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They say everybody remembers their first time, and Chael Sonnen is certainly no exception.
Weight cutting is one of the biggest topics of discussion in MMA on a constant basis, with rarely a card going by without at least one fighter missing weight for a contest. This has more recently blossomed into discussions about whether or not the ability to cut weight is a legal way to cheat, with Joe Rogan and Marlon Vera being among those to wonder if it is a problem.
via Instagram @sonnench
Chael Sonnen’s First Weight Cut
Although it is quite prevalent in the confines of mixed martial arts, weight cutting arguably originated from a culture of amateur wrestling, with young people cutting weight as early as grade school.
Naturally, this would imply that Chael Sonnen knows a thing or two about the process, given that the former UFC title challenger is also an NCAA Division I All American wrestler.
Speaking in a recent video on his YouTube channel, Sonnen actually went into detail, explaining the first time he decided to cut weight, looking at it as a ritualistic thing that all wrestlers do and wanting to be part of that culture. It took place while he was wrestling as a child and wanted to drop 0.75lb from his 75lb frame in order to make the weight class he wanted to compete in.
“I was a little bit over. I was three-quarters of a pound over, I believe. I was trying to get down to 75 pounds… Just being 75 and three-quarters moved me up to 80 pounds,” Sonnen explained.
“I said (to my dad), I need to lose some weight, and I put some gear on. First time cutting weight. Now I had never done that before, but I was very proud. I put my hood up, and I’m skipping my little rope, and every now and then I’m walking over to a garbage can and I’m spitting. All these things that I had seen.”
Chael Sonnen went on to explain that he had a bit of a tough time getting a sweat going and losing that amount of weight, but eventually got to the 75lb weight limit, stepping on the scale to make it official. When he was done, he thought his father would be proud of him, but The American Gangster was instead surprised with the reaction he got.
“I walk back to where my dad is, he said, ‘You feel better? You feel good? You glad you did that?’ I said, ‘Yeah.’ He said ‘That’s a chicken s-h-i-* move.’ I was stunned. I couldn’t say anything back. I couldn’t believe he said that. I did everything right, I did what wrestlers do! I went and cut weight, I got to the nearest weight,” Sonnen explained.
“He said, ‘You didn’t lose that weight to wrestle somebody. You did that to not have to wrestle somebody,’ and he was right. He was right. The kid at 80lb was from USA Oregon, his name was Isaac Wood. I did not want to wrestle him… I went down to 75 to get away from him, that’s true. That’s very true. And I never cut weight again.”
Chael Sonnen did go on to say that once he was done with wrestling and competing in the UFC, things did begin to change and he did start to cut weight again, due to the pressure of getting good contracts and his increasing size from taking testosterone.
What are your thoughts on the practice of weight cutting?
Please provide transcription credit with a link to this article if you use any of these quotes.
They say everybody remembers their first time, and Chael Sonnen is certainly no exception.
Weight cutting is one of the biggest topics of discussion in MMA on a constant basis, with rarely a card going by without at least one fighter missing weight for a contest. This has more recently blossomed into discussions about whether or not the ability to cut weight is a legal way to cheat, with Joe Rogan and Marlon Vera being among those to wonder if it is a problem.
via Instagram @sonnench
Chael Sonnen’s First Weight Cut
Although it is quite prevalent in the confines of mixed martial arts, weight cutting arguably originated from a culture of amateur wrestling, with young people cutting weight as early as grade school.
Naturally, this would imply that Chael Sonnen knows a thing or two about the process, given that the former UFC title challenger is also an NCAA Division I All American wrestler.
Speaking in a recent video on his YouTube channel, Sonnen actually went into detail, explaining the first time he decided to cut weight, looking at it as a ritualistic thing that all wrestlers do and wanting to be part of that culture. It took place while he was wrestling as a child and wanted to drop 0.75lb from his 75lb frame in order to make the weight class he wanted to compete in.
“I was a little bit over. I was three-quarters of a pound over, I believe. I was trying to get down to 75 pounds… Just being 75 and three-quarters moved me up to 80 pounds,” Sonnen explained.
“I said (to my dad), I need to lose some weight, and I put some gear on. First time cutting weight. Now I had never done that before, but I was very proud. I put my hood up, and I’m skipping my little rope, and every now and then I’m walking over to a garbage can and I’m spitting. All these things that I had seen.”
Chael Sonnen went on to explain that he had a bit of a tough time getting a sweat going and losing that amount of weight, but eventually got to the 75lb weight limit, stepping on the scale to make it official. When he was done, he thought his father would be proud of him, but The American Gangster was instead surprised with the reaction he got.
“I walk back to where my dad is, he said, ‘You feel better? You feel good? You glad you did that?’ I said, ‘Yeah.’ He said ‘That’s a chicken s-h-i-* move.’ I was stunned. I couldn’t say anything back. I couldn’t believe he said that. I did everything right, I did what wrestlers do! I went and cut weight, I got to the nearest weight,” Sonnen explained.
“He said, ‘You didn’t lose that weight to wrestle somebody. You did that to not have to wrestle somebody,’ and he was right. He was right. The kid at 80lb was from USA Oregon, his name was Isaac Wood. I did not want to wrestle him… I went down to 75 to get away from him, that’s true. That’s very true. And I never cut weight again.”
[/quote]
Chael Sonnen did go on to say that once he was done with wrestling and competing in the UFC, things did begin to change and he did start to cut weight again, due to the pressure of getting good contracts and his increasing size from taking testosterone.
What are your thoughts on the practice of weight cutting?
Please provide transcription credit with a link to this article if you use any of these quotes.
Click here to view the article.
Weight cutting is one of the biggest topics of discussion in MMA on a constant basis, with rarely a card going by without at least one fighter missing weight for a contest. This has more recently blossomed into discussions about whether or not the ability to cut weight is a legal way to cheat, with Joe Rogan and Marlon Vera being among those to wonder if it is a problem.
via Instagram @sonnench
Chael Sonnen’s First Weight Cut
Although it is quite prevalent in the confines of mixed martial arts, weight cutting arguably originated from a culture of amateur wrestling, with young people cutting weight as early as grade school.
Naturally, this would imply that Chael Sonnen knows a thing or two about the process, given that the former UFC title challenger is also an NCAA Division I All American wrestler.
Speaking in a recent video on his YouTube channel, Sonnen actually went into detail, explaining the first time he decided to cut weight, looking at it as a ritualistic thing that all wrestlers do and wanting to be part of that culture. It took place while he was wrestling as a child and wanted to drop 0.75lb from his 75lb frame in order to make the weight class he wanted to compete in.
“I was a little bit over. I was three-quarters of a pound over, I believe. I was trying to get down to 75 pounds… Just being 75 and three-quarters moved me up to 80 pounds,” Sonnen explained.
“I said (to my dad), I need to lose some weight, and I put some gear on. First time cutting weight. Now I had never done that before, but I was very proud. I put my hood up, and I’m skipping my little rope, and every now and then I’m walking over to a garbage can and I’m spitting. All these things that I had seen.”
Chael Sonnen went on to explain that he had a bit of a tough time getting a sweat going and losing that amount of weight, but eventually got to the 75lb weight limit, stepping on the scale to make it official. When he was done, he thought his father would be proud of him, but The American Gangster was instead surprised with the reaction he got.
“I walk back to where my dad is, he said, ‘You feel better? You feel good? You glad you did that?’ I said, ‘Yeah.’ He said ‘That’s a chicken s-h-i-* move.’ I was stunned. I couldn’t say anything back. I couldn’t believe he said that. I did everything right, I did what wrestlers do! I went and cut weight, I got to the nearest weight,” Sonnen explained.
“He said, ‘You didn’t lose that weight to wrestle somebody. You did that to not have to wrestle somebody,’ and he was right. He was right. The kid at 80lb was from USA Oregon, his name was Isaac Wood. I did not want to wrestle him… I went down to 75 to get away from him, that’s true. That’s very true. And I never cut weight again.”
Chael Sonnen did go on to say that once he was done with wrestling and competing in the UFC, things did begin to change and he did start to cut weight again, due to the pressure of getting good contracts and his increasing size from taking testosterone.
What are your thoughts on the practice of weight cutting?
Please provide transcription credit with a link to this article if you use any of these quotes.
They say everybody remembers their first time, and Chael Sonnen is certainly no exception.
Weight cutting is one of the biggest topics of discussion in MMA on a constant basis, with rarely a card going by without at least one fighter missing weight for a contest. This has more recently blossomed into discussions about whether or not the ability to cut weight is a legal way to cheat, with Joe Rogan and Marlon Vera being among those to wonder if it is a problem.
Chael Sonnen’s First Weight Cut
Although it is quite prevalent in the confines of mixed martial arts, weight cutting arguably originated from a culture of amateur wrestling, with young people cutting weight as early as grade school.
Naturally, this would imply that Chael Sonnen knows a thing or two about the process, given that the former UFC title challenger is also an NCAA Division I All American wrestler.
Speaking in a recent video on his YouTube channel, Sonnen actually went into detail, explaining the first time he decided to cut weight, looking at it as a ritualistic thing that all wrestlers do and wanting to be part of that culture. It took place while he was wrestling as a child and wanted to drop 0.75lb from his 75lb frame in order to make the weight class he wanted to compete in.
“I was a little bit over. I was three-quarters of a pound over, I believe. I was trying to get down to 75 pounds… Just being 75 and three-quarters moved me up to 80 pounds,” Sonnen explained.
“I said (to my dad), I need to lose some weight, and I put some gear on. First time cutting weight. Now I had never done that before, but I was very proud. I put my hood up, and I’m skipping my little rope, and every now and then I’m walking over to a garbage can and I’m spitting. All these things that I had seen.”
Chael Sonnen went on to explain that he had a bit of a tough time getting a sweat going and losing that amount of weight, but eventually got to the 75lb weight limit, stepping on the scale to make it official. When he was done, he thought his father would be proud of him, but The American Gangster was instead surprised with the reaction he got.
“I walk back to where my dad is, he said, ‘You feel better? You feel good? You glad you did that?’ I said, ‘Yeah.’ He said ‘That’s a chicken s-h-i-* move.’ I was stunned. I couldn’t say anything back. I couldn’t believe he said that. I did everything right, I did what wrestlers do! I went and cut weight, I got to the nearest weight,” Sonnen explained.
“He said, ‘You didn’t lose that weight to wrestle somebody. You did that to not have to wrestle somebody,’ and he was right. He was right. The kid at 80lb was from USA Oregon, his name was Isaac Wood. I did not want to wrestle him… I went down to 75 to get away from him, that’s true. That’s very true. And I never cut weight again.”
[/quote]
Chael Sonnen did go on to say that once he was done with wrestling and competing in the UFC, things did begin to change and he did start to cut weight again, due to the pressure of getting good contracts and his increasing size from taking testosterone.
What are your thoughts on the practice of weight cutting?
Please provide transcription credit with a link to this article if you use any of these quotes.
Click here to view the article.
