John Lineker has found new life in ONE Championship.
After two fights, it has become obvious that he is a title contender in ONE’s bantamweight division. It’s a breath of fresh air for John’s career after his struggles in the UFC. Although he always put on amazing and exciting fights, he forever struggled with cutting weight. What has made the difference is ONE’s weight-measuring system. It has made me realize that we are in the Middle Ages here in the West in regards to this aspect of fighting.
John is the type of fighter that everyone wants to watch. His style of fighting – forever moving forward, no matter what is thrown at him – makes one hold the edge of their seat as he fights. What a loss it would have been to the MMA world had he remained stuck to the traditional process regulated by U.S. commissions in terms of weight cutting and eventually dropped out of major MMA events.
But don’t take it just from me. Listen to John’s own words at how his life has changed since moving to ONE Championship:
“I love fighting. I do not think there is any other fighter in the world that steps up into the ring with as much joy and anticipation as I do. I really don’t worry about results – I just go in there and love the fight. But I was miserable for all my time in the UFC, even though it was no fault of theirs. I was miserable every time I even thought about the weight cut.
“I tried everything! I would go on extreme diets just so I did not have to endure a sauna or a boiling tub. I got to the point where I was so worried about not making weight and all the problems that it created – like negative media, or seeing Sean Shelby shake his head at me and me looking like a dunce – that I would simply lock up. Weight would not come off no matter what I did. I sweat even just remembering it! Although I am small, I have heavy bones, and to make things that much worse, I enjoy eating! I would have to go on lengthy extreme diets for months, and even so, when I came to the final cut, I would freak out. I simply couldn’t do it, to the point where I got cut from the UFC (though I do not blame them) and thought it was the end of my career.”
At this point, I knew we had to change something if we were to keep John’s career going. There was much interest in signing John by other promotions in the U.S., but I realized that we would just run into the same problem.
I had already experienced the weight protocol that is used in ONE Championship. There, fighters are weighed in twice, on two subsequent days, and each time, not only is their weight measured, but so is their hydration so that they fight at or near to their normal weight. Dehydration is simply not allowed. ONE has created a solution to a glaring problem in the sport of MMA. They changed because there was an accident, and someone suffered. They realized the error and were proactive.
Anyone that is at a ONE event will realize that the fighters are not looking like dried prunes when they step on the scale. To the contrary, they are bouncing around and lively. You don’t see guys being carried to the scale. There is no need for towels to cover up nude fighters.
I am convinced that the system used in ONE is a reliable solution, if not the only solution, for the entire sport of MMA, and for one simple reason: It avoids dehydration.
In our current system, athletes are dropping all this weight through dehydration, to reach a certain level, only to come back and fight at more or less their original weight. This system makes them suffer, increases the chance of injuries, and harms their health, sometimes seriously. It is also negative for the promotion – of course the capacity to perform by an athlete will improve if he is not subjected to this kind of thing. The quality of the fights suffer, if they happen at all. Just look at how many fights that were put together and invested in did not happen because of weight issues. It’s simply bad for everyone.
I find a parallel when companies used to market menthol cigarettes for asthma. It is ridiculous to the point of complete ignorance!
I use John Linker’s case as an example that I have experienced myself. I am sure there are many others. True, many other athletes manage to make weight, and most of them do not have the extreme problems John has endured. But I guarantee those weight cuts are not good for anyone – and they definitely are not fun.
The point I want others to realize is that there is a better way, and we must look at adopting this system in other MMA organizations, as well. It’s better for the fighters, better for the promotions, and better for the sport as a whole.
Alex Davis is a lifelong practitioner of martial arts and a former Brazilian judo champion. A founding member of American Top Team, Davis currently oversees the careers of a number of prominent Brazilian fighters, including Edson Barboza, Antonio Carlos Junior, Rousimar Palhares, Thiago “Marreta” Santos, Antonio Silva and Thiago Tavares, among others. Davis is a regular contributor to MMAjunkie, sharing his current views on the sport built through his perspectives that date back to the Brazilian roots of modern MMA.
ONE Championship saved John Lineker’s career with model all of MMA should follow | Opinion