Science-based weight management for Central Florida's growing combat sports scene. Professional UFC cut experience. AI-powered tracking through every phase of camp.
Orlando's combat sports scene has grown steadily over the past decade. From established gyms like Hard Knocks 365 — which has produced multiple UFC fighters — to the expanding amateur circuit across Central Florida, more fighters here are competing at higher levels. But the nutrition infrastructure hasn't kept pace. Most Orlando fighters are still managing their own weight cuts using methods they learned from YouTube or a training partner who barely made weight last time. In Florida's heat, that approach is a recipe for a bad weigh-in and a worse performance.
Central Florida's fight scene extends well beyond Orlando proper. Fighters train across the I-4 corridor from Tampa to Daytona, with active gyms in Kissimmee, Sanford, Altamonte Springs, and Winter Park. Regional promotions like Xtreme Fighting Championships and Fury Fighting Championship give local fighters regular opportunities to compete.
Nelson Marques, RD, CSSD, provides the same caliber of weight cut management to these fighters that professional UFC athletes receive. His evidence-based approach prioritizes gradual body composition change during camp, minimizes acute water cutting, and optimizes post-weigh-in recovery — all monitored through the Calsanova AI platform.
From the first day of camp to the moment you step in the cage.
We establish your walking weight, body fat percentage, target weight class, and fight date. Then we calculate exactly how much needs to come off as body fat versus acute water weight.
Caloric intake is structured in phases — higher volume during heavy training weeks, tighter during taper. We track via Calsanova and adjust based on body weight trends and training performance.
The final 7 days follow a precise daily protocol. Sodium loading, water manipulation, fiber reduction, and a structured weigh-in morning routine. Post-scale, a timed refeed and rehydration plan restores your competitive capacity.
We work with fighters from any gym. If you train at Hard Knocks, Gracie Barra Orlando, MMA University, or any other Central Florida gym, we integrate our weight cut protocols with your coaching staff's training plan. The nutrition side is ours — the fighting side is theirs.
Florida's heat and humidity mean you're already losing more water and electrolytes during training than fighters in drier or cooler climates. This changes the math on water cuts — we have to be more conservative with acute dehydration strategies and more aggressive with early-camp body fat reduction to compensate.
Yes, and this is arguably when a professional weight cut nutritionist matters most. First-time cutters are the most vulnerable to doing it wrong — crash dieting, excessive sauna use, or cutting too much too fast. We teach you the right way from the start so you build sustainable habits.
Stop leaving your weight cut to chance. Get a professional protocol backed by UFC experience and sports science.
20% OFF Scythene — for Academy students & Calsanova members
Learn more →