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How much weight UFC fighters gain after the weigh-in
Fighters weigh in the day before the fight and walk out much heavier. How much heavier used to be a matter of anecdote. The California commission weighs fighters again on the day of the event and publishes the figures, and three UFC cards give 35 official numbers.
Across 35 official fight-night weights from three UFC cards, the median fighter regained 19.4 lb between the weigh-in and the fight, about 13 percent of the weight on the scale.
22 of the 35 regained more than 10 percent, the line at which the commission recommends a move up a division, and 15 regained 15 percent or more, the line at which it will consider refusing the bout.
The lighter the fighter, the bigger the regain: the 19 fighters who weighed in at 160 lb or less regained a median of 15.2 percent, the six at 200 lb and above a median of 1.5 percent.
Where the numbers come from
The California State Athletic Commission weighs fighters again on the day of the event and publishes the figures. Three UFC cards are in the record: UFC 298 (February 2024, nine fighters reported), UFC 311 (January 2025, 23 fighters) and UFC Sacramento (August 2026, three fighters).
The regain is the fight-night weight minus the official weigh-in weight, and the percentage is that regain divided by the weigh-in weight, calculated from the weights themselves. Every row, with its source, is in the weight miss registry.
The numbers
| All 35 fighters | Figure |
|---|---|
| Median regain | 19.4 lb, 12.7% |
| Mean regain | 11.4% |
| Middle half of the field | 7.9% to 16.1% |
| More than 10 percent | 22 of 35 |
| 15 percent or more | 15 of 35 |
| 20 lb or more | 17 of 35 |
The lighter the fighter, the bigger the regain
| Weighed in at | Fighters | Median regain | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| 160 lb or less | 19 | 15.2% (21.8 lb) | 5.3% to 17.5% |
| 161 to 199 lb | 10 | 11.2% (20.8 lb) | 3.8% to 17.8% |
| 200 lb and above | 6 | 1.5% (3.0 lb) | -1.2% to 7.9% |
Heavier fighters in this record barely regained anything, and one weighed less on fight night than at the weigh-in. What comes back overnight is mostly what the cut took out: water, glycogen and gut content, as set out in rehydration after the weigh-in. The heavier fighters regained little because most of them had little to put back.
The largest and smallest regains
Largest, in pounds:
- Geoff Neal, UFC 298: 170.5 to 200.8 lb, +30.3 lb (17.8%)
- Paulo Costa, UFC 298: 185.5 to 215.2 lb, +29.7 lb (16.0%)
- Reinier de Ridder, UFC 311: 184.5 to 212 lb, +27.5 lb (14.9%)
- Danny Barlow, UFC 298: 171 to 197.8 lb, +26.8 lb (15.7%)
- Renato Moicano, UFC 311: 155 to 181.8 lb, +26.8 lb (17.3%)
- Marcio Barbosa, UFC Sacramento: 145.5 to 171 lb, +25.5 lb (17.5%)
Smallest:
- Jailton Almeida, UFC 311: 235 to 232.2 lb, -2.8 lb (-1.2%)
- Serghei Spivac, UFC 311: 233 to 234.2 lb, +1.2 lb (0.5%)
- Billy Elekana, UFC 311: 200 to 202.4 lb, +2.4 lb (1.2%)
The two lines the commission uses
The commission treats 10 percent as the point at which it recommends a move up a division and 15 percent as the point at which it will consider refusing the bout. In this record, 22 of 35 fighters crossed the first line and 15 crossed the second.
The UFC itself has no rehydration clause and no cap on what a fighter may regain. In boxing, a contract can set one: the Eubank Jr v Benn clause capped the regain at 10 lb, checked the next morning. The clauses and what they cost are in rehydration clause rules.
What this record cannot tell you
- It is three cards and one commission. The numbers describe fighters on those cards, not every UFC fighter.
- The UFC 298 figures cover nine of the 24 fighters on the card, named in one report, seven of them because they had crossed 15 percent, so that card leans high. UFC 311, the most complete card here with 23 fighters, has a median of 11.0 percent.
- The group at 200 lb and above is six fighters.
- It says nothing about who won. The studies that looked at regain and results point both ways: a judo study linked regain to success, a multi-day boxing study found no link, and both were observational.
The table is updated monthly with the registry.
Common questions
How much weight do UFC fighters gain after weigh-ins?
In 35 official fight-night weights from three UFC cards, the median fighter regained 19.4 lb between the weigh-in and the fight, about 13 percent of the weight on the scale. Fighters who weighed in at 160 lb or less regained a median of 15.2 percent.
What is the most weight a UFC fighter has gained after weighing in?
In this record, Geoff Neal at UFC 298: 170.5 lb at the weigh-in and 200.8 lb on fight night, a regain of 30.3 lb, or 17.8 percent.
Is there a limit on how much a UFC fighter can gain after the weigh-in?
The UFC has no rehydration clause. The California commission recommends a move up a division above 10 percent and will consider refusing the bout at 15 percent.
Why do lighter fighters regain more?
In this record the fighters at 200 lb and above regained a median of 3 lb, while those at 160 lb or less regained 21.8 lb. What comes back overnight is mostly what the cut removed, so a fighter who barely cut has little to regain.
Do fighters who regain more weight win more often?
This record does not answer that, and the studies point both ways: a judo study linked regain to success, a multi-day boxing study found no link, and both were observational.
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Oleksandr Foka is a sports nutritionist with over a decade in professional sport. He wrestled freestyle from the age of 4 until he was 22, competing as a medallist and champion at Ukrainian and international level, and has worked with amateur boxers since 2017, including champions and medallists at world championships. He has worked in world title camps in boxing with Oleksandr Usyk, Oleksandr Gvozdyk, Denys Berinchyk, Vladyslav Sirenko, Murodjon Ahmadaliev, Israil Madrimov, Sergiy Bogachuk, Sabirzhan Akkalykov and Abylaikhan Zhussupov, and with the Kazakhstan national boxing team and with Kazakhstan judo athletes, and currently works on the WTA tour.
Oleksandr Foka — sports nutritionist. Questions: fokaoleksandr@gmail.com
Educational content, not medical treatment. For adults 18+. The camp figures described here are supervised professional practice and are not a protocol to copy. Deliberate manipulation of fluid intake carries real risk, including hyponatremia, which can be fatal. Extreme cuts require supervision by a physician and a qualified specialist.