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Chapter 293 - 266: Weigh-In Ceremony, Martial Artist’s Demeanor_2

Chapter 293: Chapter 266: Weigh-In Ceremony, Martial Artist’s Demeanor_2

The process of enhancing one’s organs was in itself continually strengthening one’s internal organs, and the act of cutting weight through dehydration was a test of the endurance and cycling ability of these organs.

If an organ was weak, it would become apparent during the dehydration and weight-cutting process, and thus, upon regaining weight and stepping into the ring, one’s combat effectiveness would be diminished: resistance to hits, movement speed, technique output, energy distribution, continued endurance, and so on would all be impacted. However, when the organs were sufficiently strong, they could withstand the test of weight cutting and dehydration, allowing one to maintain peak performance in the ring once the weight was regained.

Wu, through his constant use of the Virtual Battle Cards, had accelerated the process of enhancing his organs over this month and a half; his organs had been continuously strengthened. Thus, when he started to cut weight a few days ago, his performance post-weight-cut hadn’t suffered much compared to during his preparation period, earning accolades from his nutritionist.

He could hardly imagine that someone could maintain such steady progress in such a short period of time that their bodily functions post-weight cut were almost as functional as before.

Apart from enhancing his organs, Wu had also used up the two Grandmaster-level Experience Cards in his possession, using them to refine his Fist Intent. In Virtual Reality, Wu had clearly outperformed Hu Shan, winning almost seven out of their ten bouts.

It could be said that, at this moment, Wu truly deserved the title of the number one practical fighter in Southeast Asia!

Although he was quite confident about defeating Dan Hu, Wu hadn’t taken it lightly. He had made every possible effort in anticipation of the match, and now, he was simply waiting for the start of the competition.

...

December 2, morning at 9 a.m.

Washington, Montreal Stadium.

This was a stadium that could accommodate 50,000 people. At the moment, roughly ten thousand were present.

A tall platform had been erected at the center of the stadium, with a huge screen behind it displaying ’UFC 254, Preliminary Weigh-in Ceremony.’

Media reporters had secured good spots below the platform, setting up cameras, while the audience sat in the seats below the platform.

"So many people."

A girl with a ponytail, seated in the fourth row below the platform, whispered in Chinese.

"That’s right, a lot of people from Hua Country have come specifically to see Wu."

Beside the ponytail sat a young lad, with a vibrant Five-star Red Flag painted on his left cheek. "There should be quite a few from our school as well."

"Really?"

The ponytail girl looked around trying to spot any familiar faces, while the young lad took the opportunity to steal glances at her.

Both were international students from Hua Country, alumni from the same university, who had met by chance on the campus network.

Knowing the girl was a fan of Wu, and since he was also interested in the UFC, he had promptly bought tickets to this weigh-in ceremony and bravely invited her to join him to watch Wu in action.

Indeed, the girl had agreed.

Suddenly, impactful music started playing, and the venue erupted in cheers.

The young man became energized and said to the ponytail girl, "It’s starting!"

They both looked up towards the stage as a burly man in a black T-shirt came out from the left backstage, shouting into a microphone as he walked.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the UFC 254 weigh-in ceremony!"

"Please welcome today’s weigh-in referee, Smith!"

"Please welcome the president of the UFC, Dana White!"

Amid the loud music and cheers, two individuals, including the bald, burly Dana White walked on stage from the right.

He picked up the microphone, greeted the audience with a few jokes, and then the host announced the official start of the weigh-in ceremony.

"Please welcome the first contestant to the stage, a middleweight fighter from Brazil, You En!"

A black man jogged out from the left backstage, waving to the spectators as he ran.

Applause echoed from below, though it was not very enthusiastic, indicating the relatively modest popularity of this fighter.

"He’s a secondary match participant, not very well-known," the young lad took the opportunity to explain to the girl beside him.

"What’s a secondary match?" the ponytail girl asked, her interest in UFC solely because of Wu, and not really familiar with the specifics of the sport.

"The undercard fights are those not broadcast on TV, featuring fighters who are relatively unknown and less skilled, while the main card fights are televised, featuring well-known fighters who get a share of the TV revenue," the young man explained patiently.

"There’s also the main event, one per issue, which is the most important match and takes place last. Nearly every main event is the most exciting and the best to watch."

The ponytailed girl’s eyes lit up, "Is Wu Li’s fight the main event?"

The young man smiled and nodded, "Yes, his match with Dan Hu is this issue’s main event. He’s the second person from Hua Country to be featured in the main event after Zhang Weili!"

"That’s awesome!" the girl exclaimed softly.

The young man nodded, "Of course, he’s a Kung Fu Hero, though I don’t really like that nickname. ’Kung Fu Tiger,’ ’Kung Fu Dragon,’ those sound better."

As they talked, the weigh-in continued onstage. The background electronic screen displayed highlights of the fighter’s past matches, and the fighter stepped onto the electronic scale. The referee read the numbers and then announced the results.

"184 pounds, approved!" the host shouted loudly.

Amidst the cheers, the fighter shook hands with Dana White and then went backstage to the right.

Then the next fighter was up, introduced by the host, with a highlight reel played on the big screen, followed by the weigh-in, result announcement, and exit.

The ponytailed girl didn’t recognize any of the fighters on stage. After watching a few, she began to find it somewhat boring.

The young man beside her keenly observed her boredom and initiated a conversation.

"Do you know why they don’t weigh the fighters right before the match, instead doing it a day in advance?"

The girl turned to him, "Why?"

The young man smiled, "Because in combat sports, the heavier you are, the more advantage you have. So, the fighters try to qualify for lower weight classes, which inevitably involves cutting weight. No matter the rules and weight classes, some fighters resort to extreme methods to cut as much weight as possible. Right after weight cutting, the fighters are dehydrated and very weak. Fighting in such a state wouldn’t make for an exciting match. So, they reversed the approach—by giving them a common recovery time, the match quality improves, and weight control and recovery abilities become metrics to gauge a fighter’s skills."

The ponytailed girl nodded, half understanding, and smiled at the young man, "You know so much."

"Haha, not really, I just follow the UFC a lot."

Flattered by her compliment, the young man couldn’t help but burst into a proud grin and shyly touched his nose.

"What if these fighters don’t make weight during the weigh-in?" the girl asked.

Seeing her take the initiative in conversation, the young man grew more enthusiastic. With confidence, he said, "There are rules for that too. For non-title fights, they can be over by one pound, then they weigh again two hours later. If they still don’t qualify, they consult the opponent. If the opponent disagrees, the match is canceled. If agreed upon, the overweight fighter has to give 20% of their fight purse to the opponent."

"So, to avoid being overweight, all kinds of interesting things have happened at weigh-ins: people have pulled out teeth, and one even spat out gum to just make the weight."

At this point, the young man slyly grinned, "And there was one female fighter who was just slightly overweight. To make the weight, she stripped naked right there on the scale."

"What?" The girl’s eyes widened, and her face turned red, "Is that even allowed?"

"Somebody held a towel in front of her," the young man laughed.

"Oh, I see," the girl said, a bit embarrassed.

Just then, a female fighter appeared on stage. Remembering what the young man had mentioned, the girl’s gaze towards the stage was a mix of shyness and anticipation.

Eventually, the female fighter passed the weigh-in, leaving the young man slightly disappointed as today’s weigh-in felt quite routine.

"Please welcome from Hua Country, the Featherweight, Kung Fu Monkey, Song Yidong!"

The host shouted, and now the cheers grew much louder.

Many of those attending the weigh-in were students from Hua Country, mainly there for Wu Li. However, they also showed great enthusiasm for Song Yidong, a fellow national.

"Before Wu Li, Song Yidong was the most likely to make the UFC official rankings," the young man explained to the girl.

The girl watched Song Yidong on stage, wearing black shorts, mentally noting: Nice physique, but not as handsome as Wu Li.

PS: The next few hundred words are written in this Chapter’s author’s remarks, available in the subscribed official version.