Jared GoetzZenpire · CEO & Founder at Zendrop

The nutrition rule almost everyone gets wrong. This changes everything. #podcast #gym #motivation

26 Dec 2025 · 0 min

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In this brief interview segment, the hosts discuss how combat athletes manage weight cuts leading up to a fight. They explain that athletes aim to be roughly 10% below their normal scale weight during the week of the fight, using a combination of body‑fat reduction and aggressive water manipulation in the final 24‑48 hours to make weight. The conversation then shifts to how athletes should be re‑fed after the weigh‑in to return to optimal performance, emphasizing a short‑term, high‑carbohydrate, fast‑digesting protein plan that restores glycogen and hydration without causing gastrointestinal distress.

When you're with these athletes and they have to do weight cuts, how much weight are they cutting 2 days before they weigh in?
The week of the fight, you want to be about 10% from scale weight, and the night before the fight should be the direct cut where you want to get your body fat down to a good body fat percentage so that you're not struggling with that. And then it's all water manipulation from there.
So then what do you do to get the athlete back to optimal before a fight?
You have about 24 hours to get in several meals, but you don't want to overdo it because you can have stomach distress. So the first thing that you want to do is something like a light, fast digestive protein, some fish, or some eggs, and then you want to have a fast digestive carbohydrate. Maybe it's white rice. After that, then you can go ahead and throw some fats in there. And then you want to have more denser proteins, maybe steak, chicken. So you want to do that consistently all the way up until you go to the venue the next day.