Cutting weight is one of those unavoidable parts of combat sports that many fighters have labelled the worst part about it. Especially considering in the UFC, it is only ceremonial, and most fighters gain back the weight on the day of the actual fight.
But to make it to the weigh-in ceremony, fighters go through literal hell, from dehydrating themselves to wrapping themselves up in blankets and sleeping in the sauna to sweat out a few pounds. Fighters have actually fallen sick from the process. Now, imagine you are doing all that, while your uterus is shedding blood and tissues out of your body at the same time!
And that is why UFC women’s flyweight prospect, Tracy Cortez, asserts it is so much worse to cut weight when female athletes are on their periods.
Apart from the usual pain, women also experience extreme bloating and discomfort, Cortez noted as she went into details of just how helpless it can be.
“It’s extremely hard. During my cycle, I probably gain like 3 lbs. And it’s fu*king hard,” she points out, while also stressing that, unfortunately, there are no solutions to the problem either.
“There is nothing to do. I just keep drinking water, eating the same (food) and just fucking pray and work hard. There’s nothing you can do. Really,” the Arizona native added.
Menstrual cycles are also known to be hormone-altering, which can affect a fighter’s mood as well. Cortez claims that whenever she is in the process, she lets her coaches know about it before training.
“I am like, I start my f*cking period, so don’t start with me. And he’ll look at me like, ‘Do the best you can. ‘ I am like, ‘Cool. Don’t f*ck with me now’,” she tells former UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson.
Curious to hear more about Cortez’s experiences, Rampage asks her if being on her period helps her during the fight.
Cortez explains how periods affect fight night
“No, not at all. I have gotten my period on fight day and I felt so sh*t. That’s the weakest I have ever felt,” she promptly responded.
She also recalls watching women being talked down to during this time and being called cowards, and adds that nobody is making any excuses.
“I felt it. Like I get it. It’s a thing. You feel weaker. You feel more fatigued. Even I, when I am trying to lift during my menstrual cycle, am not as strong as I am when I am off of it. You know what I am saying. It does affect us,” she explains.
However, she makes it a point to stress that despite all the odds stacked against them, it shouldn’t stop them from achieving their goals.
So, when Rampage asks her if she or other fighters would like to call off their fights should they get their periods on fight night, Cortez quickly responds with, “No, no, no! Not at all. I wish, but no“.
