An MMA Thanksgiving: 2020 All-Turkey Team

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Mike Mazzulli

One of the negative aspects of mixed martial arts is the necessity to cut weight. It seems so counterproductive for fighters to weaken their bodies the morning before they have to perform, but it remains a common practice due to the desire to be the physically bigger party in the match. Athletes spend countless hours in the days ahead of the weigh-in breaking sweats through cardiovascular activity or by spending time in the oppressive heat of a sauna or an Epsom salt bath.

The final push comes the morning of the weigh-in when combatants skip breakfast and refuse to consume any water while they work off the last few pounds to make their required weight. Due to almost dehydrating themselves under these extreme conditions, fighters tend to not have the most pleasant personalities when they step on the scale.

Fighters can become even more agitated when an athletic commissioner criticizes them during the weigh-in. This exact scenario played out during the Bellator 250 weigh-ins when co-headliner Brandon Girtz stepped on the scale for his featherweight bout. The veteran fighter weighed in at 146.25 pounds—a quarter of a pound over the 146-pound limit—and immediately had the director of athletic regulation for the Mohegan Tribe, Mike Mazzulli, barking orders at him. Though Mazzulli originally announced that Girtz made weight at 146 pounds, he then told Girtz he was over the limit and had to take off his sweatpants and weigh in again. When Girtz seemed confused and said he would weigh in naked, Mazzulli claimed the fighter was acting like a “tool.” While Girtz stripped down and successfully made weight behind a cover, the athletic commissioner continued to berate him, saying he had “an attitude” because he was “cutting too much weight.”

Mazzulli has a reputation as a hard-nosed commissioner who is not scared to punish the biggest stars in the sport. Back in 2017, he claimed that he talked the UFC into removing Conor McGregor from his rumored UFC 219 fight for jumping into the cage at a Bellator event and pushing referee Marc Goddard. Mazzulli also recently stated that Paul Daley would be forced to move up a division after the Englishman missed weight for his scheduled Bellator 247 match and had to be hospitalized. “Until someone dies,” Mazzulli said, “nothing is going to be done [about excessive weight cutting].”

While Mazzulli may have a point about the seriousness of the practice and reportedly apologized to Girtz after their confrontation, he handled the situation in an unprofessional manner. In the end, the only person who acted like a tool at Bellator 250 weigh-ins was Mazzulli.

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Previous Installments »

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• An MMA Thanksgiving: 2019 All-Turkey Team
• An MMA Thanksgiving: 2018 All-Turkey Team
• An MMA Thanksgiving: 2017 All-Turkey Team
• An MMA Thanksgiving: 2016 All-Turkey Team
• An MMA Thanksgiving: 2015 All-Turkey Team
• An MMA Thanksgiving: 2014 All-Turkey Team