LINCOLN, Neb. – The stress of weight cutting shows on James Vick during fight week.

Fresh out of the sauna, the UFC lightweight’s voice was softer and slightly raspy as he spoke to reporters. His cheeks were sunken, and his face had less color.

“It sucks – it’s never good,” he said. “But it’s not any worse or better than usual. It’s basically the same as always.”

At 31, Vick (13-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC) always finds a way to get down to 156 pounds for non-title bouts. He had 5.5 pounds remaining on Thursday and planned to cut the last 2.5 the morning of official weigh-ins for his FS1-televised headliner against Justin Gaethje (18-2 MMA, 1-2 UFC) at UFC Fight Night 135.

It’s in those final hours of suffering, however, where Vick starts to question his chosen weight class.

“Honestly, at lot of my stuff comes from my diet,” he said. “I have a bad diet. I’m not quite as big as people think I am. I’m very tall, but my bone structure is very small.

“I just eat a lot of sugar. I’m a sugar addict. It’s a problem. If I cut down on that, I’d probably walk around 10, 15 pounds lighter than I actually do.”

Then he gets a check for a win, and he forgets everything.

Vick made weight without issue for his fight against Gaethje, a pivotal matchup that could serve as a gateway to the marquee opponents he’s long coveted. A lightweight title fight remains his focus.

But eventually, he’ll need to move up a weight division, whether the UFC eventually promotes a 165-pound weight class or he tries his hand at welterweight. The reason he’s not doing it now is because he doesn’t want to start over again.

“My goal is to become a world champion, defend it a few times, and then move up,” he said. “If I move up right now, I’ve got to start at Ground Zero.”

And so, he cuts and he suffers as he moves toward his goal. Fight week is always the toughest part to endure before he steps into the octagon. It’s the fight before the fight, and one he’s used to.

For more on UFC Fight Night 135, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.