NYSAC amends weigh in rules to prevent incidents like Daniel Cormier’s ‘towel trick’

Shortly after Daniel Cormier’s controversial weigh in, the New York commission has changed their rules.

Daniel Cormier’s controversial “towel trick” at the weigh in was one of the main talking points at UFC 210. Even after the fight, Anthony Johnson said that D.C. should answer for the “messed up” weigh in. The problem is, if you look at the New York State Athletic Commission’s weigh in procedure, no rule was technically broken with Cormier holding on to the towel.

The NYSAC has since revised their rules to avoid future incidents like this. The current wording on the document is as follows:

“When on the scale, the combatant shall stand still with his or her feet flat upon the scale and shall not make physical contact with any person or object other than the scale. No other person shall touch the scale when a combatant is in the act of weighing in. While on the scale, the combatant shall follow any direction issued by the Commission.”

The NYSAC also added a clause about handing out punishment to a competitor that “fails to act in good faith, engages in disruptive behavior, or violates any rule or directive of the Commission during the official weigh-in.”

“In the discretion of the Commission, a combatant may be directed to immediately retake the scale to ensure that the combatant’s weight was accurately assessed.”

Cormier initially weighed in 1.2 pounds over the light heavyweight limit. Less than 3 minutes later, he was on weight at 205 lbs. He ended up defeating Johnson, and retaining his UFC belt.