“That day wouldn’t go well,” Rees said. “My coaches would be mad at me, teammates would be mad at me, parents would be mad at me, I’d be mad at myself. Then you just sit there the rest of the day like you’re in timeout and watch your team. If it’s a dual and there’s nobody else that weighs in at your weight or the weight below you and no one can bump up for that day, your team’s forfeiting six points and then it’s not just a direct comeback on you; you’re hurting your team.”
It does bother Rees for fans who have never had to cut weight before to judge fighters for not being able to get down to the expected weight, but stands next to them as they applaud the 20% or 30% purse deduction as a penalty.
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It all comes down to how much you want it. It may be hard to relate to a fighter or wrestler cutting weight, but it’s important to remember that with every weight miss around the world of combat sports there’s an entire team dedicated to each other enough to power through that exact misery week in and week out for years for the good of themselves and their team.
“I think that your coach can help with that, but it’s more on the athlete to help with that,” Rees said. “Nobody can make that weight for you. It really shouldn’t be your coach’s job; their job is to make you a better fighter or wrestler. Your coach can help you, but he can’t do it for you.”
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