have enough integrity to try and present a balanced card with sensible matchups.  Often promoters and or matchmakers have a mixed agenda. They manage fighters, own their own gyms, coach fighters, all of which can create a conflict of interest.  The hope is that most can discipline the conflict of interest and present a fair opportunity at success for their fighter. While maintain the integrity of the matchup.

That being said I know there are some good promoters out there and they try hard to avoid mismatches and go far beyond their responsibilities and in the interest of card integrity as well as fighter safety go beyond their own responsibilities and refuse certain mismatches. Kudos to those guys

For those of us who have been around MMA for more than a week, how many times have we seen a fighter thrown to the wolves?  Mostly because of the lack of management,  a coach who wants to get a lot of fighters out there to increase visibility for their gym, or a promoter trying to keep 12 fights on their card.  Stopping that would appear to be an easy feat. Coaches do homework and protect your fighters while continuing to present progressive challenges for them.

 When I am searching for a fight for a fighter from my gym (Rough House) Keith puts me through the ringer with relevant questions while researching the fighter and promoter himself.  Those who know him know he isn’t looking for a walk over for his fighter. He is however not going to put his fighter is a situation where he or she has little to no chance of winning. While it can be frustrating I appreciate his diligence as I feel as coaches we should all be asking those tough questions.  It would be bad mojo for me to tell what specifically those questions are. But I would hope coaches would know the relevant questions to ask. If not maybe they should not be bringing fighters to the cage.

Promoters and Matchmakers:

In my humble opinion it is the promoters’ job to create a show. To create an experience for the fans, lighting, sound, fire and smoke, Hot ring girls, all that is included to create a phenomenal experience for the fans. This includes outstanding matchups. Some promotions utilize the services of a matchmaker and some do it on their own. As a matchmaker I love when they utilize someone who is an experienced matchmaker .

A matchmaker isn’t concerned as much with all the things that enhance the customer experience. They are concerned with making matchups that fight fans are talking about long after the fight takes place. They have to separate themselves from all the other aspects of the show and match fighters up. This means research, research, and a little more research. If you hate doing homework then matchmaking may not be for you unless you have someone doing your research for you. Also they have to know what happens when you match certain styles and abilities up. This for some is like a green thumb for a gardener. Comes down to a gut feeling. So knowledge of the game is essential. I see people matching up people and it is acutely obvious they have no business  matching fighters up. But they will match have a show and disappear as the more skilled and savvy folks have ongoing success.

Just sharing thoughts hope it sparks some discussion.

Neil

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As seems by now most of the MMA crowd here is aware I was diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer in April.  It has been a whirlwind and I am generally sick and tired, can’t touch and or drink anything cold am missing training and working with fighters, can’t work out, but without a doubt I am a blessed man.

In hind sight this has been an issue for quite some time and only because of a good friend’s (Doc Alex) insistence did I actually get the colonoscopy and the diagnosis. I have seen a number of doctors over the previous 4 years or so and they said oh eat more fiber. I already was substituting fiber and have stock in the raisin bran cereals.

Although cancer can give you an uncertain future my prognosis is good and after another  4 months of chemo I plan on guzzling an ice cold Coors light I am heading back to the gym to pound some iron and get busy with my involvement in MMA promotions, management, matchmaking, and of course conditioning.

So why would a guy with cancer and an uncertain future be a blessed man?  Well when life tosses you a curve ball like this you have a tendency to re-evaluate.

I have a wife of over 30 years who is so much beyond amazing and supportive, the best kids in the world and their families.  My grandkids are the best energy sapping daily adventure, they are the bomb. They are responsible for a lot of smiles. And get this! My family is healthy! How could you have an amazing family and they have their health and not feel blessed regardless of your immediate personal situation.

My friends have been supportive and consistent. My Rough House family has been patient waiting on my return, Nu-World partners are awesome and patient, and Fight friends have been protective  and offered much assistance.

So if you are still reading, you may be wondering what the motivator for this blog is.  I went to a memorial service to say goodbye to a young friend yesterday (RIP Noah).  He was 28 years young. He was a great guy who went to sleep and didn’t wake up. His little brother 22 has a rare form of cancer (about 80 cases a year worldwide) and has gone from one experimental treatment to another over the last 3 years. His brothers and parents wanted to encourage me because of my situation. I was humbled and embarrassed that I would complain or whine about my situation. They are an amazing family who looks adversity in the eye and presses forward together as a family continuing to care about others regardless of what they are facing.  

Take some time and look at your blessings and how awesome life is and live it. Make sure you tell the folks you love “I love You”  (never know when your last opportunity might be).  Be kinder, and more helpful to your friends. Life is short, enjoy it and live it.  Just a brief reminder from a blessed man.

This blog is dedicated to the memory of Noah  Kelly and the Kelly family,  a source of inspiration and symbol of strength.  I love you guys…..

I will get back to MMA in my next blog. With “matchmaking the art and politics”

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Ok so the no bullshit version. Cutting is bad for you! It has consequences both immediate and long term. It has and will continue to cause health issues and even death. I am opposed to the practice in principle and am concerned that fighters are injuring themselves and will suffer health issues later in life. Now that being said, as an intelligent individual you ask “why in the hell would you write articles and give presentations on this subject then? “

 As a trainer and conditioning coach I have always measured the potential risk of any activity against the rewards prior to implementation.  I have also warned about the potential long and short term risks of cutting weight, the stress on kidneys and the body, the potential for heart issues, not to mention the potential for piss poor performance. Make no mistake it is almost inevitable that you will suffer some type of performance issue after a cut. The more weight you cut the more potential you will take a performance hit.

Since I am on the subject I will say right here and now run do not walk from diuretics.

 My intent for sharing that is simply to spare some of you in this wonderful sport of MMA from the hell that kidney problems can bring.  

 I am not foolish enough to believe we can stop cutting.  We know fighters will continue to cut in an effort to obtain a size and strength advantage. My goal is simple,  I choose to visit this dark art in an attempt to educate and hopefully make it a little safer.

 Standard Disclaimer: Please understand I am not a medical professional ( I just play one on TV)  and you should seek out a doctor to eliminate any potential health issues before attempting anything that could tax your body such as cutting weight.

 Weight Loss VS Cutting

 These are two very distinct and different processes. I encourage my fighters to reach or achieve their walking weight prior to starting training camp for a fight.  That means the actual weight loss should be done prior to you starting your training camp for the fight. So you want to be within 15 pounds or so before starting camp. Camp is for honing your skills and getting in shape to fight. Not for weight loss as the caloric requirements are very different for each of these.

Walking weight can be different for every fighter. Fighters need proper nutrition during training and conditioning camps. I push my guys so hard that without it they would totally crash physically and mentally. I know that more carbs = more water. Don’t worry about the water till the last week or so. Drink a gallon a day while training and you will be good.

 % vs Pounds

 This is a simple one. I always hear guys say I need to cut 10 12 or 15 pounds. Well a 10 pound cut for a 205 pound fighter is different than a 10 pound cut for a 135 pound fighter simply because the 205 pound fighter has to cut a smaller percentage of weight and carries more water.

Simple math, Lighter the individual the bigger the percent of weight cut, the harder it will be to accomplish and the harder it is on their body.

Another thing to remember is more muscle more water = easier cut

 Salt and water Manipulation can get you  (4-6#)  

 I think all the top trainers would agree this is the simplest, safest and, least taxing way to cut weight. If you read the late Mike Mentzer’s writings on this subject (it is actually a book) you could easily get lost unless you are a second year chemistry student. But his applied science can be easily utilized by the layman and is actually the basis for a lot of my processes. For those who don’t know he was a world class body builder and trainer. Let’s face it no one purges water better than Body Builders.(why they suffer the greatest pains) We do not want to purge as much water as a body builder but the basics of salt and water manipulation still apply. Simply stated we want to trick the body into elimination of water to reduce our scale weight at weigh inns so we can reconstitute and come in much larger that we were 24 hours before the fight.  

 Note: Muscle holds more water than fat so a well muscled and lean athlete will have more success cutting then one with more body fat. Also men will have more success than women.

 Here is the play by play.  

• Day 1 consume one gallon of water - Liberal Salt
• Day 2 consume two gallons of water - Liberal Salt
• Day 3 consume two gallons of water - Reduce Salt
• Day 4 consume One gallon of water  - Cut all salt out
• Day 5 consume one Gallon of water  - Cut all salt out
• Day 6 Zero Water for 24 Hrs till Weigh in.
• Example: 7pm Weigh in Stop fluids 7 pm on 6^th day
• Day 7 Weigh Inn   

Notes: 

• When I say liberal salt I mean add a couple of shakes on top of your chicken or fish, something like that. It doesn’t take much and at this point you should be on a fairly low sodium routine anyway.
• When I say cut out salt I mean all salt, None zero….. You will still ingest some even trying to cut it all out. Processed foods have tons of salt and even some sports drinks, V-8 and other products have sodium. Sodium past day 4 is suicide for weight loss so read every label. Even Bottled water (Sodium bicarbonate is an amphoteric compound. Aqueous solutions are mildly alkaline due to the formation of carbonic acid and hydroxide ion: HCO−3 + H₂O → H₂CO₃ + OH^{−)  = Water retention.}

Salt is your biggest enemy during the cut if you ingest it at the wrong time. Once ingested you are pretty much screwed. You will come in overweight and look like a damn dork.

 This method also has the least side effects short and long term. You will probably have to run to the restroom every 20 minutes to drain the monster (Guys) Ladies I guess ya’ll just go Pee. Then the last 24 hrs you will get a dry mouth, bad breath, and be a bit cranky.  But a lot of you are cranky and have bad breath anyway so that shouldn’t bother you too much.

 Bowel Emptying (2-4#)

 You only need this method if you are more than 4-5 pounds over a week out from your fight. Your bowels, or stomach and intestines, are up to 28 feet long and contain up to 5-7 pounds of waste material at all times. The food that has been ingested over the last 24-36 hours is all still contained along this set of tubes. This material does not help performance and is actually waste. By clearing out the bowels, you can lose another 2-5 pounds without having to do anything. How you do this is extremely important.

1. Two days before the weigh in, you will already be eating less and natural laxatives like Psylium husk can take a little longer to work. Please note if you are going to use a fiber supplement hyper hydrating must occur prior or it will have minimal effect and can actually constipate you if you are not well hydrated.
2. Fiber works by absorbing fluids from the body into the intestine and then expelling it.
3. No water? No poop, that is pretty simple math. Without the water you will simply bloat, feel lousy and maybe even constipated.
4. The day before the weigh in, you should not be eating much at all. That material that is still in the gut from the day before, however, must be cleared for the weight loss.
5. I recommend a very gentle, all natural laxative. I have recommended Pyslium Husk in the past with fairly good results but for some it either is too irritating or doesn’t seem to work well enough. This is especially true with high protein diets such as I use for fighters 45-35-20. You can visit your local health food store and ask about a natural and mild laxative. I will also list some options below. There are much more powerful drugs (Stimulants) out there that do this, but I do not recommend it as they can leave you feeling like shit. (No pun intended) . Seriously though they can hurt your performance and leave you feeling horrible and weak. By taking the psylium husk or a natural laxative, most of you will wake and clear your bowels completely and bam you are good to go. Happy as a pig in shit! (Again no pun intended)
6. Remember that you would only do this if you felt you were not going to make the weight with salt and water manipulation. As promised here are some options below:

 Bowel Cleanse from Healthy Highway(almost as jacked up as condom depot on the back of your shorts)  is probably my best recommendation. It has a measured dosage and calculated response.

 Fast Resolve seems to work well and isn’t too expensive just do a search on the internet or stop by a vitamin cottage or one of those tree hugging outfits they probably carry it.

 The good old standard Milk of Magnesia If nothing else works this will definitely make you clear things out. I think it is a bit harsh but for some it seems to work quite well.

 For the budget restricted: 

• Prune juice is one of the better known natural laxatives. Prunes are high in potassium which will help with water depletion. They are also high in Vitamin A, and iron. Prunes work efficiently and quickly as natural laxatives. Therefore, just a small amount of prunes is generally all it takes. The problem with Prunes is dosage. But it is a cheap and effective option. 
• Senna leaves are an herbal natural laxative. It increases the amount of peristaltic movements in the colon. It contains the anthraquinone derivative senna glycodide. These anthraquinones are also found in other natural laxitive substances such as Aloe and Rhubarb. Again dosage can be a guessing game

     Forced Sweating (3-4#)

 We are now venturing in to more common methods and also more dangerous ones. Sweating can be done in a number of ways. The value to this as a follow up the other methods is it can be done on the day of weigh inns to shed the last couple of pounds.

 The limitations to this method are that it requires great amounts of energy expenditure, and can sap strength from the fight the next day. Remember you want to take off the weight you need to lose with the least amount of fatigue.

 The simplest way to use this method is light exercise. I recommend light exercise such as jogging or jumping rope. I would stay away from intense and complex cardio fight circuits involving punching, kicks, and takedowns and sprinting as it can negate that final week of neurological and muscular recovery. Depending on how quickly you need to lose the weight and the temperature of the area you are in, you will get a feel for what style you need to use. I know some of you still use plastic suits. I strongly urge you to not use them. Quite frankly if you need a plastic suit to get to weight you are too heavy for the weight class in which you are to compete. Now I know some of you will ignore me and use them anyway, knowing that I beg you to please use caution.

 Instead of exercise, most folks use the good old sauna or steam (steam is not as effective)if you have one. Time spent in the sauna should be at small 15-20 minute intervals to check weight loss weigh each time you exit the sauna. You can also use Albolene or Sweet Sweat to enhance sweating. You can find these in various places such as Title boxing products. I issue the warning again. Your body can actually quite sweating. Some folks simply stay in the sauna longer looking for a sweat that isn’t going to come. Please be careful if you insist on using this method.

 Diuretics:  

 Simply stated dietetics are a class of drugs that increase the amount of water and sodium excreted by your kidneys.  Unfortunately, these powerful drugs can lead to dangerous and life-threatening side effects. For various health reasons, not to mention most governing bodies have deemed them illegal, I strongly recommend you stay away from diuretics. And for you hippie Tree Hugging type’s abuse of natural diuretics can be risky as well.

For fighters it is important to understand that Potassium is an electrolyte and is filtered out by the diuretics. Potassium is necessary for nerve impulses and muscle contraction, the slightest alteration of potassium levels can have major complications. Imagine having issues with muscle contraction in the cage? You would be in deep shit quick.

Potassium imbalance can also cause cramps, weakness, paralysis, and respiratory failure and worse yet, arrhythmias which can cause cardiac arrest. Now for those who are thinking HA! What about potassium sparing diuretics? While a safer bet they are not as safe as you might think either. They carry their own risk because having too much potassium is also dangerous. It can cause bleeding of the stomach and intestine which is no joke.

In the longer term normal kidney function can be affected. If waste products accumulate, the body would be damaged. Kidneys also carefully adjust the amount of water and other materials such as electrolytes that should remain. Diuretics affect kidney function by causing them to filter out more substances from the blood and by preventing some of the filtrate to re-enter the blood. If diuretics are misused, kidney function is impaired and the delicate balance of our body's water and electrolytes is lost, leading to serious health effects.

 I hope at this point you have taken diuretics completely off of your radar. However for educational purposes and complete dip shits, I will continue with what I know about diuretics.

 There are three types of diuretics: thiazide, loop, and potassium-sparing. Each works by affecting a different part of your kidneys, and each may have different uses and side effects.   

• Thiazides like zaroxolyn
• Loop diuretics such as Lasix (Most common in athletics)
• Potassium-sparing diuretics like Aldactone

Natural Diuretics

Foods with natural diuretic properties may be a better alternative than drug-based diuretics. Some foods that contain natural diuretics are cranberries and cranberry juice, coffee and other beverages that contain caffeine, and apple cider vinegar. Apple cider vinegar also contains potassium, so it may help avoid potassium deficiency. Still, it should be used sparingly. Adding fruits and vegetables such as cucumbers, watermelon and others that contain a lot of water will also help increase urination.

• Green tea is a natural diuretic food that has been in use for centuries in China.
• Consumption of cranberry juice can aid in removal of excess fluid retention.
• Apple cider vinegar exhibits natural diuretic properties and in addition maintains the potassium levels. It can be added to the salad dressing.
• Dandelion is often used as a natural diuretic.
• Nettle has natural diuretic properties that facilitate good cleansing.
• Fennel has carminative and diuretic properties and is frequently used in seasoning food.

 Reconstitution.

 This is just as or more important than cutting the weight.   

 Liquids: Immediately after weigh in begin re-hydrating. Shoot for 3 Gallons of water (Fluids) over the next 32 -36 hrs starting immediately after weigh inn. I am being honest with you this is an absolute bitch to accomplish, and it takes some dedication to accomplish. Drinking has to be thought about because you’re not going to feel thirsty even though you will still be dehydrated. Be careful with the simple sugars in some electrolyte loaded drinks. I strongly recommend Elete Electrolyte Concentrate. It is a great tool to have in your arsenal and looks and tastes like water. Note: It is also a great pre fight drink. What you don’t want after a weigh in is a bunch of insulin spikes to screw you up at this point. Maybe follow the electrolyte concentrate  up with bottle of pedialite and then water. If water is a struggle for you try Iced Tea and lemon. I mean real iced tea not from a jar or can. Drink consistently and remember don’t guzzle and don’t overdo it and hurt yourself. You can actually waterlog and get sick, so drink consistently and try to get 2.5 – 3 gallons over the 36 hrs from weigh inn to fight time.

No carbonated beverages! Zero Zero Zero,

 Food:  After weigh in eat some Carbs and Proteins… Be careful do not stuff!!!  Eat enough to take the edge off but you should not eat till you are full and bloated because you will need to eat every two hours till bed time. A protein shake may be good to take the edge off if you are accustom to them. If they are not part of your regular routine this is not the time to introduce them. Even a protein shake at bed time might be a good idea. First thing in the morning get started again! Eat every two hours up until about 4 hrs before your fight. A full belly and adrenaline will likely make you toss your cookies.

If you want Beef or pork I would consume it the night of weigh inns otherwise wait till after the fight it can stay in the gut a long time.  

Each meal ideally should contain a small amount of: Fibrous Carbs, (Wheat Pasta, Brown Rice) and a good protein source. Tuna is great, Fish is great (Cooked) chicken breast, turkey, Legumes depending on your ability to ingest them. Lentils are a damn miracle food if you can tolerate them. As always I recommend yogurt. Fruit is ok if you want it but limit it so you stay off the crapper. If you do consume fruit Bananas are good for potassium replacement but I recommend High Fiber fruit like Apples, Pears and such. Fat requires no restriction except for your ability to digest it. Sodium should be ingested but no excessively.

 Some suggestions below

 Proteins:  Chicken, Fish (Well Cooked or Tuna) Cottage Cheese, Yogurt, Cheese, Nuts, Peanut butter. Protein Supplements are ok such as shakes although I prefer you get most of your nutrition from whole clean foods for this day

 Carbohydrates: Wheat Pasta, Brown Rice, Bran, Boost or Ensure are great for getting energy during re-constitution.

 No Raw fish, Sushi

No Fried or crap food. Save that for after the fight Keep it clean don’t take any chances

No white pasta or white (bleached Flour)

No Corn

No Candy

No Soda Pop 

NOTE:
Obviously food consumption will be relative to actual dry body weight ( Morning Weight in) 24 hrs before the weigh in. I usually tell guys don’t eat unless they have experience cutting and know how their body will respond.  Experienced veterans I trust you to make your own call. Just do not miss weight!

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