nt"

UFC President Dana White wants to axe morning weigh-ins, but has anybody thought through the real impact this will have on UFC fighters? And is this another sign that fighters need a voice in broader conversations that affect them most of all? MMAjunkie columnist Ben Fowlkes and retired UFC and WEC fighter Danny Downes discuss in this week’s Trading Shots.

* * * *

Fowlkes: At the risk of giving you another opportunity to tell your bad weight cut story, Danny, I want to talk about the UFC’s proposed change to the weigh-in times. According to UFC President Dana White, they’re moving back to 4 p.m. Also according to White, this is being done at the request of the fighters. So what if basically none of the fighters who’ve spoken up on the issue seem to be in favor of it?

I have two questions to put to you on this matter, Danny. The first is, how big a difference will this make both in the cutting and the recovery phases of fight-week preparations? You come from the era when it was all afternoon weigh-ins. Did you ever find yourself sitting there with parched mouth at 2 p.m. and wishing you’d have been able to get it over with a few hours earlier?

Second, and arguably more important question: Do we just accept it as a given that White is lying about polling fighters on this issue and making his decision based on their input? Because fighters seem fairly unanimous on this, yet White is out here acting like he’s doing their bidding even while seemingly ignoring their input (watch above). Is this just another reminder of what happens when fighters don’t force promoters to give them an official say in important decisions?

Downes: Let me set the scene for you, Ben. The year was 2010. “California Gurls” by Katy Perry was at the top of the charts, and the Los Angeles Lakers had recently defeated the Boston Celtics for the NBA championship. There I was, a fresh-faced 24-year-old looking to make a mark and – actually never mind. Sharing minor accomplishments is your thing. I wouldn’t want to take that from you.

When it comes to weigh-in day, every minute counts. Some fighters cut it a bit closer than others, but everyone needs that time. Under the old system, the sauna would be packed that morning right until noon or whenever we were supposed to meet to take the bus to the venue. Fighters who had already hit their mark earlier in the morning were relegated to sitting around nervous and dehydrated, counting the minutes until they could chug a bottle of Pedialyte.

If I had the option to weigh in during the morning, I gladly would have taken it. There would be less stress, I could have something to eat and maybe read the “Myth of Sisyphus” or something. That’s why it’s no surprise to me that most fighters vocal on social media have expressed their desire to keep early weigh-ins. The sooner you get it done, the sooner you don’t have to worry about it.

Which brings us to the second question. I’m going to be slightly more charitable to White than you are. I don’t think he’s ignoring their input, but being selective with what he wants to hear.

Remember back when White gave fighters the false choice of either raising prelim pay or keeping the current bonus system? What was the overwhelming response? Keep the bonuses because I’m totally going to knock out all my opponents! This will be the same.

If/when this change is made, the majority of fighters on the roster will tweet something to the tune of, “Bummed early weigh-ins are gone, but it doesn’t matter when they happen. I’m a professional, and I’ll make weight even if they’re at midnight! #grindin”

There’s a difference between making a stand and having a preference. Fighters collectively may have a preference for early weigh-ins, but will they make a stand for it?

Also, the data clearly shows more fighters are missing weight under this new system. There maybe a number of different reasons for that (I have my own hypotheses), but wouldn’t going back to the old system fix the problem? Isn’t it much easier for the UFC to change the schedule than to convince hundreds of pro fighters to change their habits?

Fowlkes: Let’s talk about that data for a second. In the past two years of early weigh-ins, around three percent of fighters have missed weight. That’s nearly double what it was before, but it’s still not exactly a tidal wave of screw-ups.

One thing we have to ask ourselves is, how many of those fighters would have hit the mark with a few extra hours? Because, let’s not forget, this data includes fighters who missed by 0.2 pounds and also fighters who missed by three or four. It includes the people who just ran out of time and the ones who seemingly gave in early when the weight wasn’t coming off.

As several fighters have pointed out in the flurry of social-media posts that followed White’s announcement, missing weight is usually about more than just the events of one single day. It’s often about the whole week, and maybe even the weeks that came before it.

Point is, I’d be willing to believe those who say they’ll make weight whenever the weigh-ins are held. But as you’ll no doubt recall, moving the weigh-ins wasn’t supposed to be about making weight; it was supposed to be about recovery. UFC exec Jeff Novitzky said it was “100 percent” about health and safety.  He framed it as a potential life-or-death matter. So why would it be the weigh-in data rather than the recovery data that informs this decision?

I agree that this might not be the issue that convinces fighters to join together and make a stand. If all the other unilateral decisions on everything from drug testing to sponsor pay didn’t do it, why would a few hours worth of weight-cutting time be the final catalyst?

But come on, Danny. You’re kidding yourself if you think White is hearing any input other than his own here. When presented with the unanimous results of a backstage media poll of fighters at UFC 225, White fired back that he talked to “more fighters” who agreed with him. He didn’t name a single one. Pressed further on the question, he said there was “no debate.” He’s moving weigh-ins and that’s that.

Does that really sound like a man who is doing the bidding of the fighters, or one who’s just pretending to?

Downes: This may come as a surprise to you because you are neither rich nor powerful, but rich and powerful men often surround themselves with people who tell them what they want to hear. How much of White’s argument is based on an echo chamber, and how much is based on him doing whatever he wants? I’d say it’s a little of column A and a little of column B.

What you inadvertently touched on, though, was the problem with weigh-in enforcement. Some fighters like Yoel Romero do barely miss make making weight. Some fighters like Mackenzie Dern, however, don’t come anywhere close. For the most part, they both face the same consequences.

Also, their opponents don’t have a ton of options. If they decline to fight, it’s a wasted fight camp, and they’re labeled a coward. The UFC also does not look fondly upon those who decide not to fight.

Regardless of when weigh-ins occur, it’s a fighter’s responsibility to be on point. I’m torn because fighters have such little power to begin with, I hesitate to place more punitive measures on them. At the same time, an honest cost/benefit analysis of whether you should make weight or not proves that when in doubt, you should not sweat it out.

Who has faced the gravest repercussions for not making weight? Kelvin Gastelum can’t get welterweight bouts booked anymore, but he seems to be doing all right for himself.

There’s the desire to treat every UFC policy as a proxy war for “Fighters vs. The Man.” While I would have preferred early weigh-ins, that’s only a preference. I doubt a couple hours make a difference for “health and safety” when you’re planning on getting punched in the face the next day. Fighters should pick and choose their battles. Is this the place to draw the line?

Ben Fowlkes is MMAjunkie and USA TODAY’s MMA columnist. Danny Downes, a retired UFC and WEC fighter, is an MMAjunkie contributor who has also written for UFC.com and UFC 360. Follow them on twitter at @benfowlkesMMA and @dannyboydownes.