Marlon Vera says cutting huge amounts of weight is like cheating

One of the biggest bantamweights in the division, Sterling regularly cuts an enormous amount of weight to get down to the 135-pound limit, and after title defense against T.J. Dillashaw at UFC 280, Sterling revealed that he put back on 40 pounds in the week following the fight. And while that sort of massive weight fluctuation is perfectly legal according to the Unified Rules of MMA, “Chito” Vera believes it goes against the spirit of the game.

“Cutting that much weight is cheating to me,” Vera told Michael Bisping. “You’re kind of a p**** if you cut that much weight, because you want to be bigger and stronger. Because he really doesn’t hurt nobody, but he makes you carry his weight, takes you down. I’m 155 pounds in or out of camp. I feel like that’s a natural 135-pounder, and I’m still thinking I cut a sload of weight, because 20 pounds is a lot. That motherf** weighs like 170, 180 pounds when he’s eating f****** God knows what. Yeah, you can make the weight [but] that’s why he’s been KOed unconscious, because of the amount of weight he cuts. If you touch him, he might go down.”

Sterling’s weight has again become a topic of conversation as the UFC attempts to iron out a timeline and contender for the next bantamweight title defense, with the champion even teasing a possible move up to 145 pounds in his near future. All signs currently point to former champion Henry Cejudo being next in line and unfortunately, that leaves Vera still as the odd man out. Instead “Chito” will now face Cory Sandhagen in the main event of a Fight Night card on Feb. 18 in Las Vegas. Currently ranked No. 4 in the world according to the UFC, Vera believes that a win over the No. 5-ranked Sandhagen will finally get him the title shot he’s been chasing, regardless of what happens to the rest of the division.

“1,000 percent,” Vera said. “The guys that I have been beating are either former world champions or top-five guys. Probably for myself I have a little longer road, but it is what it is. It’s life. Some people have an easier road, a shorter road, I have a longer road. At the end of the day, life is hard for everybody, but I really believe with a solid win on this guy, I’m fighting for the belt, regardless of all these hype things, who has the belt, who has more views, who has less views. It doesn’t f****** matter. If you go in there and put the guy’s lights out, the views come your way. So I’m just plugging away.”

Vera’s run recently has been spectacular, with four straight victories since losing to Jose Aldoin 2020, including highlight reel head kick knockouts of Frankie Edgar and Dominick Cruz. The problem, at the moment, is the glut of contenders at the top of the bantamweight ranks, with Cejudo and Sean O’Malleyjockeying for position, and even Merab Dvalishvili waiting in the wings. It’s a problem that could best be solved by people simply fighting it out to determine the next contender, instead of waiting for their turn at the title, so says “Chito.”

“Everything is a matter of they all start playing with dates and they all start holding position,” Vera said. “That’s why when they called me for this fight I was like, ‘Yeah, I’ll take it.’ I don’t see it as a negative thing, I don’t see it as a going backwards thing. It’s just another day in the office, putting in more reps and getting more experience. If I’m healthy, why sit down? There’s a bag of money to go and grab, so why not? Keep advancing. And I’m beating legit guys. It’s not like they’re building my career and s*** like that. So the experience I have right now, you can’t buy that, you can’t get that. You can only get that by walking the walk. I’m getting calmer in there, I’m getting better in there, while all these guys just act like a bunch of c****. I’m just going to keep getting better and by the time I get to them it’s going to be night-night.”

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If you’re good at weight cutting you could legitimately have 15-20 pounds on your opponent. It’s like a middleweight fighting a welterweight. Of course it’s a huge advantage.

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Amen

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If you make the weight you make the weight
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Been saying for years it’s fair game if you can make the Weight

Covington is a fool for not cutting to 155 and Nate was a fool to stop cutting weight and sit at 170lbs.

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Alternate article title:

Marlon Vera not willing to cut as much weight as his peers.

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I mean Colby is the number 2 guy at 170…

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The knowledge on how to cut weight correctly is out there. Not cutting 10-15% of your weight and being in the UFC demonstrates a lack of motivation or intelligence. Or both.

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Certain styles and body types exaggerate or minimize the importance of cutting.

Colby is strong enough and skilled enough as a wrestler to succeed without cutting much.

But make no mistake: if we cloned Colby and made one 175 (like he walks at) and another 190 with the same body far percentage, 190 Colby would beat 175 Colby.

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I like seeing guys compete who are well matched and some styles make more sense to be larger. I feel like Costa and Whittaker are good examples in that both have fought well at a higher or lower weight, but are best at 185. Both are strikers, but Rob has so much output and movement, it makes sense for him to be lighter. Costa hits hard as hell, but he’s also slow and plodding when he isn’t bull rushing.

He’s 0-2 against Usman

Same day weigh ins would solve this.

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No it wouldn’t. They’d cut the same weight and just not have time to recover.

More fights would drop out, you’d have more injuries, and more than likely a death in a major promotion.

Same day weigh ins plus hydration tests are the only thing that would stop water cuts.

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One FC has it right

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One FC has it right

I’ve no idea why UFC wouldn’t consider the same rule.

It’s safer

It would benefit the more marketable higher divisions

Fighters would perform better

Fighters would need less notice and be more active

And on and on

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Some guys have naturally longer limbs, more fast twitch muscle. Some guys have denser bones, some guys have bodies that can lose a ton of water and then rehydrate just fine.

Life ain’t fair son, stop yer bitching

Yup I agree I wish they would, just like we did in Amateur wrestling. Tournamemts we weight checked day before and the morning of both before matches.