An MMA promotion has made a huge call to further penalize fighters who don’t adhere to the rules.
While Arman Tsarukyan did headbutt Dan Hooker at last weekend’s UFC Qatar ceremonial weigh-ins, each fighter on the card successfully made weight ahead of November 22.
It doesn’t feel like the issue of fighters missing the mark has been quite as big a talking point in 2025 compared to previous years.
Bryan Battle, who was cut from the team in August due to his weight loss, has been the subject of much debate.
Polish promotion KSW, who have put on some staggeringly big stadium shows, have looked to implement more punishments for athletes who aren’t able to fulfil their obligations.
Dillon Danis & UFC Star to Receive Punishment Following Damning Update on UFC 322 Brawl
Photo by Ed Mulholland/Zuffa LLC
The pitch
KSW’s major announcement on November 25 revealed that from their upcoming KSW 113 event onwards, fighters will be deducted a point in the first round if they miss weight.
If they want to, they can have the normal morning weigh-ins as well as an extra hour.
This is a new punishment that impacts the fight and not only a percentage of the fighter’s earnings, something the UFC also should explore.
Hit them where it hurts
The purse percentage fines simply aren’t enough to deter people from not weighing themselves.
Sure, a weight miss might mean that you’re not in the UFC’s good books, but losing 20% of your money for something you agreed to which could impact the fight isn’t substantial enough.
It’s always going to be a case-by-case scenario but there have certainly been times where a fighter missing the mark has gained an advantage by having their opponent cut down more than them.
Even if there wasn’t an advantage to be gained and a miss suggests that the fighter who didn’t hit the mark is compromised, they still signed the contract to fight in that division.
By taking a point, you’re giving the fighter who did fulfil their end of the bargain an advantage and affecting the opponent’s chance of securing their win bonus, which would likely far outweigh a 20% fine.
It’s very rare that we see fighters turn down matchups after their opponent missed weight because they’ve already invested time and money into the…
2025-11-27 04:00:00
