HBO’s award-winning news magazine series “Real Sports” will look at one of mixed martial arts’ most controversial practices in their next episode: Weight cutting.
Extreme weight cutting over a short period of time has led to some scary scenes on the scale and has unfortunately caused deaths across the combat sports world. Attempts to make change in the culture has been an ongoing struggle.
On Tuesday’s ‘Real Sports,’ which airs at 10 p.m ET/PT, HBO goes behind the scenes on the weight-cutting issue, speaking with several fighters, including TUF 13 finalist Ramsey Nijem as he undergoes what looks like a horrific cut.
Here is HBO’s official description of the segment:
A day before a mixed martial arts fight, competitors determined to gain a competitive edge and fight at a lower weight class often dangerously dehydrate themselves, sometimes dropping close to 20 percent of their weight in a matter of hours. Correspondent David Scott examines the serious health complications associated with weight-cutting, which has endangered fighters’ lives, and at times, proven to be fatal, leaving some in the sport to question whether the age-old practice should be reined in.
HBO has released a promo video for the show. You can watch them below, then check out still shots from the episode, which include UFC former flyweight champ Nicco Montano, underneath:
HBO’s ‘Real Sports’ details MMA weight-cutting issues in upcoming episode